DETROIT, Mich. (GreenBayPhoenix.com) – For the 17th time in program history and for the third-straight season, the Green Bay women's basketball is headed back to the NCAA Tournament. The Phoenix defeated Detroit Mercy 64-52 in the championship game of the 2017 Little Caesars Horizon League Championship at Joe Louis Arena, winning its 15th tournament championship in the last 20 seasons.
Green Bay (27-5) will no longer have to sweat out Selection Monday, earning the automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament with its tournament title. The team will find out where and when it plays, along with its seed and opponent, next Monday, March 13 at 6 p.m. CT. Just like in year's past, Green Bay will host an NCAA Selection Show Watch Party on Monday night at the Kress Center, which will be open to the public.
Jessica Lindstrom was named Tournament MVP, after scoring 15 points and grabbing nine rebounds in the championship game. The junior standout averaged 16.7 PPG over the last three wins, and 10.6 RPG.
One of the program's all-time greats, Mehryn Kraker, can add another All-Tournament Team trophy to case. Kraker scored 12 points in the title game, and 13 and 11 in the other two wins.
The Phoenix never trailed in the championship game and led by as many as 17 points late in the third quarter. Detroit Mercy (18-14) attempted to make things interesting late, cutting its deficit to just five with 3:18 to play before Allie LeClaire hit a big layup and Sam Terry drilled a clutch 3-pointer to push the lead back to double-digits and out of reach.
Kraker finished the afternoon with 12 points and four rebounds in 39 minutes, passing Julie Wojta for fourth place on Green Bay's all-time scoring list. The all-tournament team honor was the third of the guard's career. LeClaire's 19-point effort not only led the Phoenix, it propelled her past 1,000 points in her career, making her the 35th player in program history to reach the mark.
Terry finished with eight points with a pair of triples and two free throws. The forward also pulled down five rebounds and had an assist in 25 minutes.
View full box score and play by play here.
###
