Badgers Dominate Maryland on Senior Day, 78-45
MADISON, Wis. — Senior Day was one that the Wisconsin Badgers could really celebrate after picking up a 78-45 win over Maryland. An extremely fun game was slightly hindered due to an injury to a key starter, but it was a win, nonetheless.
After a West Coast road trip that saw Greg Gard and company go 1-1, the Badgers bounced back at home after honoring four senior players. Nick Boyd, Braeden Carrington, Andrew Rohde and Isaac Gard were recognized before the contest.
First Half Saw Ugly Offense on Both Sides
John Blackwell, who desperately needed a bounce-back game, started the game with back-to-back field goals. However, both teams would go ice cold from there. Neither team recorded a made basket for over three minutes.
Missed looks and a slow pace were a major theme in the first half, but 10 straight points from Blackwell and Carrington would give solid insurance as Maryland switched to a zone defense midway through the period.
Another triple from the 6-foot-5 senior would halt another field goal drought that lasted nearly three minutes. The first 20 were highlighted by the sharpshooting wing and Blackwell, who notched 22 points on 60% shooting.
A 9-3 scoring run across the final 2:46 put the Badgers up 34-21 at the break. Carrington banked in a wild three after the 0.5-second mark, but it was ruled no good.
Wisconsin shot 40% from the field and 31.6% from three, but recorded an astounding zero turnovers in 20 minutes.
Maryland fell behind after posting 40-32-0 shooting splits with five giveaways, playing much slower. Zero fastbreak points to the Badgers’ 10 told most of the story in the first half.
Back to Business in the Second Half
The Terrapins opened the second half with a triple, but it only led to an 11-0 stretch from Wisconsin to pad the lead. The offense got back to its ways after the break, shooting with great efficiency just a few minutes in.
Unfortunately, disaster struck with seven minutes to play, as Nolan Winter would take a fall after a putback layup to cap off a 9-0 run. The junior big man was helped to the locker room after grabbing his left leg.
The feeling in the Kohl Center changed after Winter’s injury, but the Badgers closed it out comfortably. However, the sentiment after the star center went down marred this win.
On a more positive note, Gard checked in and nailed a three that sent the arena into a frenzy.
After starting 0-for-9 from beyond the arc, Wisconsin would nail 13 of its next 22 threes. Carrington led the way with 18 points, while Blackwell (14), Boyd (13) and Austin Rapp (11) followed with double-digit figures.
The Badgers face No. 15 Purdue on Saturday to close out the regular season. They improved to 21-9 on the season (13-6 in the Big Ten). Maryland dropped to 11-19 (4-15 in the Big Ten.
