UWGB goes cold in loss to Pacific
Playing basketball at odd times isn’t easy. Just ask the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay men.
The Phoenix lost 76-58 to Pacific on Tuesday morning at the Alex G. Spanos Center in Stockton, Calif., a game that started at 1 a.m. as part of ESPN’s College Hoops Tip-Off Marathon.
It came one year after UWGB played at East Tennessee State at 5 a.m. while participating in the same event.
Although UWGB coach Linc Darner said leading up to this one that it would be much easier for his players to play late at night rather than early in the morning, the Phoenix struggled shooting for most of the contest.
UWGB was just 17-for-56 from the field, 5-for-22 from 3-point range and 61 percent (19-for-31) from the line. It also was outrebounded 61-38 while being outscored 19-5 in second-chance points and 34-16 in the paint.
"We took tough shots, we don't take open shots," said Darner, who added the starting time was not an excuse for the loss. "We pass up open shots to take a tough shot once in a while. I think we are a better shooting team than we showed. Maybe I think we are, maybe we are in practice, but when the lights come on we have got to start making them. And I think we will.
"We have got to make free throws, too."
Still, UWGB jumped out to a 7-0 lead and led 27-26 at halftime because Pacific didn’t shoot any better. But things unraveled over the final 20 minutes.
The Tigers outscored the Phoenix by 19 points in the second half, going on a 19-3 run to take a 65-46 lead with 6 minutes, 33 seconds remaining.
Freshman point guard Trevor Anderson (14 points) and junior guard Khalil Small (13 points) were the only two to finish in double figures for the Phoenix.
Moment of the game
The Phoenix only trailed by five with 9:33 left when Pacific guard David Taylor helped end any chance of a comeback. The 6-foot-3 senior hit three straight 3-pointers to put his team up by 14, and it never led by fewer than 11 the rest of the way.
Player of the game
Taylor finished with a game-high 17 points, shooting 6-for-9 overall and 3-for-6 from 3-point range in 31 minutes. He was one of four players to finish with 10 or more points for the Tigers, who also had four players grab 10 or more rebounds.
Notable notes
>> UWGB senior forward Jamar Hurdle, who started the Phoenix’s season-opener against Northland on Saturday, did not get into the game against Pacific until the second half.
>> The Phoenix’s flight home was scheduled for 8:05 a.m. The team was expected to land in Chicago and then take a bus to Green Bay, making for a rather long day.
>> Damon Stoudamire made his home coaching debut for Pacific. Stoudamire was the NBA’s rookie of the year in 1996 after being selected by the Toronto Raptors with the seventh overall pick. The former point guard for the University of Arizona has served as an assistant coach with the Memphis Grizzlies and in the college ranks with Rice University, Memphis and Arizona before landing his first head coaching gig with Pacific.
>> The Phoenix received a verbal commitment from College of Central Florida shooting guard Paul Turner before the game. The 6-foot-5, 210-pound sophomore is averaging 15.8 points and shooting 50 percent from the floor in the Patriots’ first four games. He appeared in 31 games and started five as a freshman for the junior college team last season, averaging 7.1 points and 3.2 rebounds per game and shooting 82.5 percent from the line.
Turner played for St. Joseph High School in Illinois before attending Victory Rock Prep in Sarasota, Fla.
Darner is not allowed to comment on potential recruits.
What’s next
UWGB will play Murray State at 6 p.m. on Saturday as part of the Bill Frack Tournament at Bowling Green. It will be the first of three straight games at the tournament for the Phoenix.
UWGB (1-1)
Botz 1-5, 2-2 5, Small 3-5, 6-7 13, Anderson 5-11, 1-2 14, Cooper 2-10, 3-6 7, Lowe 2-2, 0-0 4, Jones 3-13, 3-5 9, Kanter 0-3 1-6 1, Hankerson 0-1, 0-0 0, Hurdle 0-2 2-2 2, Findlay 1-3, 1-1 3, Jesperson 0-1, 0-0 0. Totals: 17-56 5-22.
Pacific (1-1)
Wallace 6-17, 2-4 16, Vuko 0-3, 0-0 0, Bowles 3-16, 4-9 10, Taylor 6-9, 2-2 17, Eleraky 3-6, 4-5 10, Haynes 0-3, 2-2 2, Williams 3-11, 0-0 8, Ursery 3-5, 1-2 7, Lampkin 1-1, 4-4 6. Totals: 25-71 19-28.
UWGB. … 27 31 – 58
Pacific. … 26 50 – 76
3-pointers: UWGB 5-22 (Botz 1-4, Small 1-2, Anderson 3-7, Cooper 0-1, Jones 0-6, Findlay 0-1, Jesperson 0-1); Pacific 7-27 (Wallacec 2-5, Vuko 0-1, Bowles 0-6, Taylor 3-6, Haynes 0-1, Williams 2-7, Ursery 0-1). Rebounds: UWGB 38 (Botz 8); Pacific 61 (Williams 13). Assists: UWGB 11 (Anderson 3); Pacific 10 (Wallace 4). Fouls: UWGB 24; Pacific 23. Fouled out: Small.