Virginia Comes Up Short Against Wisconsin, 48-38

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Dec. 04, 2013

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CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (AP)– Averaging 12 1/2 points per game as the Cavaliers’ scoring leader, Joe Harris managed just two in a 48-38 loss to No. 8 Wisconsin on Wednesday night.

“We obviously had a horrendous offensive night.” Harris said.

Wisconsin limited Virginia to its lowest point total since a 77-36 loss to Connecticut on Nov. 29, 1993.

It figured to make Thursday’s film session eye-opening.

“We’re going to learn how poorly we played offensively and how out of sync and out of character we got,” Harris said. “We’re all going to be shocked.”

The Cavaliers (7-2) had won six in a row, helped by unselfish play and ball movement that led to good shots.

“I don’t know what the heck was going on tonight. The mindset wasn’t there,” Harris said.

The Badgers, led by Josh Gasser’s 11 points, won despite shooting just 29 percent, making 15 of 52 shots, and gave coach Bo Ryan his 300th victory with the Badgers.

Wisconsin avenged a 60-54 loss to the Cavaliers in Madison, Wis., in last year’s ACC/Big Ten Challenge. Harris scored 22 points in that win.

“I think Wisconsin did to us, in a way, what we did to them last year,” Virginia coach Tony Bennett said. “Last year we outlasted them a little bit. When it mattered, they were sounder, more poised and made plays.”

London Perrantes led Virginia with eight points. The Cavaliers tried to make a run by speeding up the slow pace midway through the second half, but came up well short.

Malcolm Brogdon was 1 for 7 and Anthony Gill went 1 for 3.

Wisconsin used a 10-5 run over the last 7 minutes of the first half to lead 25-20 at the break.

The Badgers also scored the first five points of the second half as Virginia’s string of missed shots stretched to 13. After Dario Atkins hit a free throw for the Cavaliers 4:23 into the second half, a putback by Frank Kaminsky and a drive by Traevon Jackson pushed Wisconsin’s lead to 34-21, and Virginia took a timeout.

The Cavaliers scored seven straight points, energizing the crowd as they closed to 37-30 on Akil Mitchell’s free throw with 8:08 to play, but Ben Brust scored on a drive and Gasser’s 3-pointer made it 42-30.

The Cavaliers got to 44-38 with 1:40 left, but never scored again.