GREEN BAY, Wis. (GreenBayPhoenix.com) – The Green Bay women's basketball team is dancing...again.
After clinching its 18-straight regular season title earlier this season, the No. 1 seeded Phoenix (28-4) ran away from No. 2 seed Milwaukee in the 2016 Horizon League Championship on Sunday afternoon, 64-32, securing a NCAA Tournament bid for the seventh time in eight years.
A day removed from setting a new career high with 32 points against NKU, Mehryn Kraker was named the Tournament MVP, while sophomore Jessica Lindstrom, Milwaukee's Jenny Lindner, Wright State's Kim Demmings and NKU's Kasey Uetrecht were also named to the All-Tournament Team.
Milwaukee grabbed a pair of early leads in the first quarter at both 8-6 and 10-8; however, Green Bay seized the lead after the first of Tesha Buck's four triples on the day with 1:35 remaining in the opening quarter, 11-10, and did not look back.
After a nail-biting double-overtime victory on Saturday night, the Phoenix outscored the Panthers 23-8 in the second to take a commanding lead into halftime, 38-18. From there, Milwaukee shot just 20.8 percent (5-of-24) the remainder of the game, as the Green Bay defense forced 19 turnovers and held its in-state opponent to just three points in the final quarter.
Buck paced all-scorers in the game with 14 points on 5-of-8 shooting, as all 10 Phoenix players to appear in the contest scored. Defensively, Green Bay limited the Panthers' Lindner– who poured in 31 points in their semifinal win over Wright State– to just 1 point on 0-of-4 from the field.
The 32 points marks the fewest Milwaukee has ever scored in a game. In addition, it also set a Horizon League record for fewest points allowed in a tournament championship game. The Phoenix also set a record for margin of victory with its 32-point victory, besting its previous mark of 27 against Butler in 2007.
With the win, Green Bay will enter the field for the 16th time in program history, the 10th time under head coach Kevin Borseth. The Phoenix is 6-15 all-time in its previous 15 trips, including its first-ever Sweet 16 appearance in 2011 following a 65-56 victory over Michigan State in Wichita, Kan.
Green Bay will learn of its seeding and first-round location in the NCAA Tournament field tomorrow evening, March 14. The Phoenix welcomes fans to join them at the Kress Events Center for a selection show watch party at 6 p.m. The doors will open at 5:30 p.m.
