When a team like Wisconsin lets a small conference opponent to hang around for nearly 30 minutes in the Kohl Center, crisp passing and good execution are not expected hallmarks of the game.
Entering finals week, however, Bo Ryan's squad earned passing marks in those categories as it defeated the Phoenix 77-57 at the Kohl Center. The Badgers put the game away with a 12-0 run mid-way through the second half to snap Green Bay's six-game winning streak.
We came out and really got aggressive defensively,"" senior forward Marcus Landry said. ""It's one of the things we always say, improve on defense.""
Wisconsin was not shabby defending the basket in the first half, holding Green bay to 38.5 percent shooting. The team, however, ratcheted the intensity to another level after the break, forcing seven turnovers and giving up just eight field goals.
A key factor in the defensive effort was the work of junior guard Jason Bohannon and freshman guard Rob Wilson, who drew the assignment of guarding Green Bay's Troy Cotton. The Milwaukee native, who averages a team-high 14.5 point per game, scored only nine while hitting three of his 11 shots.
""Chasing him around screens, we just wanted to make him put it on the floor and shoot tough jump shots,"" Bohannon said. ""It wasn't any different than how we handle other shooters or anyone else on defense. We wanted him to shoot those tough two-point jump shots and it paid off in the end.""
Only two members of the Phoenix hit more than 40 percent of their shots. Green Bay's bright spots on offense were senior guard Ryan Tillema and versatile senior forward Mike Schachtner, who combined for 31 points and 13 free-throws.
Green Bay attempted to disrupt the Badger offense with perimeter pressure, but Wisconsin showed poise and executed all night long.
""You take advantage of whatever somebody's doing to you, and they were pressuring the wings and pressuring the ball pretty hard,"" Ryan said. ""You have to dribble release at times and attack gaps '¦ I thought our guys made some good decisions.""
Wisconsin players made smart passes throughout the game, resulting in a number of pretty sequences and a final shooting percentage over 50. They eschewed 3-point shots (10) in favor of an array of short turn around shots, mid-range jumpers and dribble-drives.
That unselfish passing produced four double-digit scorers for the Badgers. Senior forward Joe Krabbenhoft lead Wisconsin with a career-high 15 points.
""[Krabbenhoft] took advantage of some things and had good dribble attacks,"" Ryan said. ""He did not force stuff. He was strong with the ball. That is how Joe can play. I am not saying he can get 15 every night, but there are nights when it can happen.""
Krabbenhoft scored many of his points by moving without the ball and popping open in space for lay-ups and short jump shots. The night also featured a career high in rebounds for sophomore forward Keaton Nankivil, who pulled down 11, one week after scoring a career-high 11 points against Marquette.
Nankivil, however was not focusing on his individual numbers.
""[Rebounding] is something the coaches told me to work on and today the ball just happened to fall into my hands,"" Nankivil said. ""It doesn't matter who gets the boards as long as we get them.""
Overall, Wisconsin won the rebound battle 39-29 and outscored the Phoenix 26-12 in the paint.
The game was close for much of the first half as Green Bay held several leads and trailed by only one with less than two minutes reaming in the period. That was before sophomore guard Tim Jarmusz hit a 3-pointer and Trévon Hughes scored the Badgers last five points before the break.
""Going down by seven at halftime, instead of maybe taking the lead for half-time. I thought that was a big momentum change there,"" UW-Green Bay coach Tod Kowalczyk said.
Kowalczyk went on to praise Hughes, who spent most of the game slicing through the Phoenix defense on the way to nine points and four assists.
The Badger lead grew to as much as 14 in the first six minutes of the second half, but then shrunk down to five. That was when the Badgers scored 12 straight points to put the game out of reach.
Wisconsin will not play again until next Saturday when it hosts Coppin State. For the players it will not be an effortless break, as the players will be taking their fall semester finals next week.
""It really doesn't help any because now you've got to do a lot of studying,"" Landry said. ""It's always good to get off your feet and relax, get some things done going into the conference. Just being able to make sure you have your grades and things like that '¦ it's really going to help us.""
