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BOX SCORE
MILWAUKEE (AP) -- Wisconsin senior Mike Kelley, coming off a
career-high 17-point performance, didn't score against Maryland (No. 14 ESPN/USA Today; No. 13 AP) until he had logged 42 minutes, 12 seconds.
"We had guys hitting shots, so there was no need for me to try
do anything offensively," said Kelley, who had 12 assists, six
rebounds, five points, three steals and just one turnover in No. 23
Wisconsin's 78-75 overtime victory Wednesday night.
|  | | Wisconsin's Andy Kowske, left and Roy Boone pressure Maryland's Juan Dixon into a first-half turnover. |
Kelley was held scoreless until 2:48 of overtime, when he hit a
12-foot jumper that gave the Badgers a 67-62 lead.
He said he had the hot hand early against Northern Illinois on
Saturday and that accounted for just his ninth double-figure
scoring performance in 101 games at Wisconsin.
"But tonight, against such a talented team, I just wanted to be
a floor leader," he said.
Was he ever.
His 12 assists were one shy of the school record and he played
every second of the exhausting ACC-Big Ten Challenge game at the
Bradley Center in his hometown.
Badgers coach Dick Bennett called Kelley the glue of a team that
is missing leaders Maurice Linton and Travon Davis, both serving
NCAA suspensions for receiving extra benefits.
"I hope everybody got a chance to see that a really excellent
basketball player doesn't have to be a magnificent scorer and
doesn't have to dribble between his legs or be able to slam it,"
Bennett said. "He can affect a game from his position just as well
as the great players."
Maryland coach Gary Williams said Kelley was a throwback.
"He reminds me of the guys that played when I played, when it
was OK to just play defense and run the offense and be a leader,"
Williams said.
Kirk Penney scored five of his 18 points in overtime as
Wisconsin thrilled the sparse crowd of 7,521. Penney, a sophomore
who was 0-for-13 from the field in the Badgers' opener, hit a
3-pointer on the first possession of overtime and Wisconsin (2-1)
never trailed again.
The Terrapins (1-3) lost for the third straight time despite
holding an opponent to less than 39 percent shooting for the fourth
consecutive game. They turned the first meeting between the schools
in 68 years into a foulfest after falling behind 70-63 on Penney's
free throw with 56 seconds left.
Byron Mouton led the Terrapins with 14 points.
The game was tied at 62 after regulation.
Charlie Wills' two free throws with 51 seconds left in
regulation put Wisconsin ahead 62-59, but Steve Blake, who hadn't
scored since the first half, hit a 3-pointer from the top of the
key with 36 seconds left.
The Badgers worked the ball for a final shot, but Boone was
badly out range when he fired up a 3-pointer that didn't come
close.
The Badgers jumped out to leads of 11-2 and 21-10 before the
Terrapins grabbed a 37-34 halftime lead.
"It's hard to come from behind like we did in the first half
and like we had to do again at the end of the game," Williams
said. "That's why I was proud of our players, because of their
effort."
But they couldn't match Kelley's labors.
"He's really good. He controls the tempo as well as any guard
we play against and that's the way Wisconsin plays," Williams
said. "He played 45 minutes, that's a tremendous effort."
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ALSO SEE
Mens College Basketball Scoreboard
Maryland Clubhouse
Wisconsin Clubhouse
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Maryland's Terence Morris rejects Wisconsin's Dave Mader.
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