Wisconsin 81, Western Kentucky 80: Brad Davison's heady play, free throw lift UW

MADISON – This was one victory, against a nonconference foe that probably didn't inspire Wisconsin's fan base. 

Yet it is difficult to measure the importance of UW's 81-80 victory over Western Kentucky on Wednesday night at the Kohl Center.

UW, playing its second game without guard D'Mitrik Trice (foot) and Kobe King (knee), blew an 11-point lead in the second half but prevailed when freshman guard Brad Davison drew a foul on a UW inbound play with two seconds left and then hit 1 of 2 free throws to give the Badgers the victory. 

"We've been on the (edge) of winning games," said guard Brevin Pritzl, who was the inbounder on the critical play and hit 4 of 5 three-pointers en route to 17 points. "We're there. We hadn't finished. 

"Today was really good for us just to finally see that we can pull it out and execute down the stretch like we did."

BOX SCORE: Wisconsin 81, Western Kentucky 80

UW (5-7) picked up a critical victory as it tried to climb back to the .500 mark before resuming Big Ten play.

Western Kentucky (6-4), which handed Purdue a 77-73 loss in the Battle 4 Atlantis, suffered its second consecutive defeat.

The 17th-ranked Boilermakers, 2-0 in the Big Ten, are expected to challenge Michigan State for the Big Ten regular-season title.

UW held a 79-78 lead and called a timeout with 19.6 seconds left. 

The Badgers moved the ball around in the frontcourt until Pritzl was fouled with 7.9 seconds left. An 87.5% free-throw shooter entering the game, Pritzl missed the first attempt but hit the second to give UW an 80-78 lead.

Darius Thompson (18 points) drove against Khalil Iverson and hit a floater in the lane with two seconds left. 

The Badgers had to go the length of the court for the winning basket but ended up taking a leisurely stroll after assistant Joe Krabbenhoft and head coach Greg Gard designed a play to draw a foul.

Western Kentucky's Marek Nelson was guarding the the inbound. Davison sprinted toward the baseline as if he was trying to get open for the ball. Instead, he set a screen and was bowled over by Nelson, who was shadowing Pritzl and trying to deny the inbound pass.

"My job was just to let him run me over and there would be a foul," said Davison, who scored 11 of his 16 points in the second half. "It was a really good play call and it worked perfectly." 

Western Kentucky coach Rick Stansbury lauded the fact UW hit 12 of 20 three-pointers, but he  had a different perspective on the inbound play.

"I think if you check the film, the guy setting the screen is out of bounds," he said. "His foot is out of bounds, which automatically makes him an illegal screener."

Davison said he thought he had both feet inside the lines.

"I haven't seen the play," Davison said. "I couldn't tell you."

Pritzl interjected: "I had a great view. He wasn't out of bounds."

Davison made the first attempt and then intentionally missed the second. A desperation heave by Western Kentucky’s Jake Ohmer wasn’t close. 

UW's coaches and players could finally exhale.

Six players scored at least six points for UW, including four in double figures. 

Ethan Happ and Pritzl led the way with 17 points apiece. Alleem Ford (4 of 5 three-pointers) added 14 to help UW hold on despite making just 13 of 23 free throws. UW overcame that by hitting 12 of 20 three-pointers, well above its season average of 33.0%.

Khalil Iverson was a non-factor in the first half with no points, one assist and one turnover. He was all over the court in the second half and finished with eight points, three blocks, three rebounds and two steals. T.J.Schlundt added six points, on 2 three-pointers. 

Redshirt junior guard Lamonte Bearden, a graduate of Germantown High School, scored nine points in the first half to help the Hilltoppers build a four-point lead and led five players in double figures with 19.

"Obviously, extremely happy for our guys," Gard said. "The stretch they've been through, the teams that they played, they have been tested and had their feet to the fire maybe a little sooner than they were ready for. 

"But I'm extremely proud of how they responded tonight. Not always pretty, but they continued to find a way."