For the second straight day, the Wisconsin men’s basketball team came up just a couple points short in the Big Island Basketball Invitational.
The Badgers fell Sunday to Hawaii, 60-57, claiming fourth place in the tournament held in Hilo, Hawaii.
Freshman Devin Harris led the UW in scoring for the third time in four games, netting 15 points.
Hawaii led for most of the first half and by as many as seven points with 1:28 remaining. Harris then scored five consecutive points for the Badgers, bringing them within two at halftime.
Harris single-handedly kept Wisconsin in the game, scoring all 15 of his points in the first stanza, including a perfect 6-6 effort from the free-throw line.
Wisconsin scored the first six points of the second half to take its biggest lead of the game, 36-32, at the 17:31 mark.
The Badgers’ defense held Hawaii to just seven points in the first 11 minutes of the second stanza.
The UW managed just 12 points, however, and led 42-39 after Travon Davis’ first three-pointer of the season at the 9:36 mark.
Mike Wilkinson extended that lead to 45-41 with a trey of his own with 7:59 remaining. Hawaii went on a 9-2 run over the next 3:39 to take a three-point lead.
Davis hit a pair of free throws to cut the lead to one at the 4:20 mark, but Wisconsin could never get over the hump.
Down 53-51 with 2:55 left, Wilkinson missed an open three-pointer that would have given the Badgers the lead. Davis then missed two free throws with 1:27 left that could have tied the game.
Hawaii’s Carl English, who led all scorers with 19 points, made a driving lay-up as the shot clock was winding down to put the Rainbows up 55-51.
Davis joined Harris in double figures with 10 points while adding a career-high seven rebounds.
Wilkinson and Freddie Owens added nine and eight points, respectively, off the bench. Wilkinson added seven rebounds to tie Davis for team-high honors.
The Badgers don’t get much rest; they play Georgia Tech in Atlanta Wednesday. The players leave Hawaii Sunday night and arrive in Madison Monday evening.
