GREEN BAY, Wis. (GreenBayPhoenix.com) - Freshman Alec Brown (Winona, Minn.) sank two free
throws to tie the game for Green Bay (12-15, 6-9 HL) with 24 seconds remaining
Tuesday night, but Butler (19-9, 11-5 HL) senior Matt Howard scored on a drive
and dunk with 1.8 ticks remaining to give the visiting Bulldogs a hard-fought 64-62
victory over the Phoenix in front of over 5,000 fans at the Resch Center.
"I
thought it was a great college basketball game with two teams that laid it on the
line, played extremely hard and made big plays," said head coach Brian Wardle. "We played a very good
team who is playing its best basketball right now. I was proud of how we
responded and competed, and I just wish we could have pulled this one out. We
did enough to win, and that is what hurts."
Brown
scored 12 points and added seven rebounds for the Phoenix, and fellow freshman
frontline player Daniel Turner (McCordsville, Ind.) totaled
nine points, eight rebounds, three steals and a block, but it was Turner's
absence may have hurt the Phoenix on the final defensive play. The 6-foot-6
freshman battled with Howard, an All-Horizon League performer, throughout the
evening, but his fifth foul with 1:55 remaining left the Phoenix without him
down the stretch, including the final defensive play.
"I
thought our freshmen bigs were outstanding," said Wardle. "Daniel Turner with
nine points and eight rebounds and making constant big plays for us. When he
was in the game and we did not have to take him out because of foul trouble he
was very effective against Howard. Alec Brown had a very good second half, was
aggressive and started making some plays."
The
Phoenix battled to stay close throughout the final 20 minutes, rallying from a
six-point halftime hole and as many as eight in the second half. Brown tied the
score twice in the final 20 minutes, but Green Bay still trailed 62-57 with
1:59 to play. Junior Steve Baker (St.
Paul, Minn.) drained a three with 1:15 on the clock, and a defensive stop led
to Brown's offensive rebound and free throws to tie the game.
Unfortunately,
for the Phoenix, Howard's game-winning dunk stopped the team's chances for a
major home win in front of the season's biggest crowd. Butler's senior scored a
game-high 22 points while adding eight rebounds for the Bulldogs.
"I
think we played our heart out, and I am proud of everyone in the locker room
from one through 14, and the coaching staff did a great job preparing us," said
senior guard Rahmon Fletcher (Kansas City, Mo.). "I have no
complaints, but unfortunately we just didn't pull through. We just have to
build on this."
Fletcher
went over 1,600 points for his career with 10 points in the first half, helping
to keep the Phoenix close in an opening 20 minutes where the Bulldogs led by as
many as eight three different times. The senior guard finished the game with a
team-high 18 points and three assists.
"Rahmon Fletcher was aggressive from the start, and when he is aggressive and hunting
his shot, we are a better team, and I thought that was effective," said Wardle.
Green
Bay steps away from conference play on Saturday, traveling to Carbondale, Ill.
to play Southern Illinois in a BracketBusters contest at 2:05 p.m.
For more information on individual game tickets
or season tickets or Pick 5 packages, please visit
GreenBayPhoenix.com/tickets or call the Green Bay ticket office at
920.465.2625.
