Despite eliminating a 14-point lead in the second half and having the support of one of the loudest student sections all season, Wisconsin (6-5) lost in the final 30 seconds of the game to in-state rival Marquette (8-2) at the Kohl Center Saturday afternoon.
With five seconds remaining in the game, junior Nigel Hayes had an opportunity to sink a 3-pointer to give the Badgers the lead, but the forward came up short and Wisconsin suffered another loss to a non-conference opponent at home.
“This is a great place to play,” Marquette head coach Steve Wojciechowski said. “The support that the student body and fans give their team is incredible. This is an incredible place to win. Not very many teams have done it.”
Undoubtedly, the Kohl Center produced one of the best game environments all season, but, despite the raucous student section, the Badgers could not get going offensively all game.
Nigel Hayes, who scored 32 points in Wednesday's loss to Milwaukee, was limited to 10 total points and just 4-18 shooting. Junior guard Bronson Koenig, who is second on the team with 15.1 points per game, struggled from the field as well, producing eight points on 3-11 shooting.
“Well they were working them. But a lot of those shots I liked. We had to hurry a couple at the end [though],” UW head coach Bo Ryan said.
“They made everything really tough on me and I’m sure that was their game plan,” Koenig said.
With Hayes and Koenig struggling, the Badgers relied on Vitto Brown and Zak Showalter. The two combined for 22 points and 17 rebounds.
In the first half, Wisconsin could only muster up 24 points and simply could not get any offensive rhythm going. Its offense continued to be exploited in the second half, as the Golden Eagles led by 14 points with under 12 minutes remaining.
Despite the double-digit lead, the Badgers bounced back and went on a 12-2 run to come within two points and later tied it.
“Our guys are pretty gritty. That’s a comeback. We put ourselves right there,” Coach Bo Ryan said.
Though Wisconsin was resilient in the second half, they simply could not pull out the win at the end.
Marquette dominated the Badgers 36-16 in the paint and outscored Wisconsin 17-2 in fast break points.
Marquette forward Henry Ellenson, who was expected to be the Golden Eagles’ centerpiece in the game, was as advertised, producing 15 points and 11 boards.
Despite shooting 20 less shots than Wisconsin and only making 42.9 percent of its free throws, Marquette still prevailed and dropped Bo Ryan’s record against the Golden Eagles to 8-7.
At this point in the season, the Badgers look far from an NCAA Tournament ready team. With a vigorous conference schedule approaching, Wisconsin must refine their skills in a hurry in order to have a legitimate chance of making the tournament in March.
The Badgers’ homestand will continue Wednesday as they face off against Texas A&M Corpus Christi at 8 p.m.
