DETROIT, Mich. (GreenBayPhoenix.com) – The 20-year wait is over. For the first time since 1996, the Green Bay men's basketball team is returning to the NCAA Tournament.
In front of a national TV audience, senior Jordan Fouse scored a team-high 16 points with 7 rebounds, and the No. 4 seed Green Bay (23-12) led for all of 17 seconds on Tuesday night to prevail 78-69 over No. 3 seed Wright State (22-13) in the 2016 Little Caesars' Horizon League Men's Basketball Championship to receive an automatic bid on Selection Sunday for the first time since the 1995-96 campaign.
Following the game, Fouse was named the Tournament MVP, while Carrington Love, Charles Cooper, Valparaiso's Alec Peters and WSU's J.T. Yoho were named to the All-Tournament Team.
After the Raiders took its first lead on a jumper by Mark Hughes with 17:16 remaining in the first half, 6-4, the Phoenix used a 13-0 run over the next four minutes and 23 seconds to seize a 17-6 advantage.
Ultimately, it proved to be a lead first-year head coach Linc Darner's team refused to relinquish until they finished what they came to Joe Lewis Arena to accomplish: dance.
Playing in its fourth game in as many days, Green Bay showed no signs of tired legs coming off a 99-92 overtime thriller against top-seeded Valparaiso less than 24 hours earlier. Instead, it was the Phoenix who shot 51.7 percent (15-of-29) from the floor in the game's opening half to take a 12-point lead into the break, 42-30.
Green Bay continued to put the pressure on after halftime, and took its largest lead of 19 points when a Love steal was pushed ahead for an thunderous dunk by Cooper with 9:41 to play that gave the Phoenix a commanding 60-41 lead.
Although Wright State made a last-gasp attempt to cut into the deficit in the final minutes, the Green Bay defense held the Raiders' leading scorers Yoho (2-of-17) and Mark Alstork (1-of-7) to just 12 points on a combined 3-of-24 from the field to clinch the victory. Wright State was limited to just 37.5 percent (27-of-72) shooting as a team, while all five Phoenix starters recorded double figures in scoring.
Green Bay will find out its NCAA Tournament fate on Sunday, March 13, during the CBS Selection Show beginning at 4:30 p.m. CT. More details regarding a watch party for the event will be released once finalized.
Tournament history
The Phoenix will be making its fifth appearance overall in the NCAA Tournament, the previous four which came during a six-year span from 1990-96 under former head coaches Dick Bennett and Mike Heideman.
Green Bay has a 1-4 record all-time in the tournament, recording its first and only win as the No. 12 seed on March 17, 1994, on St. Patrick's Day, when it upset Jason Kidd's No.5 seed California Golden Bears, 61-57.
Three of its previous four losses have come by a combined eight points to Michigan State (L, 60-58, 3/15/91), Syracuse (L, 64-59, 3/19/94), Purdue (L, 49-48, 3/17/95). In its last trip on March 14, 1996, it fell to Virginia Tech by the final of 61-48.
Its previous four appearances have been played in Tucson, Ariz., Ogden, Utah, and Austin and Dallas, Texas.
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