Wisconsin Escapes Wofford 53-49; Terriers’ First-Ever Tournament Appearance Ends

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Jacksonville, FL (Sports Network) - Jon Leuer hit an open jumper with 17 seconds remaining, and Wisconsin escaped with a 53-49 win over Wofford in the first round of the East Region.

Leuer finished with game-best 20 points and eight rebounds for the fourth- seeded Badgers (24-8), who will next face 12th-seeded Cornell in the second round on Sunday.

Wisconsin senior Trevon Hughes scored 14 of his 19 points in the first half.

Jamar Diggs had 13 points and Noah Dahlman added 10 for the 13th-seeded Terriers (26-9), who nearly came away with a win in their NCAA Tournament debut. The Southern Conference champs saw their 13-game winning streak end.

Coming out of the break, Wofford hardly resembled a team that endured a lengthy dry spell in the opening frame, hitting its first eight shots as part of a 19-10 run to erase an eight-point halftime deficit.

Diggs contributed 11 points during the surge that gave Wofford a 38-37 lead.

A Jordan Taylor free throw gave the Badgers a three-point advantage at 45-42 with just under eight minutes to play.

Cameron Rundles nailed a jumper for a 48-47 Wofford lead, but missed the front end of a one-and-one with 2:16 left. Taylor had a shot denied by Terry Martin on the ensuing possession. Diggs secured the ball and began to dribble up the court, but Hughes got the steal and his layup restored the lead for Wisconsin with 1:51 remaining.

“We were definitely expecting a possession by possession game, just watching (Wofford) on tape,” said Wisconsin head coach Bo Ryan.

Moments later, Martin went 1-for-2 at the foul line to tie the game at 49.

Hughes was then off the mark with a jumper, but Keaton Nankivil snagged the offensive board, providing Leuer with the opportunity to drain the go-ahead bucket from the left side.

Rundles coughed up the ball on the next possession, losing the ball out of bounds with 4.9 seconds showing on the clock. Leuer cemented the win at the line.

“I thought just a classic basketball game, and the thing played out about the way I had hoped, other than us not winning it,” said Wofford head coach Mike Young. “But low scoring and kind of a boxing match, and they hit us with one there late or a couple there late that got them over the top.”

Wofford, which shot 28 percent in the first half, went over nine minutes without a field goal. The Badgers led by as many as 10 before settling for a 27-19 halftime lead.

Taylor had nine points...Wofford shot 56.5 percent in the second half...Wisconsin made 37 percent of its shots for the game...The Terriers made just 6-of-13 free throws, including a woeful 1-for-7 in the second half.