On a day when snow shut down Madison's campus, the Wisconsin men's basketball team was shut down by the 3-point shot of UW-Green Bay in an 88-84 overtime loss.
The Phoenix (9-2 overall) shot 9-of-18 from 3-point territory, and received 22 points on 8-of-19 shooting from junior guard Bryquis Perine. Green Bay beat the Badgers (6-2) for the first time in the series history.
The Phoenix also got big games from senior guard Troy Cotton, who had 15 points on 4-of-7 shooing from behind the arc, and junior point guard Rahmon Fletcher, who had 18 points on 7-of-16 shooting.
The Badgers trailed most of the game, but senior guard Trevon Hughes did all he could to keep Wisconsin in striking distance. Around the midpoint of the second half, Hughes, who finished with a career-high 27 points, took the game into his own hands and scored 15 straight points. Using his speed and athleticism, he was continually able to sneak into the paint and put up the easy layup or get to the free throw line, where he finished 13-of-18.
Thanks to Hughes' incredible run, the Badgers took a 61-60 lead with eight minutes remaining after a dunk by junior forward Jon Leuer. But Wisconsin could not cool down the hot shooting of the Phoenix, and soon after Green Bay hit three straight jumpers to open up a five-point lead once again.
For every shot the Badgers made, Green Bay had an answer, drawing praise from Wisconsin head coach Bo Ryan.
""When people are hitting shots like that you have to give credit where credit is due,"" he said. ""They hit some really tough 3s to stretch us out. If teams aren't hitting those, our half-court defense looks a lot better.""
After Perine missed a shot to win it for Green Bay in regulation, the Badgers were given a clean start and five minutes to prove they were the better team. But the Phoenix pulled out to a four-point lead and the closest Wisconsin could get was three before the final buzzer sounded.
With a minute left and the Badgers down 82-78, sophomore guard Jordan Taylor's shot was blocked and an offensive rebound would prove worthless after junior Tim Jarmusz air-balled a 3-pointer. The miss turned into a scrum on the floor, with Green Bay gaining possession.
Green Bay's senior forward Randy Berry then made one of two free throws, increasing the Phoenix lead to five. Leuer got the Badgers within one possession after he sunk two free throws with 33 seconds left, but Green Bay wouldn't slip up at the charity strip. It finished 23-of-30 on free throws.
Wisconsin turned the ball over a season-high 18 times in the loss, which denied Bo Ryan his 200th win as the Badgers' head coach. It's a tough loss, but Ryan did find some positives in defeat.
""I loved our fight and we came back how many times,"" Ryan said.
