By Justin Grones (@JustinGrones)
GreenBayPhoenix.com
GREEN BAY,
Wis. (GreenBayPhoenix.com) - With
dozens of former Green Bay women's basketball greats in attendance, the Phoenix
was able to push past rival Milwaukee with a 64-49 win in the first of four straight
games at home. The win improved Green Bay to 19-2 overall and 9-0 in the Horizon
League, while Milwaukee fell to 5-15 and 1-7 in conference play.
Stephanie
Sension (Hopkins, Minn.) continued to
dominate the post in the win, as she scored the first four points of the game
for the Phoenix. Fellow senior Sarah
Eichler (Grafton, Wis.), who finished the game at 990 career points,
completed a three-point play to open a 7-2 lead just over two minutes into the
game.
Milwaukee's Emily Decorah hit her first of five three's
on the night to cut Green Bay's lead to 9-7 with 16:11 remaining. Decorah tied
a career high with five triples on 5-10 shooting, while the rest of her
teammates shot just 1-13 from behind the arc.
The Panthers were able to take a 17-14 lead off
another Decorah three, But a Sension layup and three free throws from Jenny Gilbertson (Wabasha, Minn.) over
two possessions helped Green Bay spark a 15-1 run over a six-minute stretch,
giving the Phoenix a 29-18 lead. Milwaukee was able to come back with a 10-1
run of its own, cutting Green Bay's lead to 30-28 heading into the break.
The Panthers struck first to open the half, knotting
the score at 30-30. Lydia Bauer (Lake
Zurich, Ill.) was able to cut Milwaukee's run with a three, and after a Sension
runner Bauer hit another triple to push the lead to 38-33. Both Sension and
Bauer each finished with a team-high 14 points, including a 4-of-5 performance
from long range by Bauer.
The Phoenix was able to push the lead back to double digits
at 45-35 after Adrian Ritchie (De
Pere, Wis.), while falling to the ground, was able to find an open Gilbertson
for three. Gilbertson finished with six points and three rebounds.
During a 16-2 run for the Phoenix, Milwaukee's Janna
Swopshire drove to the basket with 8:27 remaining. Breannah Ranger (Skokie, Ill.) rejected her shot with a fierce
block, and Megan Lukan (Barrie,
Ontario) found Ritchie for the finish, pushing the lead to 52-39. Ranger scored
in the post off a feed from Gilbertson with 3:25 remaining to push the lead to
20 at 61-41 heading into the final media timeout.
Milwaukee closed the game on an 8-1 run over the final
2:18, but it wasn't enough to overcome Green Bay's double-digit lead. With just
49 points, the Panthers became the 14th opponent in 21 games this
season that failed to reach 50 or more points.
In addition to Bauer and Sension with 14 points
apiece, Eichler finished with 11 points and was just one shy of her career high
with seven assists. Ritchie added nine and both Gilbertson and Ranger had six,
while Lukan pitched in three.
Milwaukee was led by Decorah and Ashley Green who each
had 15 points. Sami Tucker added seven, while Angela Rodriguez was held to just
two points on 1-10 shooting.
NEXT ON THE
SCHEDULE: Green Bay is in the midst
of a four-game homestand, and will play its next three games at the Kress Center.
The Phoenix will host Cleveland State on Thursday at 7 p.m. for the second
meeting this season. Green Bay was down 12 points against the Vikings on their
home court on Jan. 17, but was able to come back for a 52-49 win.
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