National Basketball Association
Wisconsin 74, Tennessee 62
When: 2:30 PM ET, Monday, November 21, 2016
Where: Lahaina Civic Center, Lahaina, Hawaii
Officials:
# Ted Valentine, # Kevin Ferguson, # Tony Chiazza
Attendance:
2400
By The Sports Xchange
It looked like it was going to be an easy morning game for Wisconsin when it scored the first 12 points of the game. But ultimately the 16th-ranked Badgers had to come from behind to get the win.
Bronson Koenig scored 21 points as Wisconsin rallied for a 74-62 win over Tennessee in the first round of the Maui Invitational on Monday at Lahaina Civic Center in Lahaina, Hawaii.
Forward Nigel Hayes added 17 points and 10 rebounds while forward Ethan Happ scored 16 points as the Badgers improved to 3-1.
"I didn't think they flinched when Tennessee made a run, which we knew they would do," Wisconsin coach Greg Gard said. "I'm proud of our guys how they battled back. The resiliency and the fortitude these guys play with obviously makes them who they are."
Guard Shembari Phillips had 16 points to pace the Volunteers while Detrick Mostella and guard Robert Hubbs III had 12 points apiece for Tennessee, which fell to 1-2.
"I thought, as you would expect with so many young guys, we came out a little jumpy at the start," Tennessee coach Rick Barnes said. "I thought they showed terrific mental toughness fighting back into it against an experienced team."
Tennessee trailed 40-30 before scoring the final two points of the first half and the first eight of the second half to tie the game 40-40.
Guard Lamonte Turner opened the second half with a layup before Phillips scored and added two free throws to get the Volunteers within 40-38. Hubbs scored to tie the game 40-40 before guard Grant Williams scored to put Tennessee ahead 42-40.
Koenig made a lay-up to tie the game for Wisconsin and the two teams were tied again at 44 and 46 before Hayes made two free throws to put the Badgers up 48-46. Hayes added a three-pointer to make it 51-46 before forward Kyle Alexander scored to get the Volunteers within 51-48.
Happ made a layup and Koenig hit a 3-pointer to put the Badgers up 56-48 with 7:44 left in the game.
"We'll take good shots any day," Koenig said. "If they are not falling we always try to get inside-outside touches and eventually they start falling for us."
After Tennessee got within 58-52 on a jumper by Hubbs, Koenig hit another three-pointer to put the Badgers up 61-52 with 4:19 left to play.
Forward Admiral Schofield scored to cut the lead to 63-57 before Hayes answered with a three-pointer to make it 66-57 with 2:14 to play.
Wisconsin won despite 18 turnovers while Tennessee had just 10.
"I thought they did a good job getting up and pressuring us, trying to speed us up," Koenig said. "It is early in the year and it was a good test for us and showed us what we need to work on."
Wisconsin scored the first 12 points of the game, including the final five by Happ. Koenig hit back-to-back jumpers and Happ made a tip-in to make it 20-5.
Phillips made a 3-pointer to get the Volunteers within 26-19 before Mostella capped the half with a jumper to get Tennessee within 40-32 at the break.
Happ and Koenig each had nine points to pace Wisconsin in the first half while Hayes had six points and five rebounds as the Badgers shot 59.3 percent from the field.
Mostella scored 12 points to pace the Volunteers, who shot 36.4 percent in the first half.
NOTES: Wisconsin dropped seven spots in the AP Top 25 poll on Monday from No. 9 to No. 16 after losing to Creighton. ... Wisconsin outrebounded Tennessee 36-25 and has 67 more rebounds than its opponents in four games this season. ... Tennessee coach Rick Barnes became the first coach to take three different schools to the tournament after previously visiting with Providence and Texas
Top Game Performances
Tennessee |
|
Wisconsin |
Shembari Phillips 16 |
Scoring |
Bronson Koenig 21 |
Admiral Schofield 2 |
Assists |
Bronson Koenig 4 |
Kyle Alexander 6 |
Rebounds |
Nigel Hayes 10 |
Detrick Mostella 3 |
Free Throws Made |
Nigel Hayes 6 |
Lamonte Turner 3 |
Steals |
Ethan Happ 2 |
Kyle Alexander 1 |
Blocks |
Nigel Hayes 3 |
Team Stats Summary
Team |
Points |
FG% |
3PM-3PA |
FTM-FTA |
Assists |
Rebounds |
Blocks |
Steals |
Turnovers |
Tennessee
|
62 |
40.3 |
6-19 |
6-6 |
10 |
19 |
2 |
7 |
10 |
Wisconsin
|
74 |
56.2 |
7-19 |
13-19 |
16 |
32 |
5 |
7 |
18 |