#MUBB Falls 96-76 At Wisconsin Saturday Afternoon

The Marquette University men's basketball team (5-5, 0-0 BIG EAST) continued non-conference play with a 96-76 setback at Wisconsin (7-2, 1-0 Big Ten) on Saturday afternoon in the Kohl Center.

Freshman Adrien Stevens finished with a personal-high 15 points in his first career start and senior Chase Ross chipped in 12 points.

Marquette's offense, sparked by freshman Nigel James Jr., got off to a quick start in the second half, but the Badgers were able to answer at the other end and the score was 52-41 at the first media timeout. The Golden Eagles knocked down 9-of-15 shots to open the half, but UW kept pace and a failure to take advantage of opportunities at the charity stripe (9-of-19 for the game) allowed the Badgers to maintain a double-digit advantage and pull away for the victory.

MU was outscored 24-to-9 at the free throw line Saturday afternoon.

The Golden Eagles got off to a slow start offensively but were able to remain within striking distance thanks to a strong effort at the defensive end. Ross netted the team's first seven points, but the Golden Eagles started just 4-of-22 from the floor and the Badgers moved ahead 21-9 with just over eight minutes left in the first half.

Marquette trailed 43-31 at the intermission after shooting just 31.4 percent from the floor overall and 4-of-16 (25.0 percent) from behind the 3-point line.

UP NEXT: The Golden Eagles conclude the non-conference schedule at nationally ranked Purdue on Saturday, Dec. 13 after focusing on finals week.

NOTABLES

Freshman Adrien Stevens made his first-career start on Saturday, joining classmate Nigel James Jr.
Guard Sean Jones returned to action after missing six games with a shoulder injury
Ross has reached double figures in all 10 games this season
Nigel James Jr. grabbed a personal-best six rebounds