Jan. 15, 2009
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Contact: Brian McCann
GREEN BAY, Wisc. - Falling behind on the road can be a fatal blow playing in the Horizon League. On Thursday night, CSU proved that falling behind twice by double -digit margins is even worse, falling 80-65 at Green Bay.
The loss drops the Vikings (13-6 overall) to 4-3 in Horizon League play, good for fourth place, while Green Bay improves to 12-5 overall and in third place with a 5-1 mark.
"We did not defend the basketball the way that we are capable of defending," CSU head coach Gary Waters said. "We let them have all sorts of wide open shots and were able to come back from behind in the first half, but we couldn't do.
"My hat is off to Green Bay because they executed their game plan well and we didn't stop them the way I know that we are capable of doing. They present a problem for any team because they have the ability to put five scorers on the floor at the same time, which is something that no other team in the league can do.
The Viking duo of J'Nathan Bullock (22 points) and Cedric Jackson (season high 21 points dominated offensively, combining to shoot .482 from the field (14-29) and score 43 points, but the rest of the Vikings combined to shoot six-for-25 from the field (.240).
Ryan Tillema came off the bench to lead the Phoenix with 19 points while Rahmon Fletcher added 17, Mike Schachtner 11 and Terry Evans 10.
Both teams shot well from the line. CSU shot a season-high .826 (19-for-23) while the Phoenix went 14-for-16 (.778), including a 12-for-14 effort in the second half.
The difference in the game proved to be shooting as the Phoenix shot 50-percent or better in each half, going 28-for-52 for the game (.538) while CSU could manage just .370 shooting (20-54), including a .333 performance (8-24) in the second half.
After using its defense to come back from 12-point deficit in the first half, CSU found itself slowly falling behind in the final half. With Green Bay leading 51-50 with 13:05 left, back-to-back CSU turnovers led to a baseline jumper from Schachtner and a Bryquie Perine three-pointer to extend the Green Bay lead to 56-50.
The five points were part of 15 second half points off turnovers by Green Bay as CSU turned the ball over 10 times in the half and 14 for the contest.
CSU would answer with a basket inside by Bullock, who was fouled on the play but missed his only free throw during a seven-for-eight night at the line. The Phoenix then countered with a three-pointer by Evans, one of 10 on the night by Green Bay, the most allowed by CSU this year, and two free throws from Perine as CSU trailed, 61-52 with 10:28 left.
The Vikings would come no closer than seven the rest of the way, that coming when Norris Cole made a pair of free throws with 6:49 left to pull CSU to within 67-60. Green Bay however would run off 11 straight points over the next three minutes to put the game away.
"I'm disappointed with our performance," Waters added. "That wasn't us out there on the floor in the second half. We are better than that."
The first 20 minutes proved nothing, though it did foretell the future as Green Bay built a large lead only to have the Vikings come back.
CSU got out to a 4-0 start when Bullock scored on a short jumper and Trevon Harmon made a steal and went coast-to-coast for an uncontested score with 18:04 left.
Green Bay took off after that, running off 12 straight points and making 12 of its first 17 shots, including a three-pointer by Evans with 5:59 left that gave Green Bay a 28-16 lead.
Tillema scored 11 points during the opening burst to lead the Phoenix.
But the momentum would turn moments later allowing the Vikings to storm back
Trailing 30-18 with 5:23 left, CSU went on a 16-4 spurt that tied the game at 34-34 with 2:45 left.
Bullock started the run with a layup inside and following a three-pointer from Jeremy Montgomery, he connected on a trey with 4:14 left that pulled CSU to with 32-26.
Jackson took over from their, hitting a three-pointer from the top of the key and then going coast-to-coast for a layup and free throw following his third steal of the game. Suddenly, what once looked like a rout for the Phoenix had turned into a two point game.
When Bullock made a pair of free throws on CSU's next possession, the game was tied for the first time.
The teams traded baskets, CSU's coming on a driving layup by Bullock with nine seconds left, sending the teams to the locker room tied at 36. Unfortunately for the Vikings, they fell behind again at the start of the next half and were unable to recover.
The Vikings continue this brief tour of the State of Wisconsin when they travel to Milwaukee to face the Panthers on Saturday, Jan. 17 beginning at 7:00 p.m. CST (8:00 p.m. EST) in the U.S. Cellular Arena downtown. The game will be televised throughout Ohio on SportsTime Ohio with Mike Cairns and Franklin Edwards providing the commentary,
