GREEN BAY, Wis. (GreenBayPhoenix.com) - After suffering its first loss of the regular season six days ago, the No. 23 Green Bay (10-1) women's basketball team bounced back with a 72-48 win over Evansville (5-5) Saturday at the Kress Events Center.

The Phoenix led by just four points with 5:35 remaining in the first half before finishing on a 15-5 run, scoring five consecutive three-point plays sparked by a Hannah Quilling (Eau Claire, Wis.) three from the left wing.

"Hannah has taken on that role for us a lot this year if we need a big three," said Julie Wojta (Mishicot, Wis.) who finished with a game-high 23 points. "Her shot boosted our confidence in all the other phases of our game."

Green Bay led 34-20 at the end of the first half after a 30-foot buzzer beater by sophomore Adrian Ritchie (De Pere, Wis.) who finished the game with nine points while tying a career-high seven rebounds.

With the exception of the final 2:35 when the Phoenix went on its run, Green Bay struggled shooting before finishing the first half sinking 45 percent from the field and 40 percent from beyond the arc.

"We haven't really shot as well in games but I feel we're going to shoot the ball better especially now playing at home for our next few games," said head coach Matt Bollant. "Playing seven out of ten games on the road can hurt a team's confidence but I'm hopeful we're going to shoot better."

After starting the game 1-8 from the field, Wojta went 5-5 before missing again with 12:15 to play in the second half. Wojta finished the game 8-16 while sinking all of her free throws for the fifth time this season. Wojta scored 15 of her 23 points in the second half while going 5-6 from the field.

"Even when we weren't shooting well in the first half, our defense just kept getting the job done," said Ritchie.

With a 14-point lead at the break, for every bucket Evansville scored in the second half the Phoenix had an answer, building its lead to as many as 32 with less than three minutes to play.

Senior Kayla Tetschlag (Sheboygan, Wis.) added 13 points and eight rebounds while Stephanie Sension (Hopkins, Minn.) scored 10 points in just nine minutes of play.

Ranked second in the nation in turnover margin, Green Bay scored 23 points off Evansville's 23 turnovers. In addition, the Phoenix scored 34 of its 72 points in the paint.

"The plan going in was to get the ball inside. We did a good job sealing and feeding from the top and that was one of the things we addressed at halftime, to keep looking for the open seal down low," Bollant said.

Despite scoring a season-low two points, Bollant credited Celeste Hoewisch (Hortonville, Wis.) for her defensive play, "Celeste was the unsung hero of the game. Her ability to pressure the ball and force turnovers makes us so much better when she's guarding the ball."

Green Bay finished the contest shooting 43 percent from the field and 37 percent from beyond the arc while sinking 82 percent of its free throws.

The Phoenix continues its four-game homestand on Tuesday, Dec. 28, hosting South Dakota (7-5) at the Kress Center at 7 p.m. followed by its Horizon League opener Friday, Dec. 31 against Detroit (4-5) at 7 p.m.

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