Lynn Greer came into the Kohl Center last night, and en route to destroying several of the arena’s records, he destroyed the Badgers as well.
In a game which saw 50 minutes of action and two overtimes, Greer’s 47 points (18-38 shooting in 50 minutes of play) lifted the Temple Owls over Wisconsin 70-67.
“We were just happy that we were able to milk a hot hand today,” Temple head coach John Chaney said of Greer’s performance.
While Greer’s contributions were well known throughout the first half, the damage was done late in the game.
With 13 seconds left in regulation, Niles Murry set up Greer for a three-point shot that tied the game at 53-53.
This capped off a UW run that saw the Badger guards light up the floor. After trailing for the majority of the game, senior point guard Travon Davis hit a three-pointer to put the Badgers ahead for the first time in the night 43-42.
Freshman Devin Harris (career high 21 points, 13 rebounds) hit two three-pointers to pull UW ahead 50-44 with 1:10 left in the second half. However, the Owls had an answer. Greer set up Alex Wesby for a three-pointer to bring the score to 53-50 before Greer hit the game-tying trey with 13 ticks left on the clock.
However, what surprised Greer following the game was not the fact that he made the shot, but that he wasn’t double-teamed as he made the attempt. Both Greer and Chaney said that all other opponents have double-teamed the guard all season, but UW was the lone opponent who refrained.
“You run two guys at him, we have watched him on film get the ball to a wide-open guy for a three,” UW head coach Bo Ryan said of not putting two men on Greer. “If two guys go to him, they still have other options.”
In the first overtime, Greer picked up right where he left off in regulation and made a layup to open up the extra session.
UW answered right back when Harris hit another pointer to lift the Badgers to an early 56-55 lead. Wisconsin held on to the small lead throughout the first overtime, and extended it to three points when Mike Wilkinson hit two free-throws with six seconds left and put the Badgers ahead 60-57.
However, Greer was not done yet. With one second left on the clock, Greer sank a three-pointer, sending the game into its second overtime session.
In what would turn out to be the final five minutes of the game, things started out the same as they did in the first overtime session. The Owls’ Wesby made a layup to put Temple up by two points early, and once again Harris answered back with a three-pointer. The game teetered back and forth for the remaining minutes of the second overtime until Temple lengthened its lead to 68-65 from the line.
With 19 seconds left on the clock, Freddie Owens (career high 23 points) made a two-point basket to pull within one point, but two more Greer free throws after a Wilkinson foul proved too much for the Badgers to overcome.
However, there was much to be noted from this game. The offensive production of individuals broke UW and Kohl Center records. Harris broke both the UW and Kohl Center three-point field goal attempts record with 20, and the Badgers broke both the school and arena records of three-point attempts with 40.
Greer’s 18 field goals tied UW’s opponent record and broke the Kohl Center record. His 47 points also broke the Kohl Center record and was the second-best individual performance by a UW opponent in school history.
