MADISON – Brutal.
That is the best way to describe Wisconsin’s 13th loss of the season, including its seventh in Big Ten play.
UW led by as many as nine points in the first half, by 11 with 10 minutes left but collapsed down the stretch and saw Nebraska rally for a 74-63 victory Monday night at the Kohl Center.
The Badgers held a 55-44 lead with 10 minutes left after a dunk by Khalil Iverson but Nebraska closed the game with a 30-8 run, thanks in part to a suffocating 1-3-1 zone and double-teams on Ethan Happ.
UW had two baskets – both by Iverson – in the final 9 minutes 59 seconds.
Brutal.
BOX SCORE: Nebraska 74, Wisconsin 63
UW (10-13, 3-7 Big Ten) suffered its third consecutive loss and sixth in seven games to fall into a tie for 10th place with Minnesota (14-9, 3-7).
The Badgers host Northwestern (13-10, 4-6) at 7:30 p.m. Thursday. The Wildcats suffered a 58-47 loss Monday at Michigan.
UW entered the season 8-2 against Nebraska since the Cornhuskers joined the Big Ten but dropped both games this season.
Nebraska (17-8, 8-4) completed a difficult stretch of four games in eight days, with three of those games on the road. They have won five of their last six games.
Forwards James Palmer Jr. and Isaac Copeland combined to score 30 points and hit 10 of 21 shots in Nebraska’s 63-59 victory earlier this month.
They killed UW again Monday.
Palmer Jr. scored 21 of his 28 points after halftime and Copeland scored 10 of his 17 after the break. They combined to hit 14 of 28 shots.
Happ led UW with 25 points and grabbed 11 rebounds but he didn’t have a field goal in the last 14-plus minutes and hit just 8 of 19 free-throw attempts.
UW hit just 16 of 31 free-throw attempts.
Iverson was the only other UW player in double figures. He finished with 13 points and five rebounds but he missed a shot at the rim with UW down, 64-59.
Happ, who had been limited to a total of five points on 2-for-14 shooting in the first half of losses to Iowa and Michigan State, asserted himself immediately Monday.
He had an assist 13 seconds into the game and totaled 18 points, four rebounds and three assists in the opening half to help UW take a 32-30 lead.
No other UW player scored more than three points in the half.
Happ hit his first-ever three-pointer in the first half – his lone four attempts came earlier this season – and finished 1 of 4.
UW’s lead was just 43-40 but Happ scored inside and Nate Reuvers (five points) hit two free throws for a seven-point cushion with 13:34 left.
After a Nebraska miss, Happ dribbled away from an aggressive double team and found senior forward Aaron Moesch open in the left corner.
Moesch, who hadn’t attempted a three-pointer this season and had just 17 points, buried the shot for a 50-40 lead with 12:46 left.
The lead was 55-44 after a drive and dunk by Iverson but UW got sloppy on defense and surrendered three baskets in a span of 56 seconds as Nebraska pulled within 55-50.
Gard called a timeout with 8:42 to settle his players but the move did not work.
Happ missed inside and Palmer Jr. scored on a drive. Jordy Tshimanga, playing with four fouls, blocked Happ inside and Happ then fouled Glynn Watson Jr. (15 points) with 7:28 left.
Watson Jr. hit both free throws to cut the deficit to 55-54 and the Cornhuskers battled back to even at 58-58 on a basket by Copeland with 5:24 left.
After a UW turnover, Palmer Jr. scored on a drive for a 60-58 lead. Happ was called for an offensive foul and then picked up his third with 3:54 left, battling for a rebound.
That sent Copeland to the free-throw line and he made both for a 62-58 lead.
Happ was fouled with 2:13 left. Just 6 of 13 from the line, Happ missed both shots.
Palmer Jr. drew a foul on a drive with 1:55 left and drained both attempts for a 64-58 lead.
The run was 20-3 and UW was reeling.
Iverson was fouled but hit just 1 of 2 free throws, leaving UW at 14 of 26.
Nebraska failed to score but Iverson missed a shot at the rim.
Watson Jr. was fouled in the battle for the loose ball and hit 1 of 2 free throws with 1:08 left for a 65-59 lead.
Happ was fouled with 59.9 seconds left but made just 1 of 2 attempts.
Iverson fouled Copeland battling for the rebound and Copeland and hit 1 of 2 attempts for a 66-60 lead with 55 seconds left.
Happ made just 1 of 2 free throws with 55 seconds left and Palmer Jr. hit two attempts to push the lead to 68-61. A turnover by Davison with 35.7 seconds left sent the UW fans streaming from the Kohl Center.
The collapse was complete.