By: Jill Wunrow
GreenBayPhoenix.com
CLEVELAND, Ohio (GreenBayPhoenix.com) - For the second consecutive game, Julie Wojta (Francis Creek, Wis.) had a
double double performance, pouring in a game-high 23 points while grabbing 12
rebounds as No. 11/12 Green Bay (22-1, 12-1 HL) picked up a 90-59 win on the
road at Cleveland State (9-16, 4-10 HL) Thursday at the Wolstein Center in
Cleveland, Ohio.
"Julie is one of
those players that you just can't explain; her competitive drive, her mentality
is just something that doesn't come along too often," said senior Hannah Quilling
(Eau Claire, Wis.) who finished the game with a season and game-high eight
assists.
The win was the 18th
consecutive regular season road win against a Horizon League opponent for the
Phoenix as it scored a season-high 90 points with four players scoring in
double figures.
"It's exciting to
see our whole team step up and play with different people making shots on
different nights and it's great to see everyone have that aggressive mindset,"
Wojta said of the team's balanced scoring.
Wojta scored six
of Green Bay's first eight points as the Phoenix opened the game with a 13-2 run
capped off with a three pointer from freshman Megan Lukan (Barrie, Ontario) at
the 14:59 mark. The Phoenix built its lead to as many as 15 (22-7) in the first
half, following a fastbreak layup from Lukan with 12:08 to play in the first
half.
Cleveland State
hit double-figure scoring with a three from Honesty King with 11:18 to play in the
first half, making it a 10-point game (22-12). The Vikings later cut the
Phoenix lead to five (26-21) with a layup from Haley Schmitt, part of a 14-4
run.
Adrian Ritchie (De
Pere, Wis.) stopped the Cleveland State run with a jumper as the shot clock
expired, boosting the Phoenix lead to seven (28-21) with 5:49 to play in the opening
half, sparking a 10-2 run by the Phoenix. Green Bay's run featured six points
from Bauer who led all players in the first half scoring with 13.
Green Bay's
defense allowed Cleveland State two field goals in the final 8:06 of the
opening half, forcing the Vikings eight turnovers.
The Phoenix led
40-31 at the break with Wojta chipping in 12 points and leading the charge on the
boards with seven rebounds. As a team, Green Bay shot 42 percent (15-of-35) from
the field and 72 percent (8-of-11) from the free throw line.
"We came ready to
play from the tip but as the game went on we started to make little mistakes
that didn't allow our offense to flow as well," Wojta said. "Second half felt
better as we had a lot of players making plays and stepping up."
Cleveland State
opened the second half with a three from King in the left corner, cutting the
Phoenix lead to six (40-34).
Bauer hit one of
her two three pointers at the 15:59 mark, boosting the Phoenix lead to 16.
Bauer's three was part of a 14-4 run by Green Bay. Wojta picked up her 12th
double double of the season, grabbing her 10th rebound with 15:07 to play. With
the rebound secure, Wojta dished to Bauer who found Ritchie for the layup and
the 58-40 lead with 14:26 remaining.
The Vikings'
Shalonda Winton sank two of her 13 points with 14:16 remaining, pulling
Cleveland State within 16, its closest margin the remainder of the contest.
A three from
Ritchie at the top of the key with just over 11 minutes to play gave Green Bay
the 70-46 lead before the Phoenix boosted its lead to 29 (75-46), following a
free throw from Quilling. Green Bay led by as many as 31 (86-55) following a
three pointer from Jenny Gilbertson (Wabasha, Minn.) with 2:14 to play.
In addition to
Wojta's game-high 23, Bauer added 16 points for the Phoenix while Ritchie and
Lukan added 14 and 12 respectively. Gilbertson finished the game with nine
points, going 6-for-6 from the free throw line in 14 minutes of play while Stephanie
Sension (Hopkins, Minn.) added six points and four rebounds.
Green Bay finished
the contest shooting 47 percent from the field (31-of-66) and 80 percent
(21-of-26) from the charity stripe while dishing out 20 assists on 31 field
goals.
MOVING UP: Wojta moved up to sixth on Green Bay's
all-time career record list in both scoring and rebounding with her performance
tonight. The senior captain has 27 career double double performances and has
scored at least 15 points in the last six games.
SLOWLY BUT SURELY: For the third consecutive game,
Quilling was in the starting lineup for junior Sarah Eichler (Grafton, Wis.)
who is still rehabbing a sprained ankle. Eichler played 12 minutes against the
Vikings while scoring six points and grabbing two rebounds.
UP NEXT: Green Bay will wrap up its road trip at
Youngstown State Saturday, Feb. 18 at 1:05 p.m. The Phoenix will play its final
homestand of the regular season beginning Thursday, Feb. 23 as it hosts
Valparaiso at 7 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 25 is the annual PinkZone game at the Kress
Events Center as Green Bay hosts Butler at 2 p.m. The online auction is now
open here
for fans to bid on jerseys worn by the players during Saturday's game.
Following the game, seniors Katie Bushman, Hannah Quilling, and Julie Wojta
will be honored.
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