Wisconsin Edged by Wake Forest, 91-88
November 29, 2005 | Men's Basketball
The University of Wisconsin men's basketball team suffered its first loss of the season, falling to No. 22 Wake Forest 91-88 Tuesday night at Lawrence Joel Coliseum in the seventh annual Big Ten/ACC Challenge.
Although the Badgers (4-1) trailed most of the game, they kept it close, as sophomore Kammron Taylor nailed a deep 3-point basket with five seconds left to cut the score to 89-88. Justin Gray responded by sinking both of his ensuing free throws for the Demon Deacons (6-1), and they walked away with the victory after Taylor missed a 3-point attempt as time expired.
Taylor finished with 18 points and shot 4-of-6 from beyond the arc. Junior Alando Tucker scored 27 points, including 23 in the second half, to become the 30th player in school history to reach the 1,000-point plateau (he now has 1,013).
Sophomore Brian Butch added 19 points and 10 rebounds, and junior Jason Chappell reeled off a career-high 11 points against the team for which his All-American father, Len, played.
Gray ended up with a career-high 37 points and made all 13 of his free throws. Meanwhile, teammate Kyle Visser tallied a complete game with 13 points, seven rebounds, four blocks and five assists.
The Demon Deacons held a slight statistical edge in the opening frame, making two more field goals and one more free throw en route to a 37-32 advantage at the half. By that point, Butch and Taylor had combined for 22 points, but Gray notched 20.
Despite starting with the contest's first two points, UW didn't lead again until 9:21 remaining in the game, when Chappell sank two free throws to give his squad a 62-60 lead. Prior to that, Wisconsin had battled back from two 10-point deficits.
But Wake Forest responded with a 19-8 run, sparked by Visser 's seven points. Tucker almost single-handedly brought the Badgers back, scoring eight of their final 11 points.
Ultimately, though, UW couldn't overcome being outrebounded 45-36 and giving up a 42-26 disadvantage in points in the paint.
The Badgers return home to play host to Pepperdine at 1 p.m. Saturday at the Kohl Center.
