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NCAA Tournament Recap (Sw Missouri St-Wisconsin)
Posted: Fri March 12, 1999 at 6:14 p.m. EST CHARLOTTE, North Carolina (Ticker) -- Kevin Ault had 10 points and 14 rebounds for his first career double-double as 12th-seeded Southwest Missouri State put forth a record defensive effort in a 43-32 first-round upset of Wisconsin in the NCAA Tournament. The Bears (21-10) became the second 12th seed to advance to the second round, joining Detroit of the Midwestern Collegiate Conference. Southwest Missouri State, which posted its first NCAA Tournament victory since 1987, will play fourth-seeded Tennessee in the second round. Danny Moore had 12 points for the Bears, who set an NCAA Tournament record for fewest points allowed in a first- or second-round game. The previous record was set by Kansas, which posted a 49-38 victory over Ohio in 1985 in the first round. "Wisconsin's been getting a lot of recognition for their defense, but tonight ours was a little bit better," said Bears coach Steve Alford. "I'm happy for our kids. We've come a long way from where the program was when we took it over four years ago. Our kids have a lot of heart muscle and that showed tonight." Sean Mason scored 11 points and Charlie Wills had eight for Wisconsin (22-10), which was inept from the field and held to only 12 points in the first half. The Badgers, who entered the game with six losses in their previous nine games, got no closer than six points in the second half. "I thought a lot of time we just got outhustled," said Wills. "They got to every loose ball, no matter what kind of rebound it was. It's tough to explain. I'm really embarrassed by our play." The game was a test of wills as both teams combined for only six points in the opening 6:04. Two free throws by Mason pulled Wisconsin within 10-6 at the 8:49 mark, but Ault hit a 3-pointer 14 seconds later. In what would be a common occurrence, neither team scored for more than two minutes until the 6:15 mark as Wills and Mason converted lay-ins to draw the Badgers within 13-10 with 4:09 left in the first half. But Southwest Missouri State went on an 8-0 tear as Moore hit a 12-footer before Ryan Bettenhausen and Allen Phillips nailed 3-pointers to make it 21-10 with a minute to go. A 3-pointer by Mason 47 seconds into the second half made it 21-15 and two free throws by Mark Vershaw at the 12:34 mark left the margin at 28-22. But the Bears put away the game with a 9-2 run over the next 7:41. Phillips and William Fontleroy each sank two free throws around a 15-footer by Ken Stringer. Mason countered with a lay-in, only to see Stringer make a free throw and Moore hit two to build the lead to 37-24 with 4:53 to play. "You're in a first-round game, it's a strange building and you have two pretty good defensive teams. That made each pass and each shot hard," said Alford, when pressed for a reason for the poor shooting. "I'm just glad we can play the tempo we had tonight and be successful." The Bears took only 33 shots from the field but made 14-of-17 free throws and held a commanding 37-20 edge on the boards. Bettenhausen had nine points off the bench, hitting 3-of-4 shots. Wisconsin shot only 26 percent (12-of-47) and went 2-of-16 from 3-point range. Ty Calderwood was scoreless, missing eight shots from the field, including six from beyond the arc. It is the second time in three years Wisconsin has lost in the first round.© 2000 Sportsticker Enterprises, LP
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