Walker-Kimbrough leads No. 6 Maryland past Wisconsin, 83-77

COLLEGE PARK, Md. (AP) - When Shatori Walker-Kimbrough, Brionna Jones and Brene Moseley are in sync, most teams struggle to keep pace with sixth-ranked Maryland.

In the end, that also proved to be too daunting for Wisconsin.

Walker-Kimbrough scored 27 points, while Jones finished with 20, as the Terrapins extended their winning streak to five games with an 83-77 victory over the Badgers on Thursday night. Moseley finished with six points and 10 assists to spark the offense.

"These three did a tremendous job setting the tone and the level we want to play," Maryland coach Brenda Frese said. "I am disappointed in our depth. I don't think we were able to utilize as much off the bench as we usually do."

Nicole Bauman had 23 points, while Michala Johnson scored 18 for Wisconsin. The Badgers (7-20, 3-14) have lost 12 of 13, including a 90-65 setback to the Terrapins on Jan. 20.

In this matchup, the Badgers played much better, but ultimately could not shut down Maryland's high-powered offense. The Terrapins consistently fed the ball to Jones inside the paint and she responded with 10 points over a four-minute stretch in the third quarter.

"I thought we came out very hard in the second half and (Jones) was the reason for that," Walker-Kimbrough said. "We got her going and she's unstoppable once she gets going."

When Wisconsin focused on Jones, the Terrapins simply got the ball to their other playmakers. A layup by Tierney Pfirman capped a 10-0 run and Maryland led 55-44 with 4:41 left in the third quarter.

From there, Maryland stayed in control as the Badgers struggled to set their offense. After not earning a free throw in the opening half, the Terrapins went 6 of 8 from the line and led 63-51 at the end of the third quarter.

"Once we were able to pick up our defensive energy, we were able to get some things going," Frese said. "It was kind of a fragmented game."

Brianna Fraser provided a 21-point lead with 6:08 left in the game. The Badgers, though, responded with a 12-0 run and a 3-pointer by Bauman pulled them to within 80-72 with 1:33 remaining.

But each time Wisconsin got close, the Terrapins had an answer. This time, Chloe Pavlech made Maryland's 11th 3-pointer to provide an 83-75 cushion with just under a minute left to close out the game.

Dakota Whyte scored 13 points and Avyanna Young finished with 12 for the Badgers.

"Maryland is a great team with a lot of scoring," Wisconsin coach Bobbie Kelsey said. "They have a lot of athletic ladies who can do a lot of damage. But I am proud of my group. To be down by 20 points and for us to come back says a lot about these kids."

TIP-INS

Wisconsin: The Badgers entered the game with a minus-4.3 rebounding margin, which didn't bode well against the Terps' dominant front court. Wisconsin lost the rebound battle, 39-30.

Maryland: The Terrapins can win the Big Ten regular season title outright if No. 5 Ohio State loses to No. 20 Michigan State on Saturday and Maryland beats Minnesota the following day. If both Ohio State and the Terrapins win, they would be considered co-champs by the Big Ten even though the Buckeyes swept the season series. The Terps are guaranteed no lower than the No. 2 seed in the conference tournament on March 2-6.

LONG DISTANCE

Maryland entered the game ranked first in the Big Ten by converting 42 percent of its shots from beyond the arc. That trend continued against the Badgers as the Terrapins made 11 of 20 (55 percent) of 3-pointers.

UP NEXT

Wisconsin closes out the regular season Sunday at Purdue.

Maryland hosts Minnesota on Sunday.