Green Bay walked into Williams Arena, nicknamed "The Barn," as heavy underdogs but almost pulled a March Madness level upset, forcing overtime in a 72-65 loss to Minnesota that hinged on one glaring theme: missed free throws.

UWGB led 27-23 at halftime and controlled long stretches defensively after falling behind 8-2 early. Once the Phoenix switched up their defensive look, the game slowed to their pace, and Minnesota struggled to find rhythm from the field.

The chaos ramped up in the final minute of regulation and free throws kept UWGB in the game, but decided their fate in overtime. Minnesota went 20-for-39 while Green Bay was 15-for-24.

Minnesota’s Cade Tyson, who finished with a game-high 27, missed three free throws in the closing seconds, leaving the door cracked for UWGB. Preston Ruedinger scored eight of Green Bay’s final 12 in regulation. He delivered the moment of the night with a bucket high off the glass to tie the game at 61-61 with 1.9 seconds left.

Minnesota’s Chansey Willis Jr. launched a heave from beyond half court that was good, but the celebration was short-lived as it came after the clock hit zero.

The Phoenix nearly stole it after pushing to OT, but Jaylen Crocker-Johnson took over for the Gophers with a personal 5-0 run after the teams were tied at 63. UWGB wouldn't be able to recover. Crocker-Johnson finished with a double-double (11 points, 11 rebounds), sealing the Gophers' escape.

Ruedinger led Green Bay late and knocked down two huge threes, finishing with 15 points alongside Marcus Hall, who also scored 15. The Phoenix shot 40.7 percent from the field compared to Minnesota’s 41.8, and turnovers hurt—UWGB had 14 to the Gophers’ eight.

Green Bay hasn’t beaten a major-conference team since Dec. 6, 2014 (Miami), a streak that now sits at 33 games. But Saturday night at "The Barn", the Phoenix made Minnesota earn everything, showing they’re much closer to breaking through than anyone expected.