Wisconsin-Green Bay rallies to clip Southeast men 59-55

GREEN BAY, Wis. -- The University of Wisconsin-Green Bay used a late spurt to slip past Southeast Missouri State University 59-55 in men's basketball action Saturday night.

Southeast fell to 1-2 with its second four-point road loss of the season. The Phoenix improved to 2-1.

Terrick Willoughby's 3-pointer with 3:26 remaining gave Southeast a 50-44 lead.

But Matt Rohde came right back with an unusual four-point play -- he hit a 3-point shot, was fouled and made the free throw -- to pull the Phoenix within 50-48.

Wisconsin-Green Bay then took the lead for good from the free-throw line after Southeast failed to convert on several possessions.

First, Josh Lawrence hit one of two foul shots to make it 50-49, then at the 1:57 mark Ryan Evanochko nailed a pair to put his squad on top 51-50.

After Southeast missed a shot, Tyler Koenig hit two more free throws at the 1:18 mark as Wisconsin-Green Bay grabbed a 53-50 lead.

Reggie Golson made two foul shots to pull Southeast within 53-52, but a basket by the Phoenix increased their lead back to 55-52.

Southeast then missed a 3-pointer, followed by Rohde's two free throws with 10 seconds left for a 57-52 advantage.

With four seconds remaining, Dainmon Gonner drained a 3-pointer to bring Southeast within 57-55, but Rohde's two free throws a second later sealed the victory.

Gonner, a senior forward who scored 36 points in the season opener at Bradley but missed Tuesday's win over Rockhurst with a viral infection, led Southeast with 19 points and 11 rebounds, although he hit just seven of 21 shots from the field.

Reggie Golson, another senior forward, added 13 points for Southeast. Nobody else reached double figures. Golson also blocked three shots. True freshman point guard Paul Paradoski, making his second straight start, led in assists with four and steals with two.

Rohde, a senior guard, paced the Phoenix with 18 points. Lawrence, a sophomore forward, followed with 17.

Southeast had just nine turnovers in the game but shot only 39 percent from the field (20 of 51), compared to 48 percent (20 of 42) by the Phoenix.

Wisconsin-Green Bay attempted nine more free throws than Southeast, making 14 of 21 compared to eight of 12 for the visitors. The Phoenix also held a 30-25 rebounding edge.

Southeast started out strong, grabbing an 11-1 lead in the first eight minutes. The Phoenix did not get their first field goal until 11:47 remained in the opening half.

But the Phoenix settled in and, after taking the lead briefly, trailed just 20-19 by halftime.

The Phoenix used a 7-0 run early in the second half to go ahead 35-30, but Southeast scored the next six points to lead 36-35.

There were several lead changes the rest of the way, with Southeast going ahead 50-44 late before Wisconsin-Green Bay stormed back.