For a second consecutive season, the University of Wisconsin men’s basketball team traveled to Lincoln, Nebraska and claimed a 15-point first halftime advantage before ultimately losing in overtime. It was truly deja vu for UW fans, who watched the Badgers push their lead to as many as 19 behind 55.2% field goal shooting and 29 combined points from forward AJ Storr and guard Chucky Hepburn in the first half before ultimately faltering.
The loss dropped UW to a half-game behind Purdue University for first place in the Big Ten and marked their first loss since 2000 (121 games) when earning a halftime lead of 15 or more points. The University of Nebraska–Lincoln advanced to 14-1 at Pinnacle Bank Arena this season and 6-5 in Big Ten play (5th).
Storr led all scorers with 28 points (11-for-22 FG, 5-for-11 3Pt) while Hepburn totaled 13 points, three assists and four steals for the Badgers. On the other side, guard C.J. Wilcher poured in 22 points (7-for-10 FG, 5-for-7 3Pt) — 16 of which came in the second half — with forward Rienk Mast tallying 20 points, eight rebounds and three assists. Bench scoring — which has been a strength for head coach Greg Gard’s team this season — swung 34-10 in favor of Nebraska.
UW dominated early and late during the first, receiving 10 straight points from Storr to open up the game and landing a 12-3 rebound advantage to earn a 23-8 lead with 10:43 left in the first half. They ended the half on a 12-5 run with each Badger point scored or assisted by Hepburn to claim a 43-27 advantage.
The Cornhuskers limited the duo of forwards Steven Crowl and Tyler Wahl to a combined two points on two field goal attempts in the period — sending immediate double teams when either player received the ball down low.
Nebraska’s ball pressure caused myriad problems for UW, who coughed up nine second half turnovers and set a season-high in turnovers with 16. The Badgers were pushed out of rhythm on the offensive end, going multiple possessions without getting the ball into the post and frequently relying on isolation basketball to score.
Unfortunately for Gard’s squad — when their offense sputtered — Nebraska’s came to life. Staring down a 16-point deficit, the Cornhuskers pulled off a 20-3 run, bringing the score to 50-49 with just under 11 minutes to play.
As Nebraska forced the first tie since 0-0 with 8:45 to play. Guard Max Klesmit caught fire and scored 11 straight points for UW and earned the team what ended up being a short-lived lead. Up six with 3:30 to go, the Badgers went silent offensively and surrendered an 8-0 run. After a Storr layup tied the contest with 20 seconds left and the would-be game winner from guard Brice Williams went wide, it went to overtime.
Once again, the UW offense ran dry in crunch time, failing to make a single field goal in the final three minutes of overtime before dropping the contest by a final score of 80-72.
The schedule does not get easier for the Badgers, as UW welcomes No. 2 ranked Purdue into the Kohl Center on Sunday for a marquee matchup that begins at noon on CBS. Gard and his team will have to bounce back quickly if they look to maintain their spot atop the Big Ten.
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