Junior forward Nigel Hayes scored 24 points to pace Wisconsin to an 84-79 victory against Green Bay on Wednesday at the Kohl Center in Madison, Wis., and helped Greg Gard earn his first win as Badgers interim head coach.

Gard, a Badgers assistant for 14-plus seasons, ascended to the coach helm after Bo Ryan announced his retirement on Dec. 15.

The Badgers, whose lead ballooned to 30 points in the second half, persevered despite a late push by Green Bay. The Phoenix stymied Wisconsin with a full-court press and strung together a 33-6 run to pull within three at 74-71 with 1:45 remaining.

Redshirt freshman forward Ethan Happ contributed 16 points and eight rebounds for Wisconsin, which won its second straight game. Junior forward Vitto Brown added 15.

Hayes scored seven points during a 17-0 Badgers run that pushed the Badgers' lead to 32-16 with 4 minutes, 59 seconds to go in the first. He shot 7-of-8 overall from the field, and finished 9-of-9 from the foul line.

In a sloppy effort, the Badgers committed a season-high 26 turnovers. Senior guard Bronson Koenig had eight of those miscues.

Green Bay (6-5) strung together a 15-0 run to trim the Badgers' lead to 72-66 in the second half. The Phoenix (6-5), who did not score a field goal for 10:25 in the first half, endured a 9:18 drought without a point, and missed 16 consecutive field-goal attempts.

Senior guard Carrington Love scored a game-high 28 points for Green Bay, which has lost six straight in the series between the teams. Senior guard Jordan Fouse added 17 points.

Redshirt sophomore guard Jordan Hill chipped in 10 points in 22 minutes off the bench. Hill, who drained a 3-pointer to extend Wisconsin's lead to 48-27 with four seconds to go halftime, contributed seven points in 18 previous appearances.