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MADISON, Wis. (AP) — With the game tied and about 20 seconds left on the clock, Maryland coach Mark Turgeon made the simplest play call he could make: give the ball to Melo Trimble and get out of the way.
The dynamic guard hit a long, straightaway 3-pointer with 1.2 seconds left to lift the third-ranked Terrapins to a 63-60 win over Wisconsin on Saturday.
"Yeah, it's not a lot of coaching," Turgeon said. "He's special. ... Just get out of his way."
Trimble finished with 21 points on 9-of-17 shooting in a game in which the Terrapins (15-1, 4-0 Big Ten) lost an eight-point lead with about 7 minutes to go.
Trimble saved his biggest shot for the end.
The sophomore let the shot clock wind down with Zak Showalter guarding him tightly for the Badgers (9-8, 1-3). Showalter had a hand up when Trimble let loose the winning shot.
Trimble swaggered as he backpedaled after the bucket stunned the Kohl Center crowd.
"I knew that the best shot was for me to get to the rim," Trimble said.
The 3 worked, too.
Nothing more really that Wisconsin could do defensively in that situation.
"Well, get him to miss it," Badgers interim coach Greg Gard said. "With the way they spread the floor, I knew what they were trying to do."
Set up well beyond the 3-point arc, Showalter ran the risk of Trimble running by him if he had played him tighter. A foul would have sent Trimble to the line, where he is hitting 87 percent for the year.
A double-team would have left another Terp open.
So Trimble hit a deep shot that he said he's practiced many times before. Showalter bent over at the hips, his head down in disappointment.
Robert Carter Jr. added 14 points and 11 rebounds for Maryland.
DOWN TO WIRE
Trimble's shot overshadowed the Badgers' late rally after Bronson Koenig's 3 with 23 seconds left tied it at 60. Wisconsin capitalized after Rasheed Sulaimon missed the front end of a 1-and-1 with 40 seconds to go.
"Fellas, don't forget how great Bronson's shot was, too," Turgeon said. "Took a lot of guts to make that one, too."
Nigel Hayes led the Badgers with 17 points, while Ethan Happ added 16.
Happ was 8 of 14 from the field and had 11 rebounds. The redshirt freshman outplayed center Diamond Stone, Maryland's more heralded freshman, for stretches.
EYES ON DIAMOND
The 6-foot-11 Stone, a potential one-and-done prospect, had 11 points in his first trip back to his home state with the Terps. The Milwaukee native, who was recruited by the Badgers, was booed and jeered nearly every time he touched the ball.
"We knew they were going to come out and be on him from the beginning. We just wanted to bring him home, get a victory," Carter said.
EXCITING SECOND
Trimble had two 3s and two layups during a 10-1 run that allowed the Terrapins to open up a 56-48 lead with 6:50 left. Carter ignited the run on the defensive end by blocking three shots in 42 seconds.
Wisconsin went cold from the field for the next 8 minutes until the backcourt duo of Showalter and Koenig drew the Badgers back with long-range shooting. Koenig had 13 points on 4-of-12 shooting, including 3 of 7 from 3-point range.
Showalter had nine points.
MISSED OPPORTUNITIES
A 5-of-11 day from the foul line also hurt the Badgers.
They're playing better overall since Gard took over for the retired Bo Ryan on Dec. 15, but the results aren't showing on the scoreboard. Wisconsin is 2-3 under Gard.
"We do keep getting better, but we've been hearing that for a while now," Happ said. "It's time to put wins on the board instead of losing these tough games."
TIP-INS:
Maryland: The Terps lost in their two previous trips to Madison, with their last visit coming in 2004. Maryland also lost in Madison in 1931. ... Stone won four Wisconsin state prep titles on the Kohl Center floor while playing for Whitefish Bay Dominican in Milwaukee.
Wisconsin: Hayes led all scorers in the first half with 14 points on 5-of-7 shooting. ... The Badgers were 6-2 against top 5-ranked teams over the last three seasons entering Saturday.
UP NEXT:
Maryland: At Michigan on Tuesday.
Wisconsin: At Northwestern on Tuesday.
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Follow Genaro Armas on Twitter at http://twitter.com/GArmasAP and the AP's college basketball site at http://collegebasketball.ap.org
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