Sophomore forward Keaton Nankivil's career night was not enough to help the Badgers dig themselves out of their recent slump.
Wisconsin fell to No. 17 Purdue 64-63 after holding a five-point lead with only five minutes left. Nankivil, who was perfect from behind the arc, led the Badgers with 21 points. Purdue sophomore guard E'Twaun Moore had a team-high 17 for the Boilermakers.
The Badgers found themselves in control, up by five points with less than five minutes left in the game. Nankivil hit his fifth 3-pointer and Wisconsin held Purdue scoreless for over four minutes.
But Purdue turned the tempo of the game when junior guard Keaton Grant, junior guard Chris Kramer and sophomore forward Robbie Hummel drained three consecutive 3-pointers.
Those three shots put the Badgers in a familiar spot: behind with little time left.
They were big moments for them, and their players hit them,"" Wisconsin head coach Ryan said. ""They found the open guy and they hit them. [It wasn't] good timing for us.""
With the Badgers down 58-60, Ryan put the ball in the hands of freshman guard Jordan Taylor. Since the game at Iowa, Taylor's role in the offense has increased. With 38 seconds left, in the game junior guard Trevon Hughes penetrated the lane and found Taylor open, but Taylor was unable to make the shot.
Grant made both his free throws after a quick Wisconsin foul and put the Badgers down 58-62. With a comeback looking grim, Taylor managed to sneak a fast lay-up against the Boilermakers' defense, cutting the deficit to two again.
Another fast foul put Purdue's Kramer on the line. Wisconsin got its first break of the game after Kramer was unable to knock down his free throw. With 17 seconds remaining, Ryan put his trust in his freshman guard again. Taylor took the inbound, and with the seconds closing in on zero, he flipped up a layup in the crowded lane. The ball rolled around the rim, but as with many of the Wisconsin's shots on the night, it did not fall through.
The increased minutes for Jordan Taylor in the past couple games has raised his comfort level on the court, but his focus is on helping the team to break its slump rather than on his playing time.
""I think I'm playing a little more confident,"" Taylor said. ""But I'm not concerned about how many minutes I'm getting. Right now the focal point is turning this thing around. I can't remember the last time a Wisconsin team lost five games in a row.""
Purdue spoiled Nankivil's coming-out party, but as with this teammates, he was more worried about the team's effort and trying to get back to winning.
""Some days it might be me, some days it might be [Trevon Hughes], some days it might be Jordan, but we just need everyone to keep working hard so we can get this next win,"" Nankivil said.
The loss drops the Badgers to 12-8 (3-5 Big Ten) heading into Northwestern on Saturday. It is the first time since 1998 that Wisconsin has dropped five conference games in a row.
