Men’s Basketball's Comeback Falls Short at Wisconsin
Jan 17 | Men's Basketball
MADISON, Wis. — Rutgers men's basketball battled back from an early deficit but ultimately fell 96–87 to No. 13 Wisconsin on Saturday afternoon at the Kohl Center.
The Badgers jumped out quickly, using hot shooting and second-chance opportunities to build a 51–29 lead at halftime. Wisconsin shot 52.9 percent from the field and 53.3 percent from three in the opening half, capitalizing on 14 first-half points off turnovers.
Rutgers showed resilience after the break, outscoring Wisconsin 58–45 in the second half and trimming the deficit to single digits multiple times. The Scarlet Knights shot 51.3 percent from the field and 44.4 percent from three over the final 20 minutes, applying steady pressure with improved ball movement and energy on both ends. A 22-7 run brought the lead to under double digits with ten minutes to play.
Harun Zrno led Rutgers with 21 points, knocking down five three-pointers and going a perfect 6-for-6 from the free-throw line. Tariq Francis added 15 points and three assists, while Jamichael Davis chipped in 12 points. Darren Buchanan Jr. contributed eight points and seven rebounds, and Emmanuel Ogbole pulled down a team-high nine boards to go with four points.
Wisconsin was led by Nick Boyd's game-high 32 points, including 14-of-15 shooting from the free-throw line. John Blackwell added 19 points, and Nolan Winter posted 18 points on a perfect 6-for-6 shooting night.
Rutgers finished the game shooting 47.6 percent from the field and 40.0 percent from beyond the arc, matching Wisconsin from three. The Scarlet Knights also held a 31–16 edge in bench points but were unable to fully overcome the early deficit.
Rutgers moves to 9–9 overall and 2–5 in Big Ten play, while Wisconsin improves to 13–5 (5–2 Big Ten).
The Scarlet Knights will return to action next week at Iowa as Big Ten play continues.
