On Tuesday night, the Wisconsin men's basketball team (3-5 Big Ten, 12-8 overall) was hungry for redemption after a loss two weeks ago at the hands of No. 17 Purdue. But a late run and clutch shooting by the Boilermakers resulted in a 64-63 loss for Wisconsin, which lost its fifth-straight conference game for the first time since 1998.
The Boilermakers shot nearly 60 percent for the game, including scores on five of their last six possessions and three crucial 3-pointers in the game's final three minutes. Wisconsin head coach Bo Ryan said he was pleased with some of the adjustments the Badgers made over the course of the game, but gave credit to Purdue for their clutch play down the stretch.
You took away their drives to the basket that they got in the first half and you know you're going to have to help and recover,"" Ryan said. ""But you know, they were big moments for them, and their players hit them.""
After a subpar game against Wisconsin in their previous matchup, Purdue sophomore guard E'Twaun Moore helped carry the Boilermakers, finishing with 17 points, six assists and five rebounds.
On the offensive end, Wisconsin showed improvement, shooting 43.1 percent for the game after failing to reach the 40 percent mark in its last four contests. The Badgers were particularly hot from beyond the arc, where they hit 11-of-18, including sophomore forward Keaton Nankivil's five-for-five from 3-point range.
Despite this change of pace, Wisconsin still had trouble offensively when it mattered most. The Badgers had a six-minute first-half stretch and a four-minute second-half stretch without a field goal. With a 58-57 lead with just under two minutes left, the Badgers came up empty on their next two possessions, losing the lead and creating a hole that they could not overcome.
""They played solid defense, but I think we had our looks and it just was not falling for us,"" Hughes said. ""They did a great job down the stretch, and we cannot go 10 minutes in the game without getting anything on the ball. It is frustrating, because we are always there and we just cannot end up on the left-hand side.""
Ryan showed his confidence in freshman guard Jordan Taylor, who played 22 minutes, scored six points and attempted three big shots in the game's final two minutes to try to help Wisconsin try to get back their lead.
""I always believe that the guys that I have on the floor at that time are the guys that are there for a reason and can get something done,"" Ryan said. ""But Jordan Taylor deserves the minutes he's getting on the floor, that's for sure.""
Still, Taylor missed on two of his last three shots, and once again the Badgers failed to hold on to their late lead. Ryan said the Badgers need to keep things simple in order to fix these mistakes down the stretch.
""You have to think about each and every possession that you're on and try to deliver on one end offensively, and defensively deliver a stop,"" Ryan said. ""There aren't any secrets in this game.""
The Badgers have lost a great deal of confidence during their losing streak, and the younger players said they feel that they have let down their seniors. Hughes, however, believes the Badgers must take a different mindset in order to recover.
""We have to run one through 17 in practice and on the court during games,"" Hughes said. ""We have to look at it like we just lost tonight. We have good players on our team. It was a bad loss. It is going to hurt, but we are going to get it past us and get ready for the next one.""
