The Washington Huskies men's basketball team's flickering NCAA Tournament hopes came to an end in a failed comeback attempt against the No. 23 Wisconsin Badgers in a Big Ten tournament Thursday at the United Center in Chicago.

The Huskies finished their season 16-17 overall.

"Extremely proud of our team and the resolve and the ability to fight through adversity, which we've continued to do all year," UW coach Danny Sprinkle said after the game. "It doesn't surprise me how we responded to being down 18 to one of the hottest teams in the country, not just the Big Ten."

Washington spent most of the game working behind Wisconsin and attempting to make the game competitive.

The Huskies trailed 20-7 with 11 minutes, 44 seconds left in the first half.

Washington was able to cut its deficit down to as much as four in the first half and went into halftime trailing 43-33.

Freshman forward Hannes Steinbach, who finished the game with a 25-point, 16-rebound double-double in addition to three blocks, two assists and a steal, scored 12 points and brought in seven of his boards in the first 20 minutes.

In the second half, the Huskies trailed by as much as 18 points with 13:23 left in the game before launching its comeback attempt that fell just short.

Washington had three respective runs of 5-0 or more in the second half that gave the team a legitimate chance to advance in the Big Ten tournament. 

A free throw made by sophomore guard Zoom Diallo cut the Huskies' deficit down to 81-80 with 1:07 left in the game. Another layup made by Diallo put UW behind 83-82 with 17 seconds left.

Senior Badgers guard Andrew Rohde made two free throws in the final eight seconds to cement the three-point win.

A last-second layup from freshman guard Courtland Muldrew was waived and Wisconsin held on for the three-point win.

Diallo finished the game with 24 points, four rebounds, seven assists and a steal. He scored 20 of his 24 points in the second half.

"To be honest, I felt like I could have did that in the first half," Diallo said in a postgame interview. "But I was in foul trouble early. ... I feel like I was just playing to my strengths and I feel like in the first half I could've done the same thing, too. But I feel like I cost my team being in foul trouble. We fought back in the second half but it just wasn't enough."

Senior guard Quimari Peterson scored 14 points on 5-for-14 shooting from the floor (including a 4-for-10 mark from the 3-point line), pulled in six boards, dished four assists and had a steal.

Washington could still earn a berth to the National Invitation Tournament (NIT). The Huskies will have to wait until Selection Sunday to learn if their season will be extended. For now, the program will have to go through a seventh consecutive March without competing in the NCAA Tournament.

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