If the Wisconsin Badgers men's basketball team (6-1) had the idea that it would coast past Wednesday night's opponent in the second of six consecutive games at home, UW-Green Bay showed them to be sorely mistaken.
Until midway through the second half, that is.
That is when the Badgers' balance came through and the defense clamped down on the Phoenix, resulting in an 82-62 victory in front of 17,142 fans at the Kohl Center.
'Fiery game, aggressive, good, hard-fought basketball game. And that game will help us, I can tell you that,' head coach Bo Ryan said.
Three minutes after the opening tip, the Badgers did in fact appear on pace for a rout of their in-state rival, to whom they've never lost. Senior guard Ray Nixon found his stroke on two 3-pointers within the first two minutes, and junior Jason Chappell, who set a career high for rebounds with eight, sank two free throws to give the Badgers an 8-2 lead.
But the balance of the first half was played evenly, as the Badgers took a slim 40-37 lead into the break. Wisconsin held only a marginal advantage in field goal percentage and rebounds, relying on a balanced scoring attack. UW-Green Bay, meanwhile, got 25 of its 37 points from two players ' junior guard Ryan Evanochko and freshman forward Terry Evans.
The close score carried over early into the second half, as the teams matched each other basket for basket. The Phoenix even briefly took the lead, at 47-46 on an Evans' jumper, with 17:09 remaining. But sophomore guard Michael Flowers, who had a career-high 12 points, responded with a basket and a steal, one of six last night, on the ensuing possession, and Wisconsin never looked back.
In the second half, UW-Green Bay was on the short end of a 16-3 run as Wisconsin pulled away.
'I think the University of Wisconsin is a lot better than anybody, nationally, gives them credit for,' UW-Green Bay coach Tod Kowalczyk said. 'Probably the best part of Wisconsin basketball is you never see them beat themselves.'
Playing once again with a protective mask on his face after suffering a nasal injury last week against Wake Forest, junior forward Alando Tucker took charge in the last 10 minutes of the game. He finished with 18 points on 8-14 shooting.
'It's a game of 70, 80 possessions, and if things aren't going well on 50 of them, you sure as heck hope the last 30 are pretty good,' Ryan said.
On Wednesday night, those possessions were sound enough to pull away from UW-Green Bay.
