GREEN BAY, Wis. (GreenBayPhoenix.com) --- Head coach
Kevin Borseth and the Green Bay women's basketball team are ready to open the 2020-21 campaign this Saturday, as the Phoenix welcomes Drake to the Kress Center for a 1 p.m. tipoff. The game will be streamed live on ESPN3.
GAME INFORMATION
vs Drake // November 28, 2020
Kress Center // Tipoff at 1PM
Streamed on ESPN3
No in-person attendance
BATTLES WITH THE BULLDOGS
Saturday's matchup with the Bulldogs will be the eighth all time for the Phoenix, who currently owns a record of 5-2 against the team hailing from Iowa. The last time GB paired up with Drake was in the 2016-17 season, when assistant coach
Mehryn Kraker was a senior for Green Bay. Kraker scored 23 points on a 9-10 effort from the field and led the team to a 71-48 victory.
PRESEASON PICKS
The Green Bay women's basketball team is slated to finish second in the Horizon League, as defending champion IUPUI was dubbed preseason favorite with all 12 first-place votes. It marks the first time in over a decade the Phoenix women were not selected by the conference as preseason favorites. The last time Green Bay wasn't favored to win the league was in the 2007-08 season, when the team finished 17-1 in conference play and 26-6 overall.
HIBNER HOPS ON SECOND TEAM
Caitlyn Hibner is the lone honoree for Green Bay ahead of the 2020-21 campaign, earning a second-team nod from the conference. Hibner finished as a third-team member a season ago after averaging 9.6 PPG and collecting 7.4 RPG.
WINNING TRADITION
Green Bay secured its 43rd-consecutive winning season last year and trails only Tennessee (46) for the longest active streak in the nation. During that span, GB also pieced together a stretch of 20-straight conference titles and made 18 NCAA tournament appearances. The Phoenix also secured its 20th-consecutive 20-plus win season in 2018- 19, a streak dating back to 1999-00.
WINNING....SINCE THE BEGINNING
The Green Bay women's basketball team is one of three division I women's basketball programs that has had a winning record every year since the NCAA took over administration of women's college athletics in the fall of 1981. Essentially, the Phoenix has never had a losing record in the NCAA era. The only two other programs to accomplish the same feat are Tennessee and Georgia.
WELCOME TO THE LEAGUE
The Horizon League added two institutions to the conference beginning this season in RBU and Purdue Fort Wayne. The Colonials are coming off a NEC regular season title and are led by head coach Charlie Buscaglia. Head coach Niecee Nelson is at the helm for the Mastodons.
A LOOK AT THE LEAGUE
Iupui's Macee Williams was voted as the #HLWBB preseason player of the year for the third straight season. Williams was also named to the preseason watch list for the 2021 Becky Hammon mid-major player of the year, announced by her hoop stats on nov. 11. Williams is one of 25 players to be named to the watch list that features players from 23 teams and 15 conferences. To be eligible for the award, a player must compete in the 26 conferences deemed to be "mid-major".
Joining Williams on the preseason all-horizon league first team are Cleveland state's Mariah white, northern Kentucky's ally niece, angel baker of Wright State and Chelsea Olson of Youngstown State. White earned #HLWBB defensive player of the year honors in her junior season as she led the horizon league with 3.0 steals per game and ranked 10th nationally with 96 total steals in 2019-20. Niece was named to the all-league second team last season after 13.1 points and 3.7 assists per game in her junior campaign for the Norse. Baker and Olson were both all-league first team selections in 2019-20. Baker led the horizon league with 3.8 assists per game last season and added 16.5 points per game, which ranked her third among #HLWBB players. Olson totaled 12.1 points, 7.2 rebounds and 2.9 assists last season, ranking in the top 10 of the league in each category.
The preseason all-horizon league second team is represented by five different institutions and includes four third team selections and last season's freshman of the year Shamarre hale of wright state. Joining hale are green bay's
Caitlyn Hibner, IUPUI's Rachel Mclimore, Brandi Bisping of Milwaukee and Kahlaijah Dean of Oakland. Hale ranked fifth in the league with 7.6 rebounds per game in her rookie season, adding 8.1 points per game. In 2019-20, hibner posted 10.9 points and 7.0 rebounds per game for the phoenix. Mclimore scored 10.9 points per game last season for the jags. Bisping led the panthers with 9.3 points per game in her junior campaign and also ranked in the top-15 in the league with 5.9 rebounds per game. Dean ended last season with 12.0 points per game for the golden grizzlies and added 3.0 assists.
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