GREEN BAY, Wis. (GreenBayPhoenix.com) - After a slow start, the No. 23/18 Green Bay (16-1, 5-0 HL) women's basketball team came out with intensity in the second half to capture a 72-51 win over Loyola (8-7, 2-2 HL) while improving to 5-0 in Horizon League play. The Phoenix was led by senior Kayla Tetschlag (Sheboygan, Wis.) who finished with a game-high 25 points.

"I thought Kayla was huge for us, especially in that first half when we were struggling to score," said head coach Matt Bollant. "She was a little bit sick last weekend at Cleveland State and she looked stronger tonight and certainly led us."

Green Bay led by as many as seven early in the first half after a Tetschlag three pointer with 13:25 to play. Loyola cut Green Bay's lead to two with 8:33 remaining after Lisa Samplawski hit a three pointer from the left wing to make it 16-14 in favor of the Ramblers.

Loyola held Green Bay scoreless for over two and a half minutes before cutting the Phoenix lead to one (27-26) with under one minute remaining in the first half. Green Bay broke its scoring drought with 42 seconds remaining when Julie Wojta (Mishicot, Wis.) found Tetschlag down low for a layup. Loyola cut Green Bay's lead to one at the half with three seconds remaining when Lindsey Sebetic nailed a jumper.

Tetschlag finished the first half leading all players with 14 points while scoring Green Bay's final nine points of the half. Despite shooting 23 percent from three-point range, the Phoenix held a 29-28 advantage at the break while turning the ball over 10 times. The Phoenix did not have a free-throw attempt throughout the first 20 minutes of play but shot 48 percent from the field.

"The first half we just lacked our intensity and energy giving up a lot of shots we normally wouldn't give up and just all around struggled defensively," said Tetschlag.

"At halftime we talked a lot about enthusiasm being contagious and getting excited about the little things," said Hannah Quilling (Eau Claire, Wis.) who started her first game of the season tonight for an injured Adrian Ritchie (De Pere, Wis.). "In the first half things weren't going our way and we weren't playing the game of basketball that we usually do. Our lack of enthusiasm led to us playing to the level of the game at that time."

The Phoenix started the second half on edge, jumping out to a 28-6 run before building its biggest lead of 26 points with 7:32 remaining in the game. Green Bay did not allow Loyola a bucket throughout the first four minutes of the second half while holding the Ramblers to 26 percent shooting.

"We definitely came out excited to play in the second half and the challenge is to bring that every day," Bollant said. "We told our players at the half to have enthusiasm and celebrate the little things with our teammates, so if somebody makes a good play, let them know."

Lydia Bauer (Lake Zurich, Ill.) led all players with 12 points in the second half while going 5-6 from the field and 2-2 from three-point range. Tetschlag poured in 11 in the second half throughout 14 minutes of play.

Green Bay shot a season-high 60 percent in the second half before finishing the game shooting 53 percent from the field and 78 percent from the free-throw line.

Ritchie Injury Update... After an MRI late Wednesday afternoon, it was discovered sophomore Adrian Ritchie has a sprained MCL and will miss three to four weeks of play. Quilling will continue to fill in for Ritchie as she rehabs her right knee. Quilling played a solid 33 minutes while dishing out five assists and grabbing four steals. In addition, Quilling scored eight points while going 4-6 from the field.

"I thought she did a phenomenal job and that's exactly what we need is for someone to accept their new role and perform the way she did," said Tetschlag. "She gave us a total lift in the game and the couple steals that she had got our momentum back."

Bauer from the Bench... Bauer scored 12 of Green Bay's 15 bench points in the win over Loyola, giving the Phoenix its much-needed spark. "She's got the best looking shot on the team and we need her to be consistent," Bollant said of Bauer's performance. "I was really pleased with the way she played the second half; we need her to keep bringing it each and every night."

The Phoenix will continue its three-game homestand Saturday as it hosts UIC (7-7, 2-1 HL) at the Kress Events Center at 2 p.m.