by COLLEGE PARK, Md. (AP) — Wisconsin shut down No. 2 Maryland in the decisive first half and held on for a 70-57 victory Saturday night, ending the Terrapins’ 27-game home winning streak and knocking them out of a tie atop the Big Ten standings.
Vitto Brown scored a career-high 21 points, Bronson Koenig (Ho-Chunk Nation) had 16 and Nigel Hayes added 14 for the Badgers (16-9, 8-4), who have won seven straight.
After using a 28-5 run to go up 35-19, Wisconsin let the lead dwindle to six points with 10:48 remaining before pushing back. A 3-pointer by Koenig and a layup by Brown made it 53-41, and the Terrapins never threatened again.
Rasheed Sulaimon scored 17 for Maryland (22-4, 10-3), which went 20 for 50 from the field and 12 for 22 at the foul line.
The Terrapins’ home winning streak, the longest in school history, included a victory over the Badgers last year.
Wisconsin starters Zak Showalter and Ethan Happ both picked up their fourth foul early in the second half at a time when Maryland began cutting into the Badgers’ lead.
It was 42-30 before Jake Layman made a three-point play. On the other end, Diamond Stone swatted a shot by Brown into the seats and promptly saluted the crowd.
Seconds later, Maryland reserve guard Jaylen Brantley drove for a layup. After Brown hit a 3-pointer, another layup by Brantley and a dunk by Stone made it 45-39.
But Wisconsin would not be denied. The Badgers lost to Maryland 63-60 last month, falling on a last-second 3 by Melo Trimble.
In this one, Trimble had 10 points on 1-for-14 shooting.
Maryland scored a season-low 21 points in the first half, going 7 for 21 from the floor with nine turnovers to fall behind by 15 at the break. The Terrapins made only one field goal over the final 13 1/2 minutes of the half, a 3-pointer by Sulaimon that halted a 23-2 run.
After Maryland used a 12-0 spurt to take a 14-7 lead, the Badgers reeled off 17 straight points while the Terrapins went 0 for 5 with seven turnovers.
Trimble ended the 8-minute drought with two free throws, but Koenig and Hayes answered with 3-pointers to make it 30-16.
In the final seconds of the half, Wisconsin’s Charlie Thomas and Stone were both called for technical fouls during a heated exchange that brought Terps coach Mark Turgeon racing onto the court.
