Jan. 6, 2010
Box Score | Box Score PDF 
MADISON, Wis. -- The No. 17-ranked Wisconsin men's basketball team bounced back from a slow start but was unable to hold on Wednesday, falling to No. 10 Michigan State, 54-47, at the Breslin Center in East Lansing, Mich.
Both teams suffered from cold shooting, but the Spartans (12-3, 2-0 Big Ten) were able to off-set their struggles from the field with a strong rebounding performance and by outscoring the Badgers (12-3, 2-1) by 12 points at the free-throw line.
Junior forward Jon Leuer led the way for the Badgers with a game-high 21 points and seven rebounds, while senior guard Jason Bohannon added 10 points for UW.
Despite going more than 5 minutes before cracking the scoreboard, the Badgers kept things tight with the Spartans and trailed by only two points at halftime.
Wisconsin 47, Michigan State 54
| 1st | 2nd | Final |
| Michigan State (12-3, 2-0 Big Ten) | 22 | 32 | 54 |
| Wisconsin (12-3, 2-1 Big Ten) | 22 | 27 | 47 |
| Statistical Leaders |
| Points: Jon Leuer (UW) 21 | Chris Allen (MSU) 16 |
Rebounds: Jon Leuer (UW) 7 | Durrell Summers (MSU) 8
|
| Assists: Jason Bohannon (UW) 3 | Green, Lucious (MSU) 3 |
The Spartans built a seven-point lead in the middle of the first half, extending their lead to 18-11 with four minutes left in the half. The Badgers never let the Spartans out of their sight, however, keeping MSU within single digits and reducing its lead to just two by the half.
Wisconsin tied the game up in the first few seconds of the second half at 22-22 with a jumper from Jon Leuer just inside the 3-point arc. The teams matched each other point-for-point throughout the first 10 minutes of the half, tying a total of five times, at 27, 29, 33 and 35.
The Spartans began to pull away around the 9:00 mark, expanding their lead to six in the following two minutes. The advantage grew to an eight-point lead with two minutes remaining and Michigan State managed to hang on for the victory.
The Badgers and Spartans, two of the best rebounding teams in the Big Ten, were active on the glass in a game that saw both teams shoot below 40 percent from the floor. Michigan State dominated the boards, out-rebounding the Badgers, 40-27.
That included 11 offensive boards for the Spartans.
The Spartans' ability to get to the free-throw line was another key, as MSU went 20-for-30 (67 percent) from the stripe. Wisconsin shot an identical percentage but logged just 12 free-throw attempts.
The Badgers face No. 4 Purdue this Saturday at the Kohl Center in an important conference game for UW. Tip-off is set for 12:30 Central.
