Nov. 24, 2009
Box Score | Photo Gallery 
LAHAINA, Hawaii -- Trevon Hughes scored 24 points and Keaton Nankivil had a pair of crucial dunks in the final 90 seconds to lead Wisconsin to a 65-61 win over Arizona in the first round of the Maui Invitational on Monday night.
Wisconsin (3-0) broke away from a 55-55 tie in the final 2 1/2 minutes, starting with a pair of free throws from Hughes with 2:02 to play. Nankivil, who played much of the second half with four fouls, then made it a four-point Wisconsin lead with a dunk moments later.
| Wisconsin 65, Arizona 61 | 1st | 2nd | Final |
| Arizona (2-1, 0-0 Pac-10) | 23 | 38 | 61 |
| Wisconsin (3-0, 0-0 Big Ten) | 31
| 34
| 65 |
| Statistical Leaders |
| Points: Trevon Hughes (UW) 24 | Derrick Williams (Ariz) 25 |
| Rebounds: Keaton Nankivil (UW) 8 | Jamelle Horne (Ariz) 11 |
| Assists: Trevon Hughes (UW) 3 | Nic Wise (Ariz) 3 |
“He went to the glass hard and was opportunistic,” Wisconsin head coach Bo Ryan said of Nankivil. “He was aggressive to the glass. Even with the foul trouble, he did some nice things to stay on the floor, especially at the end.”
Arizona (2-1) drew within one when Jamelle Horne made a 3-pointer with 1:01 left, but Nankivil flushed a Hughes miss to make it 61-58 with 25 seconds remaining.
After two free throws by Jason Bohannon, Horne made another 3-pointer to draw Arizona within 63-61 with 8 seconds left. Wisconsin would get one free throw each from Nankivil and Hughes to put the game away and seal the 65-61 win.
Wisconsin opened the game on fire, scoring the first 13 points of the contest and holding Arizona scoreless for the first 5:54. In fact, the Wildcats didn’t hit their first field goal until nearly 10 minutes into the game with the Badgers sporting an 18-8 lead.
“I’d like to give Wisconsin a lot of credit,” Arizona head coach Sean Miller said after the game. “They have a veteran team and a tremendous defensive system and a way of playing that makes the game hard. I think you’re looking at an NCAA team a long time from now and they certainly earned a hard-fought victory.”
Arizona would steadily battle back, finally taking its first lead at 47-45 with 7:19 remaining thanks largely to dramatic foul trouble for Wisconsin and a big night from 6-foot-8 freshman Derrick Williams, who finished with 25 points including 13-of-21 on free throws. Both Nankivil and Jon Leuer picked up their fourth fouls within the first three minutes of the second half, forcing UW to go small and play some of its youngsters.
That was when Hughes took over. The senior guard penetrated time after time creating shots for himself or his teammates. His gritty 24 points, seven rebounds, three assists, two blocks and five steals were not lost on his coach or teammates.
“Senior leadership,” Ryan said when asked what Hughes showed him. “He toughed it out and kept us on course. That’s a big step. I thought he stepped up in a game where the two teams were pretty even. I thought he made a big difference.”
“He controlled the game in the second half the way he was getting to the bucket,” Nankivil said of Hughes. “At that point in the game, they had at least two or three guys sliding over to try to stop him and that left my side of the lane open. (My baskets) didn’t have as much to with me as it to do with him the whole second half getting to the bucket.”
Wisconsin advances to take on Gonzaga Tuesday in the semifinals of the Maui Invitational. Tip-off is scheduled for 8:30 p.m. (central) on ESPN.
(The Associated Press contributed to this story)
