Leuer scores 22 points as Wisconsin prevails 70-56
MADISON, Wis. — Wisconsin-Green Bay coach Brian Wardle thought Mike Bruesewitz would be the X-factor if the Phoenix could stop Wisconsin's Jon Leuer and Keaton Nankivil.
The Badgers know better — Bruesewitz gives them a big boost, regardless of his point total.
Bruesewitz scored a career-best 18 points, Leuer had 22 and Wisconsin went 10 of 17 from 3-point range to beat Green Bay 70-56 on Monday night.
"He's tough, he's strong and he goes to the glass hard," Wardle said of Bruesewitz. "I told (my team), I'd like to see him beat us, I'd like to see if he could beat us. ... He proved tonight he could."
Bruesewitz said forcing him to score would be his own strategy against Wisconsin, too, by defending Leuer, Nankivil and Jordan Taylor tightly.
"Look who's left, it's me," Bruesewitz said. "We do the same thing, try to take (opposing) team's best options away. We want to try to make other guys beat us."
Wisconsin (9-2) avenged its first ever loss last season to Green Bay (4-7) with a sizzling performance from behind the arc, improving to 16-1 all-time against its in-state neighbor. Bruesewitz and the Badgers are taking the next nine days off to focus on finals in the classroom.
"He's got energy, sometimes it gets away from him in decisions, but I'd rather have to tone somebody down than get them excited about what they're doing," Wisconsin coach Bo Ryan said. "That's why Mike can always play for me. Guys like that have always been able to play for me. Without his play, we would not be the team we are right now."
Ryan said over the extended layoff, the Badgers will work on the three Ls: legs, lungs and lifts.
They can already be proud of what they've accomplished before Big Ten play opens on Dec. 28 against No. 21 Minnesota.
With wins over Wisconsin-Milwaukee and Marquette, it's the first time they've swept the other Division I teams in Wisconsin in four seasons. Nankivil had 16 points and four blocks for the Badgers, who lost 88-84 in overtime in Green Bay last year.
Rahmon Fletcher and 7-foot-1 freshman Alec Brown each had 18 points for the Phoenix.
Green Bay took its only lead, 13-12, midway through the first half on Fletcher's fast-break layup, but the Badgers answered with sharp 3-point shooting, and their trademark defensive pressure.
The 6-foot-8 Nankivil and Bruesewitz hit 3s, Taylor, who had 10 points, added a jumper and Wisconsin knocked down 7 of 8 free throws in a 15-4 run that made it 27-17.
The Phoenix turned it over on three of four possessions and needed a desperation heave — that missed badly — near the end of the shot clock on the other during one stretch as the Badgers began pulling away.
Leuer took Brown off the dribble for a reverse slam, and Bruesewitz deflected Kam Cerroni's 3-point attempt which Taylor caught and passed to Bruesewitz for a layup that made it 33-19.
The Phoenix scored the last two points in the first half and the first five of the second to cut the lead to seven, but Fletcher picked up his third foul with 17:51 left and that would be as close as it got despite a late rally.
"It hurts us, anytime Rahmon Fletcher is out," Wardle said. "He's our leader, he makes us go."
Leuer, who has scored in double digits in 18 consecutive games and has scored 20 or more in half of them, hit back-to-back 3s, including one that would've been good from the NBA's 3-point range to make it 46-28 with 12:50 left.
The Phoenix slowly whittled away at the lead. Brown's layup and Bryquis Perine's free throw made it 64-56 with 47 seconds to play, but Green Bay never got any closer with Wisconsin getting contributions everywhere.
"We're a pretty dynamic team when we have all these parts working," Leuer said.