No. 14 Wisconsin held off Milwaukee's furious second-half comeback for a 60-54 victory. However, for coach Rob Jeter, there were signs of progress in the loss. “You'd think you could win that game,” Jeter said. “But it came down to, kids made a couple tough shots.” The biggest shot was by Wisconsin's Jordan Taylor, who drilled a 3-pointer with just over 40 seconds left to help the Badgers (9-2) hold on. The game was very much in doubt until then, thanks in large part to senior forward Tony Meier. Meier scored 15 points and played a key role in the second-half comeback for Wisconsin-Milwaukee (8-3). Leading 31-20 at halftime, the Badgers pushed their lead to 44-27 on a three-point play by Ryan Evans with 15:17 left. But the Panthers went on a 16-1 run that included two 3-pointers, an inside score and a three-point play by Meier, cutting Wisconsin's lead to 45-43 with 9:27 left. Badgers coach Bo Ryan said the Badgers got away from their defensive game plan during the Panthers' run. Jared Berggren, who had 17 points, hit a 3-pointer as the shot clock expired, but Milwaukee's Ryan Allen answered with a dunk. Mississippi State 75, FAU 68: In Starkville, Florida Atlantic (FAU) fought back from a 10-point halftime deficit to take a lead late in the second half, but couldn't hold on in a 75-68 loss to No. 17 Mississippi State. The Bulldogs had a comfortable 39-29 lead at halftime, but the Owls clawed their way back into the game, taking a 55-54 lead on Pablo Bertone's 3-pointer with 9:22 remaining. Mississippi State fought off the rally, with Dee Bost and Rodney Hood scoring a combined 24 second-half points on the way to the team's ninth straight victory. Bost led all scorers with 22 points while Hood added 19. Jalen Steele scored 12 points for the Bulldogs and Renardo Sidney added 10. Raymond Taylor had 20 points for Florida Atlantic (4-6) while Bertone scored 14 and Kore White added 12. Michigan 63, UAPB 50: In Ann Arbor, Mich., freshman Trey Burke scored 13 of his 15 points in the first half, and No. 20 Michigan went on an early 19-point run en route to a 63-50 victory over Arkansas-Pine Bluff. Evan Smotrycz added 16 points for the Wolverines (8-2) and Tim Hardaway Jr. scored eight. Lazabian Jackson scored 23 points for the Golden Lions (1-6).
