GREEN BAY, Wis. (GreenBayPhoenix.com) --- The Green Bay men's basketball team will return to the friendly confines of the Resch Center on Wednesday night, playing host to Eastern Illinois for a 7 p.m. tip. The Phoenix will play its next two games away from home, and will look to end a two-game losing skid before that trip. 

CATCH THE ACTION: Wednesday, Dec. 6 - 7:00 PM CT // Green Bay, Wis. (Resch Center)


Game Notes: Green Bay Notes   |   Eastern Illinois Notes

Matchup: Green Bay Phoenix (2-4, 0-0 HL) vs Eastern Illinois Panthers (2-5, 0-0 OVC)

Tickets: Purchase Here

Game Sponsor: Bergstrom Auto

Where to Follow Stats: StatBroadcast Live Stats

Where to Watch: ESPN3

Where to Listen: WNFL 101.9 FM, 1440 AM with Brian Kuklinski on the call

For Live in-game updates, follow: @gbphoenixmbb on Twitter and gbphoenixmbb on Instagram

RP40 NOTES

• Green Bay held a 7-point halftime lead in its most recent game, but was unable to hang on early in the second half and later fell 86-75 to Belmont. The Bruins opened the second half on a 14-3 scoring run and hit 8 3s against the Phoenix in the second half, and ended the game on a 10-1 run after GB cut the deficit to just two points with 3 minutes left. Four players scored in double-figures for Green Bay, but the points off turnovers proved to be the difference in the game. Belmont scored 18 points off 15 Green Bay turnovers, while GB only scored 5 points off 16 Belmont turnovers.

• Senior David Jesperson scored a career-high 16 points against Belmont, shooting a career-high 4-for-5 from 3-point range. Jesperson also went 4-for-4 at the free throw line in 30 minutes of action. The double-figure scoring performance marks only the second time in Jesperson's career at Green Bay that he has finished with 10-plus points, and the first time this year.

• Khalil Small registered his 7^th-straight double-figure scoring effort with 13 points against Belmont, having now scored 13-plus points in all six games this season. Small also recorded a career-high five steals against the Bruins and knocked down a pair of 3s.  The Chicago native leads the Phoenix with 14.8 PPG so far and ranks 7^th in the Horizon League in scoring average. Small also leads GB with 7.5 RPG and ranks 5^th in the HL in that category. He also added 7 assists against the Bruins, the most by any Phoenix player in a game this season.

• The 10 3-pointers Green Bay hit against Belmont are the most since the team hit 14 against Wright State on Jan. 12 of last season. It is also only the third time over the last two seasons that GB has made 10 or more 3s in a game. Belmont, which is traditionally one of the best 3-point shooting teams in college basketball, made 12 3s against the Phoenix, the most its allowed in 6 games this season.

• Through 6 games, Green Bay still leads the NCAA in 3-point field goal percentage defense, allowing teams to make just 20.6 percent of their long distance attempts. GB has allowed 10 or more 3s to be made by its opponents in back to back games now, after allowing 10 total 3s over the first four games of the season.

• Green Bay leads the Horizon League in multiple categories this year, including: Defensive Rebounds Per Game (31.3 RPG), Field Goal Percentage Defense (39.3 percent), Free Throw Percentage (79.1), Rebound Margin (+3.3), 3-Point FG% Defense (20.6 percent) and Total Rebounds Per Game (42.33 RPG).

DARNER DANDY
In his first two seasons at the helm, Darner has won 41 games, the most in the first two seasons by any Green Bay men's basketball coach in the history of the school. Darner led the Phoenix to its fifth-consecutive postseason berth, after his team was invited to the 2017 College Basketball Invitational. In 2016-17, his team finished third in the Horizon League with a 12-6 record and an 18-14 overall mark. Darner coached four players to the Horizon All-League teams, the most in program history. Despite losing his starting point guard early in the conference season, Darner coached the Phoenix to 12 league wins, with five of them coming on the road. His team went 10-3 at home, including big wins over Valparaiso, Northern Kentucky, Wright State and Milwaukee.

GREEN BAY BASKETBALL IS BACK
The 49^th season of Green Bay Phoenix basketball will take place in 2017-18, the third season under the direction of head coach Linc Darner. The program began back in 1969-70 with Hall of Fame coach Dave Buss leading the way, and 48 years later and 862 total wins carries into another season. The program has now finished .500 or better in 10 of the last 11 seasons and has won 18 or more games in five-straight years.

YOUR BETTER HALF
The Phoenix, with its third place finish in the Horizon League regular season last year, has now finished in the top half of the league standings in five-straight seasons. During this stretch, the team has also made five-straight postseason appearances and finished Top 3 in the HL in four of those years. Of course, the Phoenix punched its NCAA Tournament bid in 2016 after winning four games in four days in Detroit, and captured the regular season title in 2014. Most impressively, Green Bay is the only team in the HL to have finished in the top half in each of the past five seasons.

SENIOR SWAG
The 2017-18 senior leadership will be carried by seniors Khalil Small and David Jesperson, both entering their final seasons in a Phoenix uniform. Small has not missed a game over the last two seasons (68 total), and has started in 60 of those games. Jesperson appeared in 30 of his team's 32 games from a season ago, after sitting out 2015-16 upon transferring. The two seniors at the top is far apart from the six seniors the Phoenix featured last season, each of whom graduated this past May.

OPPORTUNITY AWAITS
With the departure of eight key players from a season ago, coach Darner and his staff will be faced with the tall task of replacing over 80 percent of its scoring and over 80 percent of its minutes played from last year. Six graduating seniors and two transfers created a roster that boasts three familiar faces and a plethora of newcomers. All told, 15.6 PPG returns from this past season, but this vacancy creates a an opportunity for the many young faces and JUCO transfers to step in. They also won't have a choice, especially with Cody Schwartz sitting for the season due to NCAA Division I transfer rules and Sandy Cohen III not eligible until Dec. 21.

COHEN GRANTED
Now a redshirt-junior, Seymour native Sandy Cohen III was granted an additional year of eligibility, the program announced on October 6, 2017. Cohen III will become eligible on Dec. 21 at home against Bowling Green and will then have another full season (2018-19) remaining. The Marquette-transfer averaged 11.0 PPG for the team in Puerto Rico and led the team in rebounding with 5.5 RPG. "This is great news for Sandy and our program." Agreed.

DEFENSE NOT SMALL
Senior Khalil Small was named to the Horizon League All-Defensive Team last season, serving as the team's lock down defender and being forced to guard some of the best players in the HL. The Chicago native averaged 5.2 RPG, registered over a steal per game and finished with 9.6 PPG in league games last season.

JUCO JUMP
TJ Parham and Sukhjot Bains will make the jump from the JUCO ranks to the Division I level this season, and will be relied upon early and often for the Phoenix. Parham brings a wealth of experience as a redshirt-sophomore, spending last season at Wabash Valley College in Illinois, averaging 15.4 PPG and 5.4 RPG in 30 games. Bains averaged 13.4 PPG and 8.0 RPG at Northwest College in Wyoming and brings a good combination of size and shooting, which fits well in Darner's RP40 system.

KRASHING THE KRESS
For the first time in program history, Green Bay will host a Horizon League contest at the Kress Center on campus. The Phoenix will host UIC on Friday, Feb. 16, for an 8 p.m. tip with the game to be televised nationally on the ESPN Family of Networks. Working in conjunction with the Green Bay Alumni Association, "Krash the Kress" will serve as the Phoenix's final home game of the 2017-18 season. More information on the game and event, including promotions, activities and game details will be released later.

HOOPS IN THE HEARTLAND
The Phoenix will take part in the 2017 Hoops in the Heartland benefitting Men Against Breast Cancer, playing three home games and one road game. The team will host Lakeland College on Friday, Nov. 17, its first official home game of the year, before traveling to Mississippi State on Monday, Nov. 20. Green Bay then returns home for a pair of games against two teams from the Sunshine State in Florida A&M (Friday, Nov. 24) and Stetson (Monday, Nov. 27).

HARD HORIZON
Green Bay will be put to the test to open league action, playing seven games in the first 15 days of the Horizon League schedule. The Phoenix will open at home with Detroit Mercy (Dec. 28) and Oakland (Dec. 30) before the New Year, and will host the league's newest member in IUPUI on Jan. 2.

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