Correspondent photo / Robert Hayes. YSU's DJ Burns shoots and scores a three-pointer during the Penguins' 84-83 loss to Green Bay on Saturday.

YOUNGSTOWN — Green Bay showed Youngstown State why it’s been the best team in the Horizon League this season.

Even in the absence of leading scorer Noah Reynolds, who was out Saturday due to illness, the Phoenix had an answer for everything the Penguins threw at them.

As YSU clung to a two-point lead with 5.3 seconds left, Green Bay had one final answer left. The Phoenix inbounded the ball to David Douglas Jr., who found Foster Wonders at the top of the key for a catch-and-shoot three-pointer that served as the final dagger for the Penguins in a heartbreaking 84-83 loss to Green Bay.

“We’re taking this on the chin, and we all accept it,” fifth-year forward DJ Burns said. “We should see what happened (on film), face it and accept it, then move on because we still have plenty more games to go. So this hurts, it definitely does, but it’s certainly not over.”

The win gives the Phoenix a commanding lead at the top of the Horizon League standings. Green Bay now has a two-game lead on the Penguins, who fall into a tie for third. Regardless of how Oakland’s game against Wright State on Saturday night shakes out, the Phoenix will have at least a one-game lead on the Golden Grizzlies, as well.

Wonders’ game-winner was the 14th and final three-pointer of the game for the Phoenix. Without Reynolds, Green Bay relied on its small-ball lineup that utilized its outside shooting to carry its offense.

“We couldn’t guard the basketball. They had us in rotations the whole game,” head coach Jerrod Calhoun said. “Gotta give (Green Bay) a lot of credit. That’s why (Sundance Wicks) will get Coach of the Year. … They pass the ball, they shoot the ball, they spread you, they run good actions — there’s a reason they’re the best. It starts and ends with their coach and their star player (Reynolds). We were hoping to play against him — I hope he’s okay, I think he had the flu, but give those other kids credit. They stepped up and they played well, but they’ve been doing this all year.”

Despite normally being a team that only shoots 34.8% from three, the Phoenix shot a sizzling 48.3% from beyond the arc against the Penguins.

Green Bay had five different players hit at least two threes, led by Douglas, who hit four and finished with 16 points. Preston Ruedinger hit a pair of threes himself and led the Phoenix with 26 points.

“We just had a lot of breakdowns and lack of discipline throughout the game,” Calhoun said. “When you don’t guard, you’re constantly putting pressure on your offense. If you’re not getting easy buckets, you’re going to lose.”

Green Bay’s game-winning play has previously been called “Victory” or “Winner” and was created by former Butler and Boston Celtics head coach Brad Stevens. It’s been used on many game-winning shots in the NBA.

It involves a high, lobbed inbound pass into the paint, where a player either has a one-on-one matchup in the post, or also provides the player who receives the inbound with the option to find a shooter who curls off a pair of screens for an open, catch-and-shoot three.

“We said switch every screen — we didn’t switch every screen, (so) you get dotted at the buzzer,” Calhoun said. “You’re supposed to deny the catch, switch the stagger, one screen, two screens, meet him on the other side, deny the catch and the shot doesn’t go up. They don’t get the three off and you got a different result. We didn’t do it, but it was the whole game. That one shot did not affect the outcome of the game. It did at that moment, but we didn’t do it the whole game.”

Like they did on that final sequence, the Phoenix used their small-ball lineup to create mismatches and it forced the Penguins into some unusual rotations defensively.

Both of YSU’s big seven-footers, Gabe Dynes and Imanuel Zorgvol got played off the floor by Green Bay’s faster, quicker guards and wings, but it was compounded by leading scorer and forward Ziggy Reid picking up his fourth foul in the first few minutes of the second half. After sitting a long stretch, Reid then fouled out with 5:18 to go to finish with 10 points.

“We tried everything all game,” Calhoun said. “I’m sure people think Gabe should play more minutes, but he can’t guard those guys. They pick and pop, they shoot threes. It’s a very hard game for anybody that’s not really a skill guy defensively, that can’t move their feet laterally, guard a pick-and-roll or pick-and-pop. So we went with John Lovelace and EJ (Farmer). Johnny gave up about nine or 10 points in the first half, so he had a very tough go there, (but) I thought he was better in the second half.

“Then Ziggy gets a whole bunch of fouls and fouls out of the game. It was like one bad break after another. So we went small. We’ve never really practiced that lineup, so it was a disaster from start to finish.”

The defeat marred what was a season-high day for Burns. The fifth-year transfer from Murray State finished with 32 points and 16 rebounds for the Penguins. Brett Thompson was also key for YSU, finishing with 23 points, four assists and four steals.

All game long, Green Bay played six to seven feet off Burns on the perimeter, daring him to shoot the long ball. He obliged, hitting five threes in the process, with his last one almost winning the game for the Penguins.

With the game tied at 79, Burns hit the go-ahead triple with about 25 seconds left. After a quick two by the Phoenix, Burns was fouled and went 1-for-2 at the free-throw line, which was then followed by Green Bay’s game-winning sequence.

“I feel disappointed, mostly in myself,” Burns said. “I worked my tail off to put my team in a position to win, and I missed a free throw that potentially could have made (Green Bay’s shot) send it to overtime instead of being a game-winner. So, as one of the leaders, I’m taking on a challenge. I’m going to be in the gym right after this, and we’re going to be right. We’re going to make sure that doesn’t happen anymore this year.”

Next up, YSU finishes up its three-game homestand on Wednesday at 6:30 p.m. against Robert Morris at the Beeghly Center.

nmadhavan@tribtoday.com