GREEN BAY, Wis. (GreenBayPhoenix.com) --- Playing its third-straight road game in a stretch of four, Green Bay will wrap up the nonconference portion of its schedule on Saturday when it visits Evansville. The Phoenix, currently 6-6 on the season, will look to finish above .500 heading into Horizon League play next weekend at Milwaukee.
 
CATCH THE ACTION: 
at Evansville (5-6) | Saturday, Dec. 22 - 4 p.m. CT // Ford Center (Evansville, Ind.)
More about Evansville

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PDF GAME NOTES at Evansville

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QUICK PREVIEW

FACING EVANSVILLE
Green Bay will make the trip to Evansville for the first time since December 5, 1988, but will be looking for its third-straight win in the series. GB faced the Purple Aces at the Gulf Coast Showcase in 2014, winning by just two points before eventually winning the Gulf Coast Showcase title going 3-0. The Phoenix has never won in Evansville though, currently 0-3 all-time. 

SUPER SANDY
The team's lone senior Sandy Cohen III has carried the load as expected so far this season, leading the team in just about every category including scoring, assists, rebounding, steals, blocks and minutes. Cohen stepped up this past weekend against a pair of big time opponents, averaging 21.0 PPG in games at Creighton and #9 Michigan State. He scored a season high 22 points against the Spartans and has reached double-figures in 11 of 12 games this season. Additionally, the Seymour native ranks second in the Horizon League in assists per game with 5.3 and ranks in the top 10 of the HL in scoring, rebounding, steals, blocks, assists and minutes.

TURNOVER TANTRUM
Green Bay's pressure defense continues to force teams into bad passes and turnovers, having now forced double-figure turnovers in every game this season. GB ranks 24th in the NCAA in turnovers forced, averaging 17.3 forced per game. The team is even better when measuring turnover margin, ranking 15th in the NCAA with a 4.9-1 turnover margin. GB has forced at least 16 turnovers in six games this year, and has forced over 20 turnovers twice. The turnovers have amounted a ton of steals for the Phoenix, which ranks 11th in the NCAA with 107 steals this season.

TERRIFIC TRIO
Green Bay is led by a trio of high-flying and athletic scorers so far this season, with each averaging over 13 points per game. Sandy Cohen III leads the way with 15.7 PPG, thanks to back to back 20-point performances this past weekend. ShanQuan Hemphill has also been very impressive in his first season at GB, averaging 12.5 PPG. JayQuan McCloud has also come through for the Phoenix this year in his first GB season, averaging 13.3 PPG, starting in his last game at Michigan State. The three have each been on a tear of late, and now account for nearly half (49.7 percent) the team's offensive production. All three have scored in double-figures in six out of the last seven games they have played.

SCORING IN BUNCHES
Ranking 17th in the NCAA in scoring with 85.0 PPG, GB has now scored 100 or more points three times this season. The Phoenix leads all Horizon League teams in that category, and has scored 80 or more points in 8 of its 12 games this season. The current scoring average of 85.0 would rank third all-time in program history, trailing the 1970-71 and 71-72 teams that averaged 90.5 PPG and 86.2 PPG. Under Darner, the Phoenix has two of the top four all-time scoring seasons in program history, and could add another to the list this season in just his five seasons on the job.

TOTAL TANK
Shanquan Hemphill, who goes by Tank thank to a nickname given to him as a "big" baby, has been key to the team's success this season. Hemphill is in his first season at Green Bay, but has already looked like a true veteran. Hemphill is averaging 12.5 PPG and has scored in double-figures in 9 of 12 games, while ranking second in the Horizon League in field goal percentage shooting a blistering 56.9 percent. Hemphill does his work around the rim, scoring the majority of his points in the paint. He's also second on the team in steals and third on the team in rebounding. He was named Player of the Week on Dec. 3 after averaging 21.5 PPG in two wins over NIU and Belmont.

PIPES POWER
Sophomore guard PJ Pipes has been playing some of his best basketball of late, reaching double-figures in three-straight games prior to this past weekend's tough road trip, averaging 13.0 PPG during that stretch. He shot over 50 percent, making 12 of his 23 shots, including six 3-pointers during that time. The team is 2-1 over its last three, and Pipes has also gone 9-for-11 at the free throw line. The Woodridge, Ill., native started in 28 and played in all 33 games last year, and has enjoyed a recent sophomore surge as the team's point guard. 

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