Harris' 19 Not Enough As Badgers Fall to Weber State
November 25, 2001 | Men's Basketball
Weber State, on the strength of a 14-5 run late in the second half, defeated Wisconsin 73-69 tonight in the semifinals of the Big Island Basketball Invitational in Hilo, Hawaii. UW freshman Devin Harris again paced the Badgers in scoring, pouring in 19 points, including four three-pointers.
After falling behind 1-0, Wisconsin scored the next nine points and went on to hold the lead for the entire first half. The Badgers led by as many as eight points on four occasions. The last time came at the 9:13 mark of the opening stanza when two Freddie Owens free throws extended the UW lead to 22-14. Weber State dwindled the lead all the way down to one point with 1:22 left but a three-pointer by Harris put the Badgers up 32-28 at halftime.
A John Hamilton three-pointer 1:06 into the second half gave Weber State its first lead since 1-0. Wisconsin used a 10-2 run, which included two Harris treys, to go back up 42-36. The Badgers held that advantage until Steve Morrison buried a three-pointer at the 5:13 mark to put the Wildcats up 59-58. The UW would not gain the lead the rest of the way.
Charlie Wills made a three-pointer from the top of the key to pull Wisconsin even, 61-61, with 4:03 remaining. Weber State scored the next five points, though, and the Badgers never got closer than three points the rest of the way.
The Badgers again got strong contributions off the bench from Freddie Owens and Mike Wilkinson. Owens scored a career high in points for the second straight night, netting 15. Wilkinson also posted career-best numbers, scoring 12 points. Wills paced the Badgers in rebounds for the third consecutive game, grabbing nine boards to go with eight points.
Wisconsin (1-2) now faces Hawaii in the third-place game tomorrow. Tip-off is scheduled for 6 p.m. CT.
