Dec. 29, 2006

Box Score

GREEN BAY, Wis. - Ryan Evanochko scored 20 of his game-high 24 points in the second half and keyed a crucial 14-0 run as the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay men's basketball was pushed to the limit before escaping with a 62-50 victory over Michigan Tech Friday evening as part of the Oneida Casino Holiday Classic.

The Phoenix improves to 7-6 overall on the season while the Huskies fall to an identical mark.

"I'm really proud of our guys for not panicking, hanging in there and getting the win," UW-Green Bay head coach Tod Kowalczyk said of trailing for the first 26 minutes of the contest.

"I just told the guys at halftime, once we start settling down and making shots you're going to be fine. That's kind of what happened."

Trailing 36-30 with 16 minutes remaining in the contest, UW-Green Bay was finally able to get its offense going while its defense remained resilient. A three-pointer by Evanochko finally gave the Phoenix its first lead of the contest at 37-36 with 13:57 to go. He would follow it up with another trey the next time down the court as part of a string of 14 consecutive points for the hosts.

Meanwhile, UW-Green Bay held Michigan Tech scoreless for a stretch of 7 minutes and 36 seconds as the Phoenix turned a six-point deficit into an eight-point lead. The Huskies refused to go away, though, rallying right back with a 10-3 spurt to pull back within one at 47-46 with 4:29 left.

But UW-Green Bay had enough remaining in the tank to hold on as Evanochko scored seven straight points as part of a 12-2 run and Terry Evans capped it with a three-pointer from the left corner with 58 seconds remaining to put away the game Huskies.

"It's about how you respond," Evanochko said of falling behind. "You can't get your head down in a situation like, maybe you're down at halftime. That doesn't mean the game is over. There's two halves and you've got to go out and play hard."

Evanochko connected on 7 of 12 field goal attempts after the intermission after hitting just 1 of 8 in the opening 20 minutes of play. As a team the Phoenix shot just 26.9 percent (7-26) from the field in the first half in falling behind 27-24 at the break.

UW-Green Bay managed to keep things close by getting to the free throw line, finishing 20 of 29 from the charity stripe compared to just 2 of 2 for Michigan Tech. The Phoenix tied a season low by committing just six turnovers.

Evans added 15 points, nine rebounds and four steals for UW-Green Bay while Tim Strom led the Huskies with 16 points and six boards.

UW-Green Bay will close out play at the Oneida Casino Holiday Classic at 7:30 p.m. Saturday when it takes on Bowling Green for the tournament title.