By Murray Gleffe
Correspondent
GREEN BAY — After playing Big Ten opponents Minnesota and Wisconsin to begin the 2020-21 season, the Green Bay men’s basketball team finally got its chance to play at home.
And what an opener it was.
George Dixon’s put-back at the buzzer lifted Eastern Illinois to a 93-91 double-overtime victory over the Phoenix Dec. 5 at the Kress Events Center.
“It’s extremely difficult to lose a game like this,” said Will Ryan, Green Bay head coach. “I’m not going to point fingers or put the blame on anyone, but we have to do a better job boxing out on missed shots and free throws.”
With time winding down in the second overtime, Josiah Wallace’s fade-away shot from 20 feet found nothing but air, but Dixon was there to put the ball home with no time remaining on the clock.
Despite being in foul trouble and fighting an injured shoulder, the Phoenix (0-3 overall) were led in scoring by Amari Davis’ 20 points.
PJ Pipes added 18 points and five assists, while Josh Jefferson pumped in 16 points and grabbed three rebounds.
The Panthers (2-3 overall) were paced by Wallace, who had a game-high 27 points.
Sammy Friday IV added a double-double with 14 points and 12 rebounds.
Eastern Illinois took an early 7-2 lead, as Green Bay started 1-for-6 from the field.
However, Green Bay battled back and took its first lead of the game at 11-9 when Pipes nailed a 3-pointer.
“We’re all quick little guards,” said Pipes. “With me and Josh being good shooters and Amari a good slasher, I think we’re hard to guard for opponents.”
Five lead changes ensued, with neither team going up by more than a basket.
With about nine minutes remaining in the first half, the Panthers went on a 13-5 spurt to go up 28-21 after Sammy Friday IV scored on a fast-break basket.
With Davis on the bench with two fouls, Green Bay turned to Lucas Stieber, a 2019 Green Bay Southwest High School graduate, to run the offense.
Before intermission, Stieber assisted on two triples by Ryan Claflin to trim Eastern’s lead to 37-32 at the break.
“Lucas and Ryan have been working their tail-ends off the last few months for us,” said Ryan. “They deserve an opportunity. They showed us they can play at the Division 1 level. Lucas does a great job orchestrating the offense, and a guy like Ryan … the kid can shoot the ball.”
With the Panthers up 46-39 four minutes into the second half, the Phoenix found their groove on the offensive end, going on a 21-7 run behind the play of Pipes and Terrance Thompson to take a 60-53 lead.
“It’s taking a little time to figure out the new system,” said Pipes. “Coach reminds me sometimes. It’s a learning curve.”
Late in the second half, the Panthers crawled back and evened the score at 74 with about a minute left.
After an exchange of baskets, Davis missed a 23-footer at the buzzer, which would have won it for the Phoenix in regulation.
In the first overtime, Davis connected on two runners in the lane, with the latter tying the game at 85, sending the game into double overtime.
With the score deadlocked at 89, Stieber took the ball baseline and connected on a reverse layup to give Green Bay a 91-89 lead.
After Wallace made and missed a free throw for Eastern, the Phoenix didn’t box out, and it cost them the final possession of the game, setting up Dixon’s heroics at the buzzer.
Green Bay will return to action Dec. 8 when it travels to Milwaukee to face Marquette at the Fiserv Forum.
Box score
Eastern Illinois: 37, 39, 9, 8 — 93
Green Bay: 32, 44, 9, 6 — 91
Panthers: Wallace 27, Friday IV 14, Abraham 11, Johnson 11, Smith 9, Dixon 8, Skipper-Brown 8, Alleruzzo IV 3, Charles 2.
Phoenix: Davis 20, Pipes 18, Jefferson 16, Kellogg III 11, Claflin 10, Thompson 8, Taylor 4, Stieber 4.