By Justin Grones (@JustinGrones)
GreenBayPhoenix.com
GREEN BAY, Wis.
(GreenBayPhoenix.com) - For the first
time this season, the Green Bay women's basketball team (7-2) will play
back-to-back home games as nonconference rival Wisconsin (7-3) visits the Kress
Center on Sunday, Dec. 23. The game will be broadcast live on Time Warner Cable
Sports32, marking the second time Green Bay has played in a televised game during
the 2012-13 campaign.
The Phoenix is coming off a 72-37
rout of North Dakota State, a game that allowed head coach Kevin Borseth to give all active
players at least six minutes or more on the court. Green Bay opened the game on
a 17-0 run and did not allowed the Bison to score for the first 9:57 of the
game. The Phoenix shot 56 percent from the field, good for a season high and
the third-highest single-game field goal percentage mark in program history. Green
Bay's 26 assists and five blocks also set new season highs.
In the win over the Bison senior Sarah Eichler (Grafton, Wis.) led all scorers with 20 points,
marking her second game with 20 or more points this season. Fellow senior Adrian Ritchie (De Pere, Wis.) scored
nine points and tied a career high with eight assists, while redshirt junior Breannah Ranger (Skokie, Ill.) scored
12 points in just 13 minutes on a perfect 6-for-6 from the field.
The Badgers make the trip northeast to Green Bay as winners
of their last four, improving Wisconsin's home record to 6-1 this season. The
Badgers are just 1-2 on the road this season and haven't played away from the
Kohl Center or UW Field House since a Nov. 28 loss at Virginia Tech. Wisconsin
last played on Dec. 15 in a 76-47 win against Eastern Illinois in a game played
at the UW Field House-the first time the team had played in that facility since
1998.
The Badgers hold an 18-10 all-time series lead over
Green Bay, which dates back to 1975 when the Phoenix was still a Division II
program. Green Bay has won the last three meetings against Wisconsin, including
a 65-49 victory in Madison last season. In his last game on the Green Bay Bench
against Wisconsin, Borseth and the Phoenix picked up a 70-66 win during the
2006-07 season in a game played in front of more than 5,000 fans at the Resch
Center.
The first 1,500 fans in attendance at Sunday's game
will receive a Phoenix holiday ornament courtesy of Prevea Health. Tickets
for the matchup against the Badgers are still available, but are going fast.
Following Sunday's contest, the Phoenix will travel to
Wichita, Kansas to take on Wichita State on Dec. 30. Green Bay will return home
in the new year to play three straight home games, starting with St.
Bonaventure on Jan. 5 at 2 p.m.
FOLLOW IT LIVE: Sunday's
game will be broadcast live on Time Warner Cable's Sports32 with Matt Menzl and
Cordero Barkley on the call. Fans can also
listen to Bruce VandenPlas on
the call on WDUZ
The Fan 107.5 FM and 1400 AM. Live
stats and Live
video will also be available for the game against Wisconsin. Be sure to follow @GBPhoenixWBB and @JustinGrones on Twitter for updates throughout the game.
GAME-CHANGER
RANGER: Redshirt junior Breannah Ranger has
continued to provide a spark off the bench for the Phoenix this season, and has
improved her play in the post each week. Ranger scored 12 points in just 13
minutes in the win against North Dakota State while making all six of her field
goal attempts. The Skokie, Ill. native is averaging 13 minutes and five points
per game.
WELCOME HOME:
Sunday's game marks the first time
Green Bay will play back-to-back home games this season, where the team holds a
perfect 3-0 record. The Phoenix is in a stretch of playing five of six games at
the Kress Center, including the Horizon League opener against Detroit on Jan.
8.
SCORING DEFENSE: Green Bay leads the Horizon League allowing just 51.1
points per game. The Phoenix has allowed only one opponent to score more than
54 points this season, and boasts a +14.4 scoring margin-good for the top spot
in the Horizon League.
NEXT ON THE SCHEDULE: Green Bay will close the 2012 calendar year with a
trip to Wichita, Kansas to battle Wichita State on Dec. 30. The Phoenix will
then open 2013 with its final nonconference matchup of the 2012-13 season, a
home contest against St. Bonaventure. Detroit will visit the Kress Center on
Dec. 8 to mark the highly anticipated Horizon League opener.
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For the latest and most up-to-date information
on Green Bay Athletics, please visit GreenBayPhoenix.com.
Follow us on Twitter: @GBPhoenix , @GBPhoenixWBB and @JustinGrones
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