GREEN BAY, Wis. (GreenBayPhoenix.com) --- Hitting the halfway point in Horizon League play and beginning a stretch of four out of five games on the road, Green Bay will fly south to face league-leading Northern Kentucky and presason-favorite Wright State on Thursday and Saturday. GB (10-10, 4-3 HL) was able to earn the split at home last week, beating UIC on Saturday after falling to IUPUI on Thursday. The Phoenix is currently in a 3-way tie for fourth place in the league at 4-3, while NKU sits atop the league standings at 6-1. 
 
CATCH THIS WEEK'S ACTION: 
at Northern Kentucky Norse (6-1 HL, 16-4 ovr) | Thursday, Jan. 24: 6 p.m. CT / 7 p.m. ET // Highland Heights, Ky. (BB&T Arena)
More info on NKU

at Wright State Raiders (4-3 HL,10-10 ovr) | Saturday, Jan. 26: 6 p.m. CT / 7 p.m. ET // Dayton, Ohio (Wright State University Nutter Center)
More info on WSU

PROMOS/GIVEAWAYS: 
N/A

Where to Watch:  Online at NKU (ESPN+) | Online at Wright State (ESPN3)
TV: Fox Sports Wisconsin 

Where to Follow Live Stats: SidearmStats at NKU | SidearmStats at WSU

Where to Listen Live: Thursday - The Fan 107.5 FM | Saturday - The Fan 107.5 FM

PDF Game Notes at NKU  |  PDF Game Notes at Wright State

For Live in-game updates, follow the Phoenix on social media: Twitter - @gbphoenixmbb, Instagram - @gbphoenixmbb

QUICK HITS

GAME OF THE WEEK
It's a classic offense vs. defense matchup this week as the top-scoring offense in the League takes on the top-scoring defense in the HL. The Phoenix come into Thursday's matchup averaging almost 85 points per contest by forcing a League-best 16 turnovers per game. The Norse are allowing only 67.3 points per contest and are one of the best at defending the arc as opponents are shooting less than 30 percent from 3-point range. Green Bay will also be looking to put the first blemish on NKU's perfect 11-0 record at home this season.  

CLOSE CALLS
It's often said that league games usually come down to a possession or two, and GB has played 5 games so far in league play that were within 10 points. The Phoenix is 4-1 in those games, and 1-1 last week with both of its games being decided by 6 and 5 points respectively. GB is 1-2 on the road in league play so far, winning at rival Milwaukee and falling at Detroit Mercy and Oakland. In a down season, GB was swept at NKU and Wright State last year, but was competitive in both games. GB fell by 4 at Wright State and by 6 at NKU, even tough both home teams were heavy favorites. 

McCLOUD NINE
JayQuan McCloud has really impressed in his first season with the Phoenix, ranking 7th in the HL in scoring with 17.9 PPG in league games and 13th overall with 14.8 PPG. Most importantly, Green Bay is a perfect 6-0 when McCloud scores 20 points or more this season, including a 3-0 record in Horizon League play. The North Chicago native has reached double-figures in 8 out of his last 9 games, with three 20-point efforts during that stretch. He leads the team with made 3s at 43, and is shooting 85.9 percent (55-64) at the free throw line this season.

JUMPING JOSH
Junior Josh McNair made his first career start against UIC, and played a career-high 32 minutes. McNair tallied 8 points, 7 rebounds a block and steal in that game, helping GB get the win. The game before against IUPUI, McNair had a career-high 4 blocks and 3 steals, scoring 4 points and grabbing 4 rebounds. He was also a combined 6-for-11 from the field in those two games. 

FOUR WIDE
Green Bay is led by a quartet of scorers so far in Horizon League play, with those four players accounting for 73 percent of the offense. Sandy Cohen III (20.0 PPG), JayQuan McCloud (17.9 PPG), Kameron Hankerson (14.3 PPG) and ShanQuan Hemphill (10.6 PPG) have shouldered the load for GB offensively so far, while three of those four players (Cohen, Hemphill, McCloud) also rank as the top 3 rebounders on the team. In the team's most recent win over UIC, 6 players accounted for 94 percent of the minutes played, as Josh McNair and PJ Pipes joined the four top scorers in the 6-man rotation. Head coach Linc Darner may elect to go back to a tight rotation once again, although it become matchup dependent. The 94 percent by 6 players is the most in any games this season, with only 8 players seeing the floor in total. 

SUPER SANDY
Senior Sandy Cohen III had two single-digit scoring performances in his first four HL games, but has bounced back to score 18, 22 and 26 points over his last three games. GB is 3-1 in HL play when Cohen reaches the 20-point threshold, and he's now averaging 22.0 PPG over his last 3 games. He's 4th in the league in scoring at 20.0 PPG, 5th in rebounding with 7.1 RPG and 6th in assists with 4.3 APG. Cohen has also impressed on the defensive end, ranking 6th in the HL in blocks (1.1 BPG) and 5th in steals (1.6 SPG). He still stands as the only player in the NCAA to lead his team in scoring, rebounding, assists, steals, blocks and minutes. 

HL STANDINGS UPDATE: With only the top 8 teams qualifying for the Horizon League Tournament this year, teams will be monitoring the league standings a bit more than usual. The Quarterfinals will take place on campus, with the No. 1, No. 2, No. 3 and No. 4 seeds hosting those games. The winners advancing to the Semifinals will play at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit. Finishing in the Top 4 now carries more weight than ever before.
1. Northern Kentucky: 6-1
2. Oakland: 5-2
3. Detroit Mercy: 5-2
T4. Green Bay: 4-3
T4. Wright State: 4-3
T4. Milwaukee: 4-3
T7. IUPUI: 3-4
T7. UIC:3-4
9. Youngstown State: 2-6
10. Cleveland State: 0-8

LEAGUE RANKINGS (HL ONLY)
Green Bay ranks in the top 3 in the Horizon League in many team statistical categories
Scoring Offense: 1st (86.0 PPG)
Blocked Shots: 1st (5.5 BPG)
Free Throw %: 3rd (76.6 percent)
Turnover Margin: 3rd (+1.86)
Steals: 3rd (7.2)

UPCOMING HORIZON LEAGUE GAMES

Thursday, Jan. 24	Oakland at IUPUI	11 a.m. ET	ESPN+
	Green Bay at Northern Kentucky	7 p.m. ET	ESPN+
	Milwaukee at Wright State	7 p.m. ET	ESPN+
	Detroit Mercy at UIC	8 p.m. ET	ESPM+
Saturday, Jan. 26	Detroit Mercy at IUPUI	1 p.m. ET	ESPN+
	Youngstown State at Cleveland State	1 p.m. ET	ESPN+
	Oakland at UIC	4:12 p.m. ET	ESPN3
	Milwaukee at Northern Kentucky	7 p.m. ET	ESPN+
	Green Bay at Wright State	7 p.m. ET	ESPN3

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