Maryland men’s basketball cut into an 18-point halftime deficit but couldn’t overcome first-half offensive struggles and a season-high 23 points from center Micah Potter in a 61-55 loss to No. 14 Wisconsin on Wednesday night at Xfinity Center.
The Terps, who shot 25% in the first half, shot 48% in the second and pulled within three but fell short of completing the comeback and remain winless at home in conference play.
Almost a month to the date, Maryland (9-8, 3-7 Big Ten) was dogged in attacking then-No. 6 Wisconsin (13-4, 7-3) inside en route to a 70-64 road win, their first road victory over a top-10 team since 2016 and their first of three road wins against ranked teams this season, a first for the program.
But in the teams’ rematch, Maryland primarily banked its hopes for another upset bid on outside shots, even as they weren’t connecting and the team fell behind. The Terps attempted 30 3-pointers, their second-most all season, but made just nine.
Wisconsin went on an 8-0 run to take a 14-4 lead with 12:41 remaining in the first half. Maryland went scoreless for six minutes during that span. The Badgers led 38-20 at halftime.
Maryland opened the second half on an 8-0 run, including two 3-pointers. The Terps later went on a 9-0 run to cut the Badgers’ lead to three with 11:45 remaining.
An 11-0 run, including nine points from Potter, gave Wisconsin a 57-42 lead with 7:48 left. The Terps struggled with turnovers as they attempted to mount the comeback, committing four over a six-minute span.
A pair of 3-pointers by sophomore forward Donta Scott (13 points) and junior guard Aaron Wiggins (team-high 18 points) cut the deficit to seven with under 2:09 remaining but Wisconsin iced the game with late free throws.
