PLAYA DEL CARMEN, Mexico (GreenBayPhoenix.com) - Junior Julie
Wojta (Mishicot, Wis.) led all
scorers with 14 points as the #23 Green Bay (6-0) women's basketball team came
from behind to close out the Caribbean Challenge with a 60-40 win over Utah
(3-3) Saturday in Playa Del Carmen, Mexico.
Only five points were
scored in the first seven and a half minutes of play as Green Bay was 0-4 from
the field and Utah was 1-5. Throughout the same time, both Kayla Tetschlag
(Sheboygan, Wis.) and Celeste Hoewisch (Hortonville, Wis.) had two fouls. Green
Bay saw its biggest deficit of the season at 12:21 trailing 7-2 with Hoewisch
and Tetschlag on the bench. Hannah Quilling (Eau Claire, Wis.) sparked an 8-0
run for the Phoenix off the bench by answering with a three pointer from the
right corner.
The final four
minutes of the first half proved to be the most exciting as the Phoenix forced
Utah to turn the ball over four times while finishing on a 15-4 run capped off
with a beautiful fade-away jumper by Quilling at the buzzer.
The Phoenix led
29-16 at the break shooting 36 percent from the field with 14 points coming
from the bench.
Green Bay's
momentum carried over into the second half while leading by as many as 22. Adrian Ritchie (De Pere, Wis.) scored
10 points in the half before finishing with 12. Quilling also finished with 12
after going 4-9 from the field.
The Phoenix had
only nine turnovers in the contest while forcing Utah to turn the ball over 26
times and capitalizing with 25 points off the Utes miscues. Green Bay was
outrebounded 42-31 with Wojta and Ritchie each grabbing seven boards. Green Bay
shot 35 percent from the field and 80 percent from the charity stripe.
Green Bay returns
home to host North Dakota (1-3) Wednesday, Dec. 1 at 7 p.m. at the Kress Events
Center. For tickets, click here.