The Green Bay Phoenix battled hard on the road Thursday night, but came up just short in an 83-76 loss to the Buffalo Bulls. Despite the defeat, redshirt-freshman guard Caden Wilkins turned in a breakout performance, pouring in a career-high 22 points, including 6-of-8 shooting from three-point range.

Wilkins, a native of Bettendorf, Iowa, hit his long-ball rhythm early and often, giving the Phoenix a spark the team needed in the tightly contested matchup. He was joined in double figures by senior forward Marcus Hall (16 points, 7 assists) and sophomore guard Dontrell Hewlett (13 points, 4 assists off the bench).

Green Bay fell behind early, trailing 20-14 before mounting a brief rally that pulled them within one at 20-19 midway through the first half. At halftime, the Bulls held a 32-28 lead. Buffalo then expanded the margin after the break, building a 44-37 edge. Still, the Phoenix weren’t done. Wilkins knocked down three straight threes to put Green Bay ahead 46-44 with 12:46 remaining. That lead marked the high-point of Green Bay’s push. Buffalo countered with a 9-2 run, regained control, and extended the advantage to 72-61 with 3:13 left in the game. From there Buffalo closed it out, finishing the game on top 83-76. 

Despite shooting a strong 51% from the field and 40.7% from three (11-of-27), the Phoenix were hurt on the glass as Buffalo outrebounded them 31-27. The Bulls got to the free throw line often, too, converting 27 of 41 try-attempts. Green Bay made 17 of 21 free throws.

Hall helped pace the Phoenix with his multifaceted game, while veteran guard C.J. O’Hara hauled in a team-high seven rebounds in 36 minutes.

Up next, Green Bay returns home Monday to host Ripon Red Hawks at the Kress Center. Tip-off for Education Day is set for 11:00 a.m. CST. It's a chance for the Phoenix to regroup and build off the encouraging contributions from Wilkins and company.