No Tyler Wahl and frigid three-point shooting doom Wisconsin in an ugly loss to Illinois

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – Wisconsin was without its most versatile and arguably its best player.

The 14th-ranked Badgers were away from home.

They were playing a desperate Illinois team searching for its first Big Ten victory.

UW fared well early Saturday afternoon without senior forward Tyler Wahl but the Illini dominated the play beyond the three-point line and eventually pulled away for a 79-69 victory over the Badgers at the State Farm Center.

"I’ll be Captain Obvious," UW coach Greg Gard said. "For us, defensively is where the game was decided in what we didn’t do and didn’t get done consistently enough."

Box score: Illinois 79, Wisconsin 69

Illinois entered the day shooting 32.6% from three-point range but took advantage of uncharacteristic communication issues by UW defenders on the perimeter and shot 52.6% (10 of 19). The Badgers came in at 38.6% but shot just 27.6% (8 of 29), their third-worst mark of the season.

"The threes were the difference," Gard said. "We go 8 for 29 and they’re 10 for 19. That’s pretty efficient when you get 30 points on 19 shots."

The Badgers (11-3, 3-1 Big Ten) saw their winning streak end at six games, lost to the Illini for the fifth consecutive time and dropped into a five-way tie for first with Michigan (9-6, 3-1), Michigan State (11-4, 3-1), Rutgers (11-4, 3-1) and Purdue (14-1, 3-1).

"Welcome to the Big Ten," Illinois coach Brad Underwood said.

The Illini (10-5, 1-3), who learned Friday freshman point guard Skyy Clark was taking a leave of absence, improved to 3-2 against ranked teams.

Coleman Hawkins, a 28.3% three-point shooter averaging 9.3 points per game entering the day, took advantage of UW's breakdowns on the perimeter to get open three-pointers. He hit 6 of 9 attempts and finished with 20 points to spark the Illini.

His last three-pointer gave the Illini their biggest lead, 64-49, with 5 minutes 34 seconds left.

"I’m so proud of Coleman," Underwood said. "He is an elite, elite shooter. That is why we feel great about him shooting the basketball. Those are outstanding numbers."

Terrence Shannon Jr. hit 7 of 11 shots and 9 of 12 free throws and scored 24 points for the Illini. Freshman guard Jayden Epps added 15 points and Matthew Mayer added 10.

That quartet combined to hit 10 of 16 three-pointers.

Steven Crowl recorded his first college double-double, with 20 points and 12 rebounds, for UW. Chucky Hepburn finished with 22 points and seven assists but faced withering pressure for most of the game and had three turnovers for the first time since the loss to Kansas on Nov. 24.

"They did a good job on me today," said Hepburn, who singled out the work of freshman guard Sencire Harris. "Props to (Harris) for working me. I’ll get better in my decision making. I think I just got a little tired."

Crowl and Hepburn combined to make just 4 of 14 three-pointers.

In addition to shooting poorly from three-point range, UW drew just 14 fouls and hit just 5 of 12 free throws.

"We didn’t have the ball in there enough," Gard said of attacking the basket and getting to the free throw line. "We did in the second half, made more of a concerted effort to touch the post.

"Some of it is how we’re finishing. If we’re playing off two feet or if we’re going in there, jumping off one (foot), you’re not going to get a call.

"Playing off two feet and playing strong toward the rim and you’re going to get the call more than if you’re falling down or fading out of bounds."

Wahl (13.2 ppg, 6.4 rpg) was out because of an ankle injury suffered Tuesday in the victory over Minnesota.

Carter Gilmore, starting for Wahl, contributed four points, seven rebounds and one assist in 30 minutes. Markus Ilver added two points and three rebounds in 19 minutes.

Max Klesmit added 11 points for UW. Jordan Davis and Connor Essegian added five points apiece. Both hit 1 of 3 three-pointers.

Neither Gard nor the players came close to using Wahl's absence as an excuse for the loss. Nevertheless, Wahl settles the offense by attacking the basket and leads UW in free-throw attempts with 61.

"We all know how good he is in the post, with his footwork and everything," Crowl said. "He draws a lot of fouls. He shoots a lot of free throws. I’d say we missed him a lot on the offensive end."

And defensive breakdowns on the perimeter with Wahl in the game because he can switch onto any player and guard against a drive or a three-point shot.

"We have to communicate better, communicate if we’re switching or staying," Gilmore said. "I don't think we did as good of a job as we needed to tonight and it showed when they getting open threes."

The Illini were efficient from three-point range; the Badgers weren't.

At the end of the day the Badgers found themselves in a five-way tie for first and uncertain whether Wahl will be ready to play Tuesday when Michigan State visits the Kohl Center.

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This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Wisconsin's cold shooting, no Tyler Wahl costly in loss to Illinois