The Wisconsin Badgers shot just 26% from the field in the first half and dug too big of a hole to get out of, falling to the rival Minnesota Gophers 59-52 on Thursday night at the Kohl Center.
The Badgers made just 2 of 14 three-pointers (14.3 percent) and 6 of 26 field goals overall in the first half, trailing 29-14 at the break.
Wisconsin (10-4, 2-1 Big Ten) shot 63% from the field in the second half and pulled to within 49-47 with just over two minutes left before committing three straight turnovers. That allowed the Gophers to pull away for the victory, ending the Badgers seven game win streak over Minnesota at the Kohl Center. The Gophers last win at the Kohl Center came on January 15, 2009.
Ethan Happ had 17 points and eight rebounds and played well in the second half. But he also made just 1 of 7 free throws as UW finished 7 of 17 from the stripe.
D’Mitric Trice finished with just eight points, hitting just 2 of 7 from three-point distance and 3 of 10 shots overall. He also committed four costly turnovers.
Gophers junior guard Amir Coffey had 21 points to lead the Gophers (12-2, 2-1).
Minnesota entered the game making just 30-percent of their three-point attempts, which is the worst mark in the Big Ten. But they hit 6 of 14 for 42.9% in Thursday’s win over the Badgers.
The Badgers have dropped two straight now and will hit the road to face Penn State on Sunday evening.
