By: Joey Daniels (@GBJoeyD)
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. (GreenBayPhoenix.com) – Enjoying one of the finest wins in program history, the Green Bay women's basketball team upset 24th-ranked Purdue 81-78 in double overtime on Wednesday evening at Mackey Arena.
It was a total team effort by the Phoenix (2-1), which will now return home after going 2-1 on one of the tougher stretches of games in recent memory. Green Bay fought back from down 10 with just over eight minutes remaining in regulation to force the first overtime, before surviving a late scare to push it into double overtime. The Phoenix received clutch free throws from Tesha Buck and Kaili Lukan, who went 4-for-4 at the line down the stretch.
“Our kids really came back and responded very well. I'm really proud of them. We played three games in five days, that's a handful and for our kids to play as tough as they did showed a lot of fortitude,” head coach Kevin Borseth said.
Lukan scored a team-high 20 points to lead the Phoenix, while Mehryn Kraker came up big from outside to hit three three-pointers before finishing with 16 in the game. Sam Terry played 39 minutes off the bench and finished with 16 points, going 3-for-7 from three-point land.
Green Bay handed Purdue just its second-ever loss in a home-opener, snapping a streak of 19 games that dated all the way back to 1995.
“It was such a great effort by all of us. Everyone stepped their game up and I am so proud of what we accomplished tonight,” Kaili Lukan said.
Kraker totaled a double-double, the first for the Phoenix this season after finishing with 10 rebounds in the game. The redshirt-freshman played a total of 45 minutes, and hit clutch free throws down the stretch as well.
“It was a complete team effort, everyone did their part and we overcame a ton of adversity to beat a quality team,” Kraker said.
Trailing by two, No. 24 Purdue (1-1) forced a turnover with seven seconds remaining in the first overtime before finishing a layup to tie the game. Green Bay was called for the foul, but fortunately enough Purdue missed the free throw and the game went to double overtime.
After a tough shooting night (8-for-36) from the outside against Vandy, the Phoenix bounced back to shoot 10-for-21 against a stout Purdue defense. Green Bay shot 4-for-8 in both the first and second halves from long range.
Senior point guard Megan Lukan fouled out in the game, forcing freshmen Allie LeClaire and Jessica Lindstrom into a heavy workload. Lindstrom played an outstanding game on the inside, grabbing seven rebounds and finishing with five points.
It's the first victory for Green Bay over a ranked opponent since 2011, when it defeated No. 25 Georgia Tech. The double overtime victory became just the second time ever the Phoenix has played back-to-back overtime games and is only the second double overtime game in program history.
The Phoenix will look to continue its momentum into its home opener this Saturday, Nov. 22, against Duquesne. Tip-off is set for 1 p.m. at the Kress Center.
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