No. 21 Wisconsin spoils Gophers' late second half rally in overtime
Get the 1500 ESPN SportsWire delivered to your inbox daily, and keep up with all the news in Twin Cities Sports
MINNEAPOLIS -- An inspired last-minute rally went to waste for the Gophers on Thursday.
After overcoming a 13-point deficit in the final seven minutes of regulation, the "U" could do nothing in overtime to prevent No. 21-ranked Wisconsin from preserving its first win at Williams Arena in four years.
The Badgers went nearly eight minutes without a basket at the end of the second half, which created an opportunity for the Gophers to mount a comeback. Guard Austin Hollins drained a pair of free throws with a minute remaining to cap a 13-2 run and force the need for extra time.
But their spark was gone in overtime. The Gophers went on to be outscored 17-10 by Wisconsin, spoiling their chances at reaching the .500 threshold in the Big Ten standings (17-8, 5-7).
"We just couldn't get it going," coach Tubby Smith said. "I don't know what happened. They just made shots and we didn't."
Bloomington native and star Wisconsin guard Jordan Taylor tallied 27 points -- one shy of his career-high -- in his return to his home state. He accounted for five of the Badgers' nine 3-pointers.
"We had no answer for him and that was the difference in the game," coach Tubby Smith said.
The Gophers' second-half renewal was backed heavily by "U" freshman Andre Hollins, who recorded 18 of his career-high 20 points after halftime.
Hollins had a look at the potential game-winning basket with less than 10 seconds left in regulation, but his shot went astray. Austin Hollins recovered the loose ball for a last-chance heave, though that too came up short.
"I'm very, very highly upset with myself," Andre said of the shot. "I should have gotten the ball to the rim ... That one is going to haunt me for a while."
Junior forward Rodney Williams joined Hollins in double figures with 16 points (7-of-13 from the floor).
While the loss does not extinguish the Gophers' NCAA tournament hopes, the room for any missteps has become dangerously narrow. Stranded in ninth place in the conference, they stand six games from the end of the regular season, with match-ups against four ranked teams still remaining
"To lose this game at home, it does put you back on your heels," Smith said. "You've got to maintain your composure, maintain your poise and keep persevering."
"It's these types of games that can take the wind out of your sails, so we've got to get our guys pumped up and believing that we can win the next game."
The skinny
Wisconsin's first half 3-point barrage started early. Taylor, Mike Bruesewitz and Jared Berggren all connected on their first shots from long-range shots to push the Badgers out to a 13-6 lead.
The Gophers withstood the initial surge. They took advantage of a brief Wisconsin scoring drought to storm into the lead by the 9:31 mark in the first half thanks to a 10-1 run.
Their time out front was short lived, however. The Badgers snagged the lead less than 30 seconds later and, ultimately, never gave it back. Taylor unleashed 14 points in the first half to help Wisconsin stretch the deficit to 32-24 by halftime.
Wisconsin's offense soured in the second half, but for nearly 15 minutes it didn't appear the Gophers would capitalize. Numerous turnovers were compounded by an array of missed shots, keeping the Badgers' lead stabilized.
However, any comfort they had gained quickly faded.
With Wisconsin's shooting rhythm set to the wayside, Andre Hollins pushed the "U" rally forward. The freshman guard sank a 3-pointer with 2:24 remaining, bringing his team two points from leveling the score. Austin Hollins followed a minute later with the tying free throws.
"In that stretch where we came up empty, we had a couple of drives that we thought we had some pretty good kick-outs," Badgers coach Bo Ryan said. "We thought we had some pretty good looks... Defensively, they are very good. They make it tough on you to get good shots."
Wisconsin -- salvaged by the Gophers' missed opportunity to notch the go-ahead shot on their final possession -- rediscovered its scoring touch in overtime. Backed by Taylor and guard Ryan Evans' combined 11-points, the Badgers used the added five minutes to bury their opponent.
With 1:21 to go, the "U" had fallen behind by six and resorted to fouling. It was to no avail. The Badgers converted on all but one of their next 13 free throw attempts to close out the victory.
Turning point
The Gophers didn't score from the floor until almost four minutes into overtime. That was plenty of cushion for the Badgers to make the deficit insurmountable.
"It wasn't a matter of us being tired. We just didn't execute down the stretch," Hollins said.
Numbers game
3-3: Tubby Smith's all-time record against the Badgers in his five-year tenure at the "U".
7: Rebounds for center Ralph Sampson III. Entering Thursday, he had not recorded more than three in any of his last four games.
0: Points for freshman guard Joe Coleman in three games.
5-of-6: Andre Hollins' scoring mark from 3-point range. The rest of the team managed to connect on only one long-range basket in 11 attempts.
38-34: Gophers' rebound advantage over the Badgers.
Overheard
"It's Wisconsin. You never want to lose to them."
-- Williams, on the deflating border-battle loss.
"He's one of the most improved players in the league. I told him that on the elevator coming upstairs."
-- Ryan, when asked about Rodney Williams impact for the Gophers this season.
Up next
The schedule doesn't get any easier for the Gophers. No. 3 Ohio State heads to the Twin Cities next week for a Tuesday night match-up at Williams Arena (8 p.m. 1500 ESPN). The "U" has dropped four straight games to the Buckeyes by an average of 17 points. Smith has posted a 3-6 record against Ohio State while with the Gophers.
