{{pageModel.leagueAbbr}} {{pageModel.subtitle}} | Las Vegas Review-Journal
National Basketball Association
BOXSCORE | RECAP
Wisconsin 71, Maryland 60
When: 1:00 PM ET, Sunday, February 19, 2017
Where: Kohl Center, Madison, Wisconsin
Officials: # Brian Dorsey, # Terry Oglesby, # Terry Wymer
Attendance: 17287

MADISON, Wis. -- Senior forward Nigel Hayes and sophomore forward Ethan Happ made the most of their time in the paint for No. 11 Wisconsin against Maryland.

Hayes posted a double-double with 21 points and 10 rebounds as the Badgers rallied to a 71-60 win over No. 23 Maryland on Sunday afternoon at the Kohl Center.

Happ delivered 20 points, seven rebounds and three assists to halt a two-game losing skid for the Badgers.

The win kept Wisconsin (22-5, 11-3 Big Ten) in a tie for first place in the league standings with Purdue. Maryland fell one game behind the leaders.

"They were terrific," Maryland coach Mark Turgeon said of Hayes and Happ, who combined for 25 second-half points. "We couldn't guard them, we couldn't double them, we couldn't double them head up."

Junior guard Melo Trimble scored a game-high 27 points for the Terrapins (22-5, 10-4), who suffered their second Big Ten road loss of the season. Trimble shot 9 of 17 from the field in the setback.

Turgeon said he sat Trimble in the final 4 minutes, 32 seconds of regulation to give the standout some rest.

"If would have made a little run, I would have put him back in but we've got four games in 10 days," Turgeon said. "Wisconsin was dominating the game."

The Terrapins' 60-point effort was their second-lowest total of the season.

Junior forward Michal Cekovsky added 10 points for Maryland, which was outrebounded 44-27 in the loss. The Terrapins failed to score a field goal for more than six minutes late in the second half.

Cekovsky twisted his ankle in the second half and Turgeon said he had ice on the ankle after the game.

Senior guard Bronson Koenig registered nine points off the bench for the Badgers. Koenig returned to the lineup after missing one game with a left calf strain.

Wisconsin strung together a 15-3 run to start the second which consisted of five straight points from Koenig. Koenig's jumper with 15:52 left put Wisconsin in front at 38-36. Happ capped the run with a layup to increase the Badgers' margin to 42-36 with 14:21 remaining.

The Badgers made 17 of 33 field goals (51.5 percent) in the second half and committed only one turnover. They posted their second-best effort in points per possession at 1.47 against Maryland.

Hayes spent time talking to Wisconsin coach Greg Gard during a one-on-one meeting two days ago and vowed to be more aggressive on offense.

Hayes, who posted his fourth double-double of the season, said the Badgers performed with a sense of urgency in the second half against Maryland that was lacking in recent games.

"They're fighting for their tournament lives and trying to build a resume," he said of losses against Northwestern and Michigan. "We should be fighting to keep the lead that we did have. We've given it away, so now we finally have that sense of urgency on our own end where we know we have to keep ourselves on top."

The game on Sunday was tied seven times and had eight lead changes in the first, and didn't have much flow as officials whistled 22 fouls. Maryland's 12 fouls kept Wisconsin close, as the Badgers were 12 of 21 from the charity stripe.

Trimble scored 15 first-half points, including 3-pointers on consecutive possessions to increase Maryland's lead to 33-27 with 33 seconds to go in the first.

Trimble shot 5 of 8 from the field in the first and had four of Maryland's 11 turnovers in the opening 20 minutes. Despite the miscues, the Terrapins held a 33-27 advantage in the opening 20 minutes.

Happ scored nine first-half points for Wisconsin, which made just 1 of 8 field goals in its last nine possessions of the half. The Badgers made only two baskets in the final 12:14 of the half and shot 28 percent from the field.

Koenig came off the bench and shot 0 of 3 from the field in 14 minutes. In the five games prior to his return, Koenig made 7 of 31 3-pointers (22.6 percent) and 14 of 55 shots overall (25.5 percent). He averaged 8.8 points per game in that span.

The Badgers play their next two games on the road, at Ohio State on Thursday and Michigan State on Feb. 26.

Gard said he was pleased with the Badgers' aggression in the post in the second half. Wisconsin also shot 21 of 37 from the foul line.

"We finished around the rim and didn't fade away," Gard said. "We went through people and drew fouls. When we do that, that makes us really good.

"When 3-pointers go down, that will happen, then we start to sparkle and shine. We've always been a team that wants to pound it inside."

NOTES: New England Patriots RB James White met with the media prior to Wisconsin's game against Maryland. White, a former Badgers player, was asked who the most famous person he has met since the Patriots' Super Bowl LI overtime win over the Atlanta Falcons. "Some guy from New Edition," White said of the 1980s R&B music group. White caught 14 passes for 110 receiving yards and one touchdown, and had six carries for 29 yards and two scores, including the game-ending, 2-yard touchdown run in overtime. ... Maryland junior G Melo Trimble has registered double-digit scoring in 25 games this season. ... The game against Wisconsin and Maryland was the teams' only regular-season meeting. They split a two-game series last season, with the Badgers handing the Terrapins their only home loss. Maryland won in Madison on a 3-pointer by Trimble with 1.2 seconds left in regulation.
Top Game Performances
 
Maryland   Wisconsin
Melo Trimble 27 Scoring Nigel Hayes 21
Anthony Cowan 4 Assists Ethan Happ 3
Justin Jackson 5 Rebounds Nigel Hayes 10
Melo Trimble 5 Free Throws Made Nigel Hayes 9
Anthony Cowan 2 Steals Ethan Happ 5
Michal Cekovsky 2 Blocks Ethan Happ 2
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Points FG% 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA Assists Rebounds Blocks Steals Turnovers
Maryland 60 42.2 8-18 14-23 13 25 6 4 13
Wisconsin 71 41.4 2-12 21-37 9 44 4 7 8