GREEN BAY, Wis. (GreenBayPhoenix.com) --- Playing host to the top two teams in the Horizon League standings on Friday and Sunday, Green Bay will host Northern Kentucky at the Kress Center before welcoming league-leading Wright State on Super Bowl Sunday. The Phoenix and Norse will tip-off at 8 p.m., with the game having a host of promotions and being televised nationally on ESPNU. Super Bowl Sunday sees GB bringing in the 8-1 Raiders to the Resch Center for a 1 p.m. tip time. Both contests will be streamed live on ESPN family of networks and can also be heard on WDUZ The Fan 107.5 FM with Brian Kuklinski and Bill Rabeor on the call.
CATCH THE ACTION: Friday, January 31, 8 p.m. // KRESS CENTER
Matchup #1: Green Bay Phoenix (10-12, 5-4 HL) vs. Northern Kentucky Norse (14-7, 6-3 HL)
Tickets: Purchase Online Here ($10 upper bowl tickets)
Promotion: Bud Light Night ($2 , $10 Ticket Special
Giveaway: for UWGB students: GB Flag Giveaway, Free Taco Bell to first 200 students
Where to Watch: TV:
ESPNU | WatchESPN (cable login required)
Where to Follow Stats: www.phoenixstats.com
Where to Listen: The Fan WDUZ 107.5 FM
Game Notes: Green Bay | Northern Kentucky
CATCH THE ACTION: Sunday, February 2, 1 p.m. // RESCH CENTER
Matchup #2: Green Bay Phoenix (10-12, 5-4 HL) vs. Wright State Raiders (18-4, 8-1 HL)
Tickets: Purchase Online Here
Where to Watch: ESPN+
Where to Follow Stats: www.phoenixstats.com
Where to Listen: The Fan WDUZ 107.5 FM
Game Notes: Green Bay | Wright State
For Live in-game updates, follow the Phoenix on social media: Twitter - @gbphoenixmbb, Instagram - @gbphoenixmbb
LAST GAME'S STARTERS
LAST TIME OUT (@Youngstown State 98, Green Bay 94 OT; January 25)
- Looking to return home riding a four-game winning streak, Green Bay was denied in overtime at Youngstown State on Saturday afternoon at the Beeghly Center 98-94. Senior JayQuan McCloud, which led all scorers with 30 points, had a look for the Phoenix (10-12, 5-4 HL) at the end of regulation but it hit the back of the iron, before the Penguins (12-10, 5-4 HL) were able to score the final points in the overtime period.
- The two teams exchanged baskets in overtime, with both sides answering the bell when asked. Darrius Quisenberry had the final say for YSU, making a running scoop shot with 11 seconds left right before the ensuing inbounds pass went off Amari Davis' hands and out of bounds. Quisenberry hit both free throws after that and GB was unable to pull off the miracle with 9 seconds left.
- GB led by as many as 11 points in the second half, looking for the Ohio sweep after beating Cleveland State on Thursday night, but YSU wasn't prepared to go away after falling in OT on Thursday night to Milwaukee. YSU clawed all the way back, due in large part to their 23 offensive rebounds and 24 second-chance points.
- McCloud was brilliant once again for his side, netting 30 points two days after pouring in 31 in Cleveland. The senior hit four 3-pointers, grabbed 8 rebounds and dished out 5 assists. Fellow-senior Cody Schwartz impressed as well, scoring 15 points and grabbing 7 rebounds. The duo helped GB finish 50 percent from the field in the game.
- YSU led 41-39 at half, after Devin Morgan hit a deep 3-pointer from the top of the key, taking momentum into the break. Morgan led the Penguins with 26 points on 6 made 3-pointers.
SERIES HISTORY
- NKU: Now in their fifth season in the Horizon League, NKU leads the all-time series 5-4 and had beaten the Phoenix in five-straight games until GB won in Kentucky earlier this season 73-59 on Dec. 30. GB will look to even up the all-time series.
- WRIGHT STATE: Following the Raiders win earlier this season in Ohio, the series is now tied at 32-32 all-time. The two teams have split the last four meetings, with GB winning two in a row, before WSU went on to win the last two. GB beat the Raiders in Green Bay last season 70-67 and is 21-7 all-time at home against them.
ABOUT GREEN BAY...
HALFWAY HOME
- The Horizon League season has reached the midway point, with all 10 teams playing each opponent once. GB sits in a 3-way tie for third place at 5-4 with Milwaukee and Youngstown State, both of whom beat GB this year. Wright State has a two-game lead at 8-1 in league play, with NKU sitting in second at 6-3. The Norse had won five-straight games before losing at Wright State last weekend, bouncing back after starting 1-2. The top two seeds will receive a bye to the semifinals, with the No. 3-6 seeds getting a home game in the First Round, and the two highest seeds to advance getting another home game two days later in the Quarterfinals. This weekend will go a long way to deciding GB's postseason fate and seeding, with its next five games coming on the road.
McCLOUD NINE
- Green Bay's senior leader had the best individual weekend of his season at CSU and YSU, scoring 31 at Cleveland State before dumping another 30 at Youngstown State. JayQuan McCloud averaged 39.5 MPG on the weekend and went 21-for-30 from the field, including a 12-for-13 effort from the charity stripe. The North Chicago native also led GB with 14 rebounds and 10 assists in the two games combined, hitting 7 3-pointers. McCloud ranks fourth in the Horizon League in scoring with 17.4 PPG, but leads the HL in assists with 6.1 APG through 9 games. He has scored double-figures in 20 of 22 games this year and has 20 or more points in five games, with 30 or more in three games.
TOP OF THE STATS
Green Bay leads the Horizon League and ranks nationally in multiple key categories. Here is where Green Bay stacks up among the 10 Horizon League teams, and nationally in some stats:
- 1st in scoring offense (81.9 PPG) **Ranks 8th in the NCAA
- 1st in assists per game (17.2 APG) **Ranks 8th in the NCAA
- 1st in field goal percentage (46.2%)
- 1st in 3-point field goal percentage (38.0%) **Ranks 23rd in the NCAA
- 1st in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.38-1)
- 2nd in turnover margin (2.5-1)
- 2nd in free throw percentage (75.1%)
- 3rd in steals (7.4 SPG)
FIRST TIME AROUND vs NKU
- Earning its first road win in Horizon League play this season on opening weekend, Green Bay dominated from start to finish at NKU winning 73-59. GB's defense held NKU to just 5-for-26 from beyond the arc (0-11 in the first half), and the Phoenix shot 47.4 percent from the field, getting 20 points from PJ Pipes on 4 made 3-pointers. Forward Manny Patterson had a double-double with 15 points and 10 rebounds, while JayQuan McCloud packed the stat sheet with 13 points, 8 rebounds and 8 assists. It served as the first game back from injury for NKU guard Jalen Tate, who had 11 points, with GB holding Tyler Sharpe down to 3-for-10 from the field and 0-for-3 from 3-point range. That game served as NKU's worst home loss since January 2016.
SCHWARTZ STORY
- Redshirt-senior and De Pere native Cody Schwartz is in the midst of his best stretch of basketball in his Green Bay career, having scoring 15, 13 and 15 points in his last three games. Schwartz is shooting 15-for-24 (62.5 percent) over the last three games and is averaging over 5 rebounds during that stretch as well. He has started in four-straight games and is playing 30 minutes per game as well. Schwartz is second on the team in scoring over the last three games, right behind JayQuan McCloud.
FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR?
- Freshman Amari Davis is second on the team in scoring and ranks seventh in the HL at 15.7 PPG, still ranking second in field goal percentage at 51.4 percent. Davis was held to just 12 points this past weekend, snapping a stretch of five-straight games in double-figures and a HL Freshman of the Week award. Davis has won that award six times already this season, the most by any player in Phoenix program history.
NOTABLE NO. 900
- Green Bay set a pair of school records in the 126-64 win over Concordia Univ. Chicago on December 18 at the Kress Center, 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.
THE ROAD AHEAD
- These two home games will serve as the only two in Green Bay over the next seven games, with a five-game road trip following the home weekend series against NKU and Wright State. GB will finish at home against YSU and CSU, but a daunting five-game swing awaits the Phoenix after its home slate against the top two HL teams. GB has gone 2-2 in road games in HL play this year and is 4-3 in road games against mid-major opponents this season.
CONNECTING WITH KENPOM
- After three games in the books, Green Bay has played at the 17th-fastest pace among all NCAA Division I teams, averaging 73.3 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
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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