GREEN BAY, Wis. (GreenBayPhoenix.com) – Although the Green Bay men's basketball team led for all but 16 seconds on Monday night, it needed every last point in both regulation and overtime to counter a furious second-half rally staged by sophomore Paris Bass and the Detroit Titans.
Senior forward Jordan Fouse poured in a career-high 30 points and 14 rebounds and fellow classmate Carrington Love added 28 points, as the Phoenix scored 20 points in an extra five-minute session to outlast Detroit in thrilling fashion, 115-108, in what turned out to be the second track meet in three days at the Resch Center.
Trailing by 12 at the break, 51-39, the Titans (9-10, 3-5 HL) roared back in the second half on the back of Bass, who scored 21 of his 23 points after intermission, and tied the game at 87 for the only time all night long on a driving layup with 2:16 to play.
Green Bay sophomore Khalil Small (18 points) helped the Phoenix regain the lead after knocking down a pair of clutch free throws a couple of possessions later, 89-87. Following a Detroit timeout, Fouse drew a charge on Bass with 55 ticks left that preserved the lead, a lead that would grow to five, 92-87, after Love hit a fadeaway jumper with 28 seconds left and the shot-clock winding down, then added an and-one free throw that seemingly put the game away.
However, after the teams exchanged free throws back and forth, Titans guard Anton Wilson hit an off-balance three and was fouled with six seconds remaining to improbably pull Detroit back within one, 95-94. After Wilson completed the four-point play, Love missed the ensuing buzzer-beater to send the game to overtime.
In the extra session, Green Bay (13-8, 5-3 HL) began on a 14-0 run that was keyed by a Fouse jumper, and then a steal of Bass on the other end. In pursuit of Fouse up the floor, Bass was called for his fifth foul with 3:15 remaining. The Phoenix sealed the game a short time later when junior Turner Botz drilled a 3-pointer from the left wing to give his team a 108-95 advantage.
All told, the 115 points scored is the most by a Green Bay team in its Division I era, while its 49 free-throws attempted is the second most. Additionally, the Phoenix has averaged 103 points over its last three games, marking the first time its scored 90-plus points in three consecutive games since 1971.
Green Bay shot 52.9 percent (18-of-34) in the opening half, led by the Racine-native Fouse, who scored 14 points on 5-of-6 from the field. While both teams traded runs, it was the Phoenix who forced the Titans into 11 turnovers through the first 20 minutes of play, using an 18-6 spurt over a 3 minute, 59 second span late in the first half to take what would be its largest lead of the game at 51-34.
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