By: Joey Daniels (@GBPhoenixWBB)
CLEVELAND, Ohio (GreenBayPhoenix.com) – Dominating the game in the paint and converting on clutch free throws with under a minute to play, the Green Bay women's basketball team was able to hang on and defeat Cleveland State 65-61 on Thursday night at the Wolstein Center.
Green Bay (14-3, 4-0 HL) found a way to fend off nine made three-pointers by the Vikings (10-7, 2-2 HL) and a 20-point effort by Imani Gordon. The Phoenix saw four players record double figures for the second time in three games, led by Mehryn Kraker's team-high 14 points.
While the team effort proved to be a key component in the victory, the damage Green Bay did in the paint was ultimately the deciding factor. The Phoenix outscored CSU 40-20 in the paint, with 14 of those 20 CSU points coming in the second half.
The Phoenix led by four points with 1:30 left, but after Kraker swatted a shot and played the ball ahead to Kaili Lukan on the break, it quickly became a six point game. Kraker would then go on to hit two clutch free throws with 16 seconds on the clock and only up three. After CSU quickly made a layup on the other end, Megan Lukan made the first of two free throws to put the game away.
Mariah Monke played a dominant game in the paint for the Phoenix, recording a new season high 13 points. Monke went 6-for-7 from the floor and finished with 13 points in only 14 minutes of play.
Kaili Lukan finished with 12 points and six rebounds, while her sister Megan (Lukan) tallied seven assists and eight points. Sam Terry made arguably the biggest shot of the night, burying a three-pointer with just over four minutes remaining in the game. Terry totaled 13 points and six rebounds in the contest and almost made another three but stepped out of bounds before the shot.
The game opened with Green Bay jumping out to a quick 6-0 lead thanks to Monke converting an and-one opportunity, the same way GB began in its win over Milwaukee last Saturday. Mehryn Kraker splashed a three-pointer after Monke's basket.
CSU would climb back to grab its first and only lead of the game at 13-12 with 13:31 left in the first half. The Phoenix would respond to that run by going on its best run of the first half at 9-0, which was sparked by Sam Terry notching seven points during that stretch.
The Vikings would continue to knock down three's late in the half to put the score at 34-27 at the break. CSU went 6-for-12 from deep in the first 20 minutes, while Green Bay went just 1-for-8. The Phoenix made up for its poor outside shooting by dominating the host Vikings in the paint, boasting a 26-6 advantage in that category in the first half.
Green Bay is now 10-1 when leading at the half and shot 45.5 percent (25-55) from the floor. It marked just the second time in the last eight games that the Phoenix finished with a field goal percentage above 40 percent, but Green Bay is 7-1 in those games.
The Phoenix will now head to Detroit, Mich., for its second of four-consecutive road games. Green Bay will face Detroit at 1 p.m. CT on Saturday (Jan. 24) afternoon at Calihan Hall.
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