GREEN BAY, Wis. (GreenBayPhoenix.com) --- Green Bay, coming off the program's 900th win and a record-breaking night, will play its final nonconference game of the season on Saturday when it visits Northern Illinois. The Phoenix will take on the Huskies for the third-straight season, tipping at 1 p.m. at the NIU Convocation Center.
CATCH THE ACTION:Â Saturday, December 21, 1 p.m. CT // Dekalb, Ill. (NIU Convocation Center)
Matchup:Â Green Bay Phoenix (4-8) at Northern Illinois Huskies (7-5)
Buy Tickets: Purchase Here
Game Promotion: N/A
Giveaways/Specials:Â N/A
Where to Watch: ESPN+
Where to Follow Stats: www.niuhuskies.com
Where to Listen: The Fan 1400 AM WDUZ
Game Notes:Â
Green Bay |  Northern Illinois
For Live in-game updates, follow the Phoenix on social media: Twitter - @gbphoenixmbb, Instagram - @gbphoenixmbb
LAST GAME'S STARTERS
LAST TIME OUT (Green Bay 126, Concordia Univ. Chicago 64; December 18)
- A program-record 126 points was scored by Green Bay on Wednesday night at the Kress Center, with all eight players to dress reaching double-figures in the 126-64 rout of Concordia University Chicago. The Phoenix (4-8) netted a program-record 72 points in the first half alone, with the 62-point winning margin serving as the second-largest gap in program history as well. The victory also marked the 900th win in the program's history, which started back in 1969.Â
GB had only eight players dressed for the game, with PJ Pipes (injury), Trevian Bell (illness) and Josh McNair (injury) all missing the game. Pipes was in uniform but was held out as prevention, while Jiovanni Miles lifted his redshirt and saw his first action as a member of the program. Miles scored 11 points in 25 minutes of action, dishing out three of the team's 28 assists (seventh-most all time) in the game.Â
Kameron Hankerson led all scorers with 21 points, but Cody Schwartz and Manny Patterson also dumped 20 points of their own. Patterson's came along with 16 rebounds and three blocks, with the big man going 9-for-12 from the field. Amari Davis tallied 19 points, JayQuan McCloud added 15, while Hunter Crist and Will Chevalier each finished with 10 points.
SERIES HISTORY
- This will be the 32nd meeting all-time in the series, with the two teams competing in the Mid-Continent Conference for many years. GB leads the all-time series 25-6, with this marking the third-straight season the two teams will meet with the four-game agreement concluding next season in Green Bay. The Phoenix has won 13 of the last 14 meetings, with that one Huskies win coming in 2017 in Dekalb.
ABOUT NORTHERN ILLINOIS (7-5, 0-0 MAC)
NOTABLE NO. 900
- Getting a much-needed win at home, Green Bay set a pair of school records in the 126-64 win over Concordia Univ. Chicago on Wednesday night, scoring the most points ever in a game and making the most field goals as well (51). All eight players had at least 10 points in the game, a product of the season-high 28 assists. GB shot a season-high 65.4 percent from the field, pouring in a program-record 72 points in the first half alone. GB also registered 19 steals, tied for fourth all time in a single game. The win marked the 900th win in program history, which started back in 1969, an average of around 18 wins a season.Â
FEELS LIKE THE FOURTH TIME
-  Making it three-straight weeks and a fourth time overall this season, Green Bay freshman guard Amari Davis has been named the Horizon League Freshman of the Week, the league office announced on Monday. Davis continues to lead the way offensively for the Phoenix, earning his fourth weekly award in the six weeks of the season. Since the award began in the 2013-14 season, Davis is the first Phoenix player to earn the award multiple times in a season, and is just the 10th player in the history of the award to win four times. The weekly award started in the 2013-14 season.
Davis' week: Amari Davis continued his torrid pace to start a collegiate career, scoring 25 points at UCF before dumping another 17 points at home against Evansville. Davis led the Phoenix in scoring in both games, and went a sizzling 18-for-29 (62 percent) from the field in the two contests. He went 12-for-14 in a competitive loss at UCF alone, starting the game 7-for-7. The left-handed guard grabbed six rebounds against Evansville, averaging 5.0 for the week. In the two games against quality opponents, Davis averaged 21.0 PPG and has now scored in double-figures in 10 out of 11 games this year. He continues to lead the Phoenix in scoring with 16.4 PPG, ranking in the top 10 nationally among freshmen and standing 4th in points per game in the Horizon League.
PATTERSON POWER
- Junior Manny Patterson is coming off the best game of his career, and his second-straight double-double. Patterson had a career-high 20 points and 16 rebounds against Concordia, a game after netting 10 points and 10 rebounds against Evansville. He played in 26 minutes in both games games, and is 12-for-15 from the field in those two games, also going 7-for-10 from the free throw line. With GB injured at the forward position, Patterson has been asked to fill the minutes and has done so with impressive numbers over the last two games.
KARATE KAM
- Senior Kameron Hankerson, who has been playing more of a forward position with the injuries, has scored in double-figures in four-straight games, including a season-high 21 points in his last game. Hankerson is 26-for-38 from the field over that stretch, dishing out 11 assists and registering eight steals. He has started in the last two games, and is third on the team with 11.4 PPG, and third in minutes with 25.3 MPG.Â
LEAGUE LEADERS
Where Green Bay stacks up among the 10 Horizon League teams:
- 1st in scoring offense (82.4 PPG)
- 1st in field goal percentage (47.3%)
- 1st in 3-point field goal percentage (36.0%)
- 3rd in turnover margin (3.25-1)
- 1st in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.29-1)
- 1st in assists per game (17.25 APG)
- 2nd in steals (8.83 SPG)
DAPPER DAVIS
- Green Bay and head coach Linc Darner boast what appears to be the best freshman in the Horizon League in Amari Davis. Davis leads the team in scoring with 16.6 PPG and ranks fourth in the HL, and in the top 10 of all freshmen in the NCAA. The Ohio native has scored in double-figures in 11 out of 12 games this season and was recently named Horizon League Freshman of the Week for a fourth time. He is also shooting 59.2 percent on the season, and is coming off a week where he averaged 21.0 PPG. Davis has gotten off to the best start, statistically speaking, by any freshman in program history save for all-time great Tony Bennett. Bennett averaged 19.1 PPG as a freshman and scored 516 points in 27 games. Davis is currently on pace to score 524 points, if the team plays its scheduled minimum 32 (31 regular season, 1 tournament). Long way to go, but through 12 games this season, Davis has been the story of the league.
SHOOTING THE JAYQUAN
- Senior JayQuan McCloud continues to be a reliable and consistent scoring option for the Phoenix, having scored in double-figures in 11 of 12 games this year. He ranks 12th in the HL and scoring and is second on the team with 15.0 PPG. THe Preseason All-Horizon League member is second on the Phoenix in rebounding with 4.4 RPG and leads the team in assists with 48 this season. He's made 34 of 39 free throw attempts and has hit a team-high 26 3-pointers.
CONNECTING WITH KENPOM
- After three games in the books, Green Bay has played at the 16th-fastest pace among all NCAA Division I teams, averaging 75.2 possessions per 40 minutes. In the four seasons under Linc Darner, here is where Green Bay has ranked in adjusted tempo:
- 2018-19: 13th
- 2017-18: 23rd
- 2016-17: 7th
- 2015-16: 6th
PIPES IT UP
- Junior PJ Pipes is in the midst of the best individual season of his career, averaging 11.1 PPG while shooting 49.3 percent from the field. Pipes averages 7.0 for his career, and is nearly 5 points ahead of that career average for this season. He has started in 9 of his team's 10 games and is second on the team with 18 made 3-pointers. Pipes is also second on the team in minutes played and second in assists with 28 this season.                   Â
HORIZON HAPPY
- With its 10 wins last season, GB has now won 10 or more games in League play in seven of the last eight seasons, and the third time in four seasons under Darner. The team has finished fourth or higher in the HL in six out of the last seven seasons as well, earning a postseason appearance in each of those six seasons. The HL preseason poll has GB tabbed fifth, behind Wright State, NKU, UIC and Oakland.
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