MADISON, Wis. - Free
throws made the difference down the stretch for Green Bay (4-0) as they handed
in-state rival Wisconsin (3-1) their first loss of the season with a nail
biting 60-58 win.
"For two years we've played Wisconsin and didn't play our
best and tonight we really played well and I'm so proud of our kids," said head
coach Matt Bollant.
The Phoenix jumped out to an early 8-0 lead before the
Badgers called time out and came out of the break to cut Green Bay's lead in
half.
Stephanie Sension (Hopkins, Minn.) came off the bench to
score the first three-pointer of the game with 9:28 remaining in the half. The
Phoenix led by as many as nine before Wisconsin came as close as one with just
over two minutes to play in the first half.
Both teams turned the ball over eight times each as Green
Bay went into the locker room with a 31-28 lead at the break.
Green Bay came out of the locker room with a fast start,
boosting their lead to 11 when Kayla Tetschlag (Sheboygan, Wis.) found Heather Golden (De Pere, Wis.) for a three pointer from the corner as time expired on
the shot clock.
For the first time in her career Tetschlag played the entire
40 minutes leading the Phoenix with 18 points (10-10 FT) while Celeste Hoewisch
(Hortonville, Wis.) chipped in 14 and was 6-7 from the charity stripe.
The Phoenix turned the ball over with 1:30 to play and the
Badgers' Rae Lin D'Alie capitalized with a lay-up to cut Green Bay's the lead
to one (57-56).
With 21.1 seconds to play, Green Bay again turned the ball
over with a shot clock violation giving Wisconsin the ball with just 12 seconds
remaining and down by one.
The Badgers set up a play off a time out but couldn't
convert. Freshman Adrian Ritchie (De Pere, Wis.) came down with a huge rebound
and drew a foul with 2.5 seconds remaining. Ritchie missed her first free throw
and made the second to seal the 60-58 win for Green Bay.
"We actually told her to miss the second one because they
didn't have any time outs left. We may have to work on missing free throws,"
Bollant said with a laugh, "but it all worked out and ironically free throws
were the difference maker," added Bollant.
"I wish I would've made the first one and missed the second
but we hung tough and it all worked out," said Ritchie.
Green Bay shot an impressive 83.9% from the charity stripe making
26-31 as Matt Bollant gets his first win against the Badgers while leading the
Phoenix. Before tonight's win, the last time Green Bay beat Wisconsin in
Madison was exactly seven years ago today.
Green Bay will be back on the road Sunday as they will face
Southeast Missouri on Sunday at 2 p.m. The Phoenix will be back home Wednesday,
Dec. 2 as they will host #17 DePaul at 7 p.m.
---www.GreenBayPhoenix.com---
