By: Joey Daniels (@GBJoeyD)
GREEN BAY, Wis. (GreenBayPhoenix.com) – Despite a tough shooting night from the floor, the Green Bay women's basketball team gutted out a 53-43 win over visiting Wisconsin on Saturday night at the Kress Center.
The Phoenix (8-2) struggled on the offensive end for most of the game, shooting all of 35.1 percent (20-of-57) from the floor and an even lower 1-of-19 (5.3 percent) from 3-point range.
The 53 points are a season low, 20 below Green Bay's average coming into play.
Megan Lukan (Barrie, Ontario) scored five points in the Phoenix's decisive 13-4 run to close the game after Wisconsin cut a nine-point deficit to 40-39 on back-to-back baskets.
Wisconsin (3-6) finished the game shooting a tad worse than the Phoenix from the field, going 16-of-46 (34.8 percent) and just 3-of-21 (14.3 percent) on 3-pointers.
Freshman guard Allie LeClaire, as she has done a few times already this season, provided a spark off the bench for Green Bay at a crucial juncture. Right after Wisconsin pulled within a point with 6:45 left, LeClaire dribbled through the lane with the basketball and made the lay-in.
After the first of four straight missed three's and a subsequent turnover by the Badgers (off a steal by sophomore guard Tesha Buck), LeClaire came through with another hard drive to the basket. That put Green Bay up 44-39 with less than five minutes to go.
As the Badgers went scoreless for more than 5 minutes, the Phoenix stretched the lead to 48-39 by the 2-minute mark. Lukan made two free throws, and she later set up sophomore sub Sam Terry for an easy lay-in on a nifty bounce pass into the low post.
Wisconsin didn't get any closer than five (48-43) the rest of the way as Green Bay made five free throws in the final 45 seconds.
With its second win over a Big Ten Conference team — it won 81-78 in double overtime at Purdue last month — the Phoenix avenged an overtime loss to the Badgers in Madison a year ago.
"It wasn't pretty, but our defense played extremely well," Borseth said.
The Badgers held the Phoenix to its lowest point total of the season in the first half. Despite having several open looks, the Phoenix missed all 10 3-point shots and went a frosty 9-of-27 from the field.
"The second half, we got some rhythm baskets, and that's what got us the lead. But, it was a fight to try to get those," Borseth said.
Green Bay will return to action after a week off, when it plays host to Vermont on Saturday (Dec. 14) for a 1 p.m. tip-off.
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