MADISON, Wis.—The NIU men’s basketball team has to learn how to win.

The Huskies fell 87-77 to Wisconsin Tuesday night in the Dane County Coliseum before 4,775 fans. NIU came back from a 14-point deficit to pull within 72-69 with 5:42 remaining, but the Badgers scored the next seven points to put the Huskies away.

Wisconsin is 2-0 while NIU’s record dropped to 1-1.

“I’ve explained to these guys that Northern Illinois now has to be the team that’s over the hump,” said Rosborough after saying he was proud of his team. “I’m sick and tired of us being the team that’s close.”

Rosborough spoke at the postgame press conference but refused to talk separately to The Northern Star because of stories about the warrant for John Culbertson in Iowa. “The players, they’ve been told they’re off-limits, too.”

It was Wisconsin’s Trent Jackson and the Badgers’ free throw shooting that proved to be the difference. Jackson led all scorers with 28 points and Wisconsin, as a team, converted 18 of 21 fouls shots in the second half.

Jackson not only made all 10 of his free throw attempts to lead his team in that department, but he also made key baskets for the Badgers in the clutch. His three-pointer right before halftime put Wisconsin up 40-38, eliminating what was to be the Huskies’ final lead.

Then after NIU pulled close late in the game, Jackson stole the ball from Donnell Thomas and took the ball in for a layup and then nailed a three-pointer to end the seven-point run. Jackson had four steals on the night.

Wisconsin coach Steve Yoder complimented Jackson and Danny Jones, who tallied 23 points after only scoring two against South Florida, but said the key player and the one that changed the momentum was freshman Patrick Tompkins.

“He didn’t play down there because it was close,” Yoder said of Tompkins, who scored 13 points. “I was happy that he was patient enough with himself to come out here tonight, and he was still sitting there, but when his number was called, he was ready to play.”

Another key point of the game, Yoder said, came right before the half when the Badgers scored the last eight points before intermission. NIU held a 38-34 lead with 2:09 left before being shut out.

“If we didn’t turn the defense up a notch, we don’t come up with a four-point lead at halftime,” Yoder said.

The end of the half was punctuated by a Tompkins dunk on a breakaway with six seconds to go following a missed 13-footer by Randy Norman.

Rodney Davis paced NIU with 24 points. He and Thomas (11 points) were the only Huskies in double figures as Culbertson was third with nine and Mike Grabner, who became the first Huskie of the year to foul out, was next with eight.

The Huskies were able to outrebound Wisconsin 40-27 despite a height disadvantage. Culbertson grabbed nine boards to lead the way.

The loss was the Huskies’ 14th straight road setback, dating back to the 1985 season.

The game was the first played in the Dane County Coliseum, nicknamed “The Great Dane,” but it was the Huskies who were running wild in the early-going as they pushed the ball up the floor, mainly behing the play of reserve point guard Donald Whiteside.

In fact, for a long stretch in the first half, NIU had three freshmen on the floor along with Matt Hardy and Norman.