By: Joey Daniels
MADISON, Wis. (GreenBayPhoenix.com) – It was almost a Christmas-comeback for the Green Bay men's basketball team on Wednesday night, but Wisconsin was able to escape with a 84-79 victory after owning a 30-point lead with 13 minutes left in the second half.
The eve of Christmas Eve nearly gave the Phoenix (6-5) the perfect gift, when it erased a 30-point deficit and forced Wisconsin (8-5) into 26 turnovers and finished with 18 steals. Green Bay would enjoy a 33-6 run after it was down 68-38 with 12:39 remaining in the game, and had a chance at the free throw line down 79-76 with 27 seconds left.
The 26 turnovers are the most ever by a Wisconsin team at the Kohl Center and bested the Badgers' season-high of 20 at Syracuse early this season. Eight players recorded at least one steal for the Phoenix, with Khalil Small and Carrington Love leading the way with four each.
Love led the Phoenix offensively with 28 points, 18 of which came in the second half. The senior connected on five made three-pointers in 37 minutes of action. Fellow-senior Jordan Fouse notched 17 points and went 4-of-4 at the free throw line and 3-for-5 from downtown.
Green Bay outscored Wisconsin 52-36 in the second half and forced Bronson Koenig into a season-high eight turnovers. Eight players scored in all for the Phoenix, who attempted 16 more shots than Wisconsin.
The first half wasn't kind to the Phoenix, which finished just 9-for-34 (26.5 percent) from the field with 12 turnovers. On the other end of the floor, the Badgers could do no wrong, scoring 48 points and shooting 48.5 percent (16-of-33) from the field and 50 percent (5-of-10) from three-point range. Green Bay missed 16 straight shots during a cold spell of over nine minutes to push Wisconsin out to its insurmountable lead.
On tap for the Phoenix is a trip to Kentucky to face Morehead State on Monday, Dec. 28, in its final game of the 2015 calendar year. Tip is set for 6 p.m. central time.
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