By: Andrew Gavin (@GBGavin)

GREEN BAY, Wis. (GreenBayPhoenix.com) – 2014 was a pretty good year for the Green Bay men's basketball program. The Phoenix was challenged on New Year's Eve by a feisty Chicago State team, but Green Bay (11-3) scored the game's final five points and finished the calendar year with a 54-50 victory on Wednesday afternoon at the Resch Center.

Green Bay won 26 of its 33 games in 2014, and Wednesday's win gave the program its best non-conference regular season record since 1991-92. Two reasons for the team's success all year held true again on the final day of the year, the Phoenix defense was stifling and Keifer Sykes (Chicago, Ill.) was impressive when his team needed it most.

Head coach Brian Wardle's team held Chicago State to just 32.8 percent shooting, including just 25.9 percent in the first half. Sykes, the reigning Horizon League Player of the Year, scored all of his game-high 16 points after halftime on 6-of-11 shooting.

With both teams struggling from the field, Green Bay took a 23-20 lead into intermission. The Phoenix scored the first six points of the second half and Sykes scored six-straight points to end a 13-4 run that led the Phoenix in front 36-24 with 15:52 to play.

The Cougars would not go away, however, using a 12-1 run to cut the deficit to one (37-36) just three minutes later.

After five-straight points from Sykes, Green Bay led 49-45 with 4:42 remaining, but again CSU responded, taking a 50-49 lead with 2:49 left on a three-pointer from Montana Byrd.

Senior Alfonzo McKinnie (Chicago, Ill.) converted a drive for the Phoenix on the next possession, and after forcing a turnover Sykes scored on a layup for a 53-50 margin. The Cougars would not score again as Green Bay improved to 6-0 at home in 2014-15.

McKinnie added 13 points and eight rebounds, junior Carrington Love (Milwaukee, Wis.) reached double figures for the seventh-straight game with 10 points, and junior Jordan Fouse tallied six points and grabbed a game-high 12 rebounds.

Green Bay opens 2015 and its Horizon League schedule at home on Monday night, welcoming Wright State to the Resch Center at 7 p.m.

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