by (AP) PARADISE ISLAND, Bahamas — Sam Dekker scored 17 points, Nigel Hayes’ acrobatic tip-in with 20 seconds left capped his 15-point day, and No. 2 Wisconsin needed to rally in the second half to beat Georgetown 68-65 on Thursday in the Battle 4 Atlantis semifinals.
The Badgers hadn’t trailed in the second half this season, but found themselves down 53-44 with 11:36 left. A 22-6 run put Wisconsin (5-0) up for good, and the Badgers could finally exhale when D’Vauntes Smith-Rivera’s 3-pointer rimmed out as time expired.
Smith-Rivera, who was 5 for 5 from beyond the arc until the game’s final shot, led all scorers with 29 for Georgetown (4-1).
Wisconsin will face Oklahoma in Friday’s title game. Georgetown, which got 10 points from Joshua Smith, will play Butler in an all-Big East matchup for third place.
Bronson Koenig (Ho-Chunk Nation) tied a career best with 14 points for Wisconsin, which survived despite a six-point, 1-for-8 shooting day from standout center Frank Kaminsky.
Georgetown’s players didn’t get back to their hotel rooms until around 1 a.m. Friday, thanks to the Hoyas needing overtime to beat No. 18 Florida in the quarterfinals.
Less than 15 hours later, they tipped off against the Badgers.
Rest might be overrated: The Hoyas made their first six shots, setting the tone for how their offense was going to work all afternoon — or at least, until the final 10 minutes. Midway through the second half, Georgetown was at 61 percent shooting for the game, but the Hoyas missed eight of their final 10 shots.
Wisconsin led for only 56 seconds in the first half — but that included the final 3 seconds. Down by six early, the Badgers chipped away and went into the locker room with a 35-34 lead on Koenig’s layup that followed a Georgetown turnover.
UP NEXT
Wisconsin: Faces Oklahoma in Friday’s championship game.
