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Badgers losing streak hits six

EVANSTON, Ill. — Craig Moore scored 26 points, including six straight free throws in the final 15.6 seconds Saturday night, as Northwestern beat Wisconsin 66-63 and sent the Badgers to their sixth straight loss.

Northwestern (12-7, 4-5) has won four of its last five, turning its season around after a lopsided loss at Wisconsin earlier this month.

Wisconsin routed Northwestern 74-45 on Jan. 7 and hasn't won since, dropping a pair of overtime games during its longest skid since the 1997-98 season.

Trevon Hughes scored 15 points for the Badgers (12-9, 3-6), who fell short during a wild finish over the final four minutes.

Moore's last two free throws came with 4.2 seconds left to make it a three-point margin before Northwestern's Jeremy Nash intercepted a last-second Badger pass to seal the win.

Marcus Landry, Wisconsin's leading scorer at 12.9 points, scored 10 points and had several key late baskets for the Badgers after battling foul problems most of the night.

Kevin Coble, Northwestern's leading scorer at 16.1 points entering the game, managed just seven. Jon Leuer scored all 12 of his points in the second half for the Badgers.

Coble made a nifty reverse layup on a backdoor pass from Moore to give the Wildcats a one-point lead with 2:26 left and then intercepted a pass at the other end. Luka Mirkovic's left-handed hook in the lane for the Wildcats made it 58-55.

After a time out, Landry scored with 58 seconds to go and Northwestern's lead was 58-57. Nash's underhanded scoop with 27.9 seconds to play restored the lead to three and forced another Badgers' timeout. And again Landry went to the basket and tipped in a shot with 17 seconds left and again the lead was down to one.

Moore made a pair at the line with 15.6 seconds remaining and Hughes answered with two free throws to make it 62-61 with 13 seconds to go. Moore hit two more, Hughes drove for a basket to slice it back to one and Moore made two more with 4.2 seconds left before Nash picked off the pass.

Bottled up for much of the night by Northwestern's trapping zone defense, the Badgers forged a five-point lead early in the second when Joe Krabbenhoft scored on a follow and Jason Bohannon found the range on a 3-pointer.

The Badgers expanded the lead to five before Coble's bank shot in the lane tied it at 49.

The game was tied at 27 at the half.