Penney points UW past Gophers
2:25 AM 2/17/02
By Vic Feuerherd Wisconsin State Journal

indentMINNEAPOLIS - Those who thought the University of Wisconsin's recent surge toward the top of the Big Ten Conference men's basketball standings was a fluke better think again.
indentThe Badgers rode Kirk Penney's second-half offensive show to a 67-62 victory over Minnesota Saturday afternoon at Williams Arena for their fourth straight victory and their second straight road win over a team not only ahead of them in the league standings, but one which entered the game unbeaten at home in conference play.
indentWisconsin (16-11 overall, 9-5 in the conference) pushed aside the Gophers (14-9, 7-5) to take control of third place in the Big Ten with games left against Iowa and Michigan at the Kohl Center, where UW has not lost this season in Big Ten play.
indent"Two wins, two different ways," UW coach Bo Ryan said.
indentHe was looking back at last Wednesday's victory over league co-leader Indiana, when the Badgers maintained the lead for most of the game and held on at the end. He also was looking at this upset, too, one in which the Badgers overcame a 13-point deficit in the second half and outscored the Gophers 21-7 in the final 4 minutes, 37 seconds.
indent"That's what makes me most impressed with our guys," Ryan said.
indentThe most impressive of the impressing lot was Penney, who single-handedly pulled the Gophers out of their stifling zone defense by pouring in 14 straight points in the first 12 minutes of the second half and then capped his 27-point, second-half performance by adding 13 of UW's final 19 points.
indentPenney, who finished with 30 points despite sitting out the final 5 minutes of the first half because of foul troubles, did it inside, outside and all around the court. He made eight of 11 shots in the second half, including five of seven 3-pointers. He accounted for all but 11 of UW's 38 second-half points.
indentHe scored UW's final eight points, with the biggest bucket coming on a left-handed layup that led to an old fashioned three-point play with 41.4 seconds left. It gave the Badgers a 62-60 lead, one they would not lose. It started when Penney moved through the left side of the lane without the ball and picked up a bounce pass from Mike Wilkinson.
indent"I saw a gap and Mike made a great pass, and the help was a little late," Penney said. "Plays like that are not lucky plays."
indentThe final splurge was part of the Badgers' best offense of the season as they scored 21 points on their final 10 possessions.
indentPenney's offensive explosion may be just one example of how this UW team has grown up during the stretch run of the conference season.
indentIn the league opener at Iowa, Penney went on a similar second-half tear but then got off only one shot in the final 12 minutes of a loss. Then 18 days ago at Northwestern, Freddie Owens scored 16 straight points only to not see the ball in the final few minutes of a loss.
indent"When someone's that hot, you want them to get the ball whenever they can get it," senior forward Charlie Wills said. "He was on fire and we knew it, so we wanted him to get it wherever we could."
indentPenney's noticed it, too. "When you hit a few, you want to keep trying to help the team and trying to make the shots," the junior said. "The guys did a great job of getting me open."
indentPenney delivered when the Badgers need it most.
indentMinnesota outscored UW 19-4 in the final 6:15 of the first half on the way to a 34-29 halftime lead. Gophers coach Dan Monson moved to a zone midway though the period, and UW missed 10 of 13 shots against it. The Badgers did not score a field goal for the final 6:33 of the first half and the first 2 minutes of the second.
indentBut that was when Penney found the range. Monson eventually made the call to get out of the zone with 7 minutes to go after Penney's 14 straight points, which included four 3-pointers. Later, Monson regretted it.
indent"Maybe we should have stayed in the zone," said Monson, whose team's postseason hopes took a big hit with the loss. "We started in the man and they lit us up. We ended in a man, and they lit us up."
indentPenney carried the flame. "We had no answer for Penney, zone or man," Monson said. "He kept them in the game."
indentAs a result, the Badgers are on the threshold of a meaningful season.
indent"To come in and win against two teams that are above you in the standings, that's terrific," Penney said. "We're in a nice position. But we cannot be content."