Badgers, Harris Dominate Second Half to Beat Ohio 77-71
December 08, 2001 | Men's Basketball
The Wisconsin Badgers (3-5) handed the Ohio Bobcats (3-1) their first loss of the season as a strong second-half effort gave the Badgers the come from behind win, 77-71. Freshman guard Devin Harris led both teams in total scoring, earning a career-best 24 points, hitting four of nine from behind the arc.
Entering the second half the Badgers trailed 34-36 but quickly moved into a 16-4 run as Harris nailed two three-pointers and senior Charlie Wills sank one of his own, making the score 52-40 with 14:41 remaining. After a missed three-point opportunity by Harris, the Bobcat's Patrick Flomo grabbed the defensive rebound, setting up a trey by teammate Jon Sanderson, cutting the Badgers' lead to four at 59-55 with 9:05 on the clock.
The lead fell to as little as three points, at 71-68, after a foul on Freddie Owens at 1:03 resulted in two good free throws for the Bobcats' Steve Esterkamp. The Badgers answered with a lay-up by Travon Davis with 35 seconds remaining, putting the lead at five and causing the Bobcats to commit fouls in a last effort to gain possession. Mike Wilkinson and Harris each added another two points from the line putting the game out of Ohio's reach for good.
The first half belonged to Ohio who went on a 20-3 run beginning with a basket by Sonny Johnson cutting the Badgers' lead to 17-12 with 9:05 left in the first. In the last three minutes of the half the Badgers rallied, heading into the locker room after a four-point play by Harris put the Badgers down by only two at 34-36.
The Badgers remain in Ohio until Monday when they meet Xavier. The action begins at 6:30 p.m.
