MILWAUKEE – The last time the University of Wisconsin was without point guard Chucky Hepburn for extended minutes at Fiserv Forum, the result ended the Badgers’ championship season.
Facing a similar situation roughly nine months later, the result was trending toward a carbon copy, until Hepburn returned to steady the ship.
Hepburn hit the critical three-pointer to help Wisconsin get to overtime and then assisted on guard Max Klesmit’s winning layup with 3.5 seconds left, helping the Badgers overcome a raucous environment to knock off Marquette, 80-77.
Four players reached double figures and another two contributed eight points for Wisconsin (6-2), which is led by 19 points from Hepburn, even though the guard was limited to 26 minutes.
Guard Kam Jones scored a game-high 26 points for Marquette (6-3), including tying overtime at 77 following his fifth three-pointer. The Golden Eagles shot 50.9 percent from the floor but shot just 1-for-5 in overtime.
Wisconsin finished 4-for-7 In the extra session, getting five points from senior Tyler Wahl (15 points), who waved goodbye to the Marquette students following his second of consecutive steals to end the game.
In its first true road game of the season, Wisconsin came out firing. The Badgers started 4-for-6 and didn’t cool in the first 20 minutes, going a blistering 16-for-23 from the floor (69.6 percent) and 7-for-13 from three-point range (53.8 percent). Hepburn scored 16 of the points on 6-for-6 shooting but the hot shooting was contagious with Klesmit and Wahl each going 3-for-3.
UW let Marquette shoot 52.2 percent but the Golden Eagles – fresh off dropping 96 in a win over No.6 Baylor – managed only 30 in the opening half. Without Hepburn’s presence for most of the second half, Marquette shot 56 percent
Hepburn scored 16 points in the first half, on a perfect 6-for-6 shooting, but the sophomore only lasted five seconds in the second half, coming out of the inbounds hobbling and hunched over. He went to the locker room and didn’t return until 6:56 remained.
By that time, Wisconsin’s 16-point lead was trimmed to two with the Golden Eagles shooting 61.1 percent from the floor. Even with Hepburn on the floor, the Badgers were 2-for-11 from the floor, no second-chance points on five offensive rebounds, and four turnovers.
The only saving grace down the stretch was Hepburn’s three-pointer giving UW a 70-68 lead with 51.2 seconds left, but forward Oso Ighodaro tied the game with a dunk on the ensuing possession. Hepburn had a chance to win the game in regulation but missed his only three-point attempt of the game.
What it means: Wisconsin bent without Hepburn on the court, but the Badgers didn’t break in a hostile environment, making the clutch plays at the end of regulation and overtime.
Star of the game: Hepburn finished 7-for-10 from the floor, 5-for-6 from three-point range, and added four rebounds, two assists, two steals, and no turnovers against Marquette’s pressure defense.
Stat of the game: Wisconsin finished with a season-high 15 turnovers that led to 18 points for Marquette.
Reason to be Concerned: Wisconsin lost on Tuesday shooting 42.9 percent from the floor and scoring 75 points because Wake Forest shot 53.7 percent from the floor. They were close Saturday, as Marquette shot over 50 percent in each half before going 1-for-5 in overtime.
Don’t overlook: Steven Crowl finished with eight points and had a career-high seven assists. His length delivered multiple deflections on 50-50 balls to his teammates on the perimeter. He also had the highlight of the first half when his two-hand slam in the face of forward Oso Ighodaro, and subsequently made free throw, stopped 8-0 Marquette run
What’s next: Wisconsin will begin its brief two-game Big Ten series when it hosts No.22 Maryland Tuesday. The first team to get to 8-0 in the Big Ten, the Terrapins opened conference play with a 71-66 victory over No.16 Illinois Friday, getting 24 points from senior guard Jahmir Young. The Terps have four players averaging over 12.6 ppg and are averaging 80.8 points per game. UW is 7-5 against Maryland since the Terps joined the Big Ten in 2015-16.
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