WASHINGTON, March 15 (UPI) -- Kirk Penney scored 19 points Friday night to lead eighth-seeded Wisconsin to an 80-70 victory over St. John's in an NCAA Tournament first-round East Region matchup.
Wisconsin (19-12) finished in a four-way tie for first place in the Big Ten Conference. But the Badgers received the lowest seed of all those teams.
Freshman Devin Harris capped a 12-0 run with a jumper for a 38-28 lead with 14 seconds left in the first half. The Red Storm's Anthony Glover drained a three-pointer to cut the deficit to seven at intermission.
St. John's (20-11) made several runs in the second half, but was denied each time. The Red Storm failed to get offense from anyone other than Marcus Hatten, who made 12 of 33 shots for 28 points.
The Badgers had little trouble with the pressure defense of St. John's as they moved the ball around and got quality shots. Freddie Owens came off the bench for 18 points and Harris finished with 14 for Wisconsin, which has flourished despite playing under its third coach in as many years.
"Personally I've waited a long time for a game like this," Wisconsin coach Bo Ryan said. "Couldn't say much about that for the players, but it sure is fun to be a part of it. Being a part of the NCAA Tournament is extremely gratifying to be a part of it, and it's a lot better when you get a "W". I just thank the team for letting me be a part of it."
Ryan was coaching in the Division I NCAA Tournament for the first time and has won over 400 games in his career, mostly at the Division III level.
Wisconsin also took advantage of the Red Storm's tendency to foul, converting 29 of 40 from the line. Penney and Owens each were six of eight.
Hatten gave Wisconsin trouble early as the game was tied at 24-24. But Owens was sent out in the second half to try to at least make Hatten work for his points. Hatten made just three of 13 from beyond the arc.
"He's a great player, first of all," Owens said. "I take my hat off to him. He hit some really tough shots. In the first half, we tried to keep our hands up, whoever was guarding him, because he shoots it well. In the second half, our main focus was to come out and keep one hand in his face."
Freshman Eric King's two free throws pulled St. John's within 48-46 with 12:30 remaining. A three-pointer by Penney then triggered a 10-2 spurt and the Red Storm came no closer than five the rest of the way.
Glover scored 17 points and Donald Emanuel added 13 for the Red Storm, who shot 43 percent.
Wisconsin will face Maryland or Siena in the second round.
