GREEN BAY, Wis. (GreenBayPhoenix.com) --- With only three weeks of Horizon League play left, Green Bay will make the short trip down to in-state rival Milwaukee on Saturday night for an important league battle. The Panthers won the earlier season meeting at the Resch Center, and now the Phoenix will look to earn the split as both teams are jockeying for tournament seeding down the stretch.
The game will be streamed live on ESPN+ and can also be heard on WDUZ The Fan 107.5 FM with Brian Kuklinski on the call.
CURRENT HORIZON LEAGUE STANDINGS
CATCH THE ACTION: Saturday Feb. 15, 6 p.m. // Milwaukee, Wis. (UWM Panther Arena)
Matchup #1: Green Bay Phoenix (12-14, 7-6 HL) at Milwaukee Panthers (12-13, 7-6 HL)
Where to Watch: ESPN+
Where to Follow Stats: www.mkepanthers.com
Where to Listen: The Fan WDUZ 107.5 FM
Game Notes: Green Bay |
Milwaukee
For Live in-game updates, follow the Phoenix on social media: Twitter - @gbphoenixmbb, Instagram - @gbphoenixmbb
LAST GAME'S STARTERS
LAST TIME VERSUS MILWAUKEE (@Green Bay 80, Milwaukee 87; January 11)
- Falling for just the third time in the last 10 games against in-state rival Milwaukee, Green Bay came up short on Saturday night at the Resch Center 87-80. The Phoenix (7-11, 2-3 HL) trailed by nine at the half, but came back in the second half to get within one before the Panthers (8-9, 3-2 HL) seemingly had every answer.
- Green Bay got a combined 51 points from Amari Davis (28 points) and JayQuan McCloud (23 points), but it wasn't enough to combat the 31 points from Milwaukee's Te'jon Lucas and 23 more points from Brandon Roy. The Panthers shot 50 percent (30-for-60) in the game, including 55.6 percent in the second half alone and also went 6-for-9 from 3 in that half.
- The Phoenix was much improved in the second 20 minutes, going 17-for-30 (56.7 percent) from the field after going just 31 percent (10-for-32) in the first half. GB did not make a 3-pointer in the first half, but did make four in the second going 4-for-7, it's fewest attempts in a game this season. GB was strong at the line, going 22-for-26, but MKE hit 11 3-pointers on 21 attempts to earn the road win.
- Late in the first half the two teams found opposite rhythms, with Milwaukee making six of its eight field goal attempts and GB going just 2-for-10 during that same time. MKE used a 13-2 run over that stretch to get ahead.
SERIES HISTORY
- MILWAUKEE: Green Bay holds the all-time advantage at 39-26, with this serving as the 66th meeting in the history of the rivalry. GB has won 9 of the last 12 over MKE, but the Panthers won earlier this season to pick up just their third win in the last 10 meetings. Under Darner, GB is 7-3 all-time against Milwaukee and has gone 2-2 in the Cream City.
ABOUT GREEN BAY...
MAKE IT EIGHT
- Moving into a tie for the most Horizon League Freshman of the Week awards with eight, Green Bay guard Amari Davis was recognized once again as the League's best freshman of the week. Davis ties UIC's Dikembe Dixson for the most Freshman of the Week awards in the history of the league, winning it for a second-straight week. Davis will have three weeks of HL regular season play remaining, looking to stand alone as the all-time record holder.
Davis' week: Davis' 22 points helped Green Bay take down IUPUI for the first time since they joined the Horizon League, going 9-for-18 from the field and grabbing six rebounds. Davis played 30 minutes and went 4-for-4 at the free throw line, helping the Phoenix score 90 plus points for the second-straight game. The freshman scored 7 points in a loss at UIC, and is still second on the team in scoring with 15.8 PPG. With his 22 points at IUPUI, Davis now has seven games this season with 20 or more points, and ranks second in the HL in field goal percentage at 50.9 percent.
1Kam
- Becoming the 30th player in program history to score 1,000 career points, senior guard Kameron Hankerson joined the 1K club in last Saturday's game at UIC. Hankerson is third on the team in scoring with 10.4 PPG, shooting 45.9 percent from the field this season. This marks the third-straight year GB has had a player reach 1,000 career points, joining Sandy Cohen III from 2019 and Khalil Small from 2018. He has scored in double-figures in 2 of its last 3 games, including 18 points at IUPUI and 22 points at home against Wright State. The Novi native is also second on the team in assists with 65 this year.
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 assists per game (16.6 APG) **Ranks 10th in the NCAA
- 1st in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.31-1) **Ranks 18th in the NCAA
- 1st in turnover margin (2.15-1)
- 2nd in scoring offense (81.0 PPG) **Ranks 9th in the NCAA
- 2nd in field goal percentage (45.5%)
- 2nd in 3-point field goal percentage (37.0%) **Ranks 29th in the NCAA
- 2nd in free throw percentage (74.4%)
- 3rd in steals (7.2 SPG)
MCCLOUD NINE
- Senior sharpshooter, who played at Milwaukee for a brief stint in 2016-17, leads the Phoenix in scoring with 16.1 PPG and has reached double-figures in 24/26 games this season. McCloud averaged 17.5 PPG this past weekend at IUPUI and UIC, and had 23 points in the earlier meeting against the Panthers. He's 4th in the Horizon League in scoring, and ranks second in assists with 4.7 APG. He leads the team in scoring, assists, minutes played, rebounding and free throw percentage at 85.4 percent. McCloud has hit a team-high 56 3-pointers, and is averaging 16.7 PPG in Horizon League games this season, along with 5.5 RPG and 5.4 APG, all team highs.The Phoenix go as McCloud goes.
MILWAUKEE MATTERS MORE
- When Green Bay and Milwaukee meet, the stakes are always raised, but with both teams sitting at 7-6 in league play this year, the stakes are even higher this time around. GB and Milwaukee are both a half game back of 7-5 Youngstown State heading into Thursday night, knotted in a 3-way tie with UIC at 7-6. GB does have impressive tiebreakers having beaten both Wright State and Northern Kentucky this season, while splitting with UIC and looking to do the same against Milwaukee. The No. 3-6 seeds will host a First Round game in the conference tournament, but the No. 3 seed may (pending Detroit's appeal with the NCAA on their postseason eligibility) provide an added benefit with a bye to the Quarterfinals and a home game on March 5. Most call this week moving week, with only 2 weeks of league play remaining after Saturday's contest, as teams try and secure that home game. GB and MKE will carry added weight this time around, specifically for the Phoenix who cannot afford to get swept. GB has not been swept by the Panthers since the 2011-12 season.
ROAD RAGE
- With two games played, GB will still play three more games on the road, visiting Milwuakee, Detroit Mercy and Oakland. GB has gone 4-3 over its last seven road games, and has split the three HL road swings it has made this season, winning at NKU, at CSU and at IUPUI. GB will look for the travel partner road victory this Saturday, owning a 3-3 road record in HL play. GB will be challenged with playing the role of visitor, as it jockeys for better position in the Horizon League standings. The Phoenix has played at tough road venues this season, hoping it prepares them for the rigors of HL road play. The team played at Purdue, New Mexico, Wisconsin and Xavier in the nonconference.
SHARING THE ROCK
- The Phoenix continues to rank as one of the best teams in the NCAA in both sharing the basketball, and taking care of it. As of Feb. 13, GB ranks 10th in the NCAA in assists per game with 16.6 and ranks 18th in the NCAA in assist to turnover ratio, with both numbers leading the Horizon League. Additionally, GB is first in the HL in turnover margin with 2.15 to 1, continuing to value possessions despite its uptempo pace of play. The Phoenix, which has been standard under head coach Linc Darner, ranks 11th in adjusted tempo according to KenPom. GB is averaging 73.9 possessions per 40 minutes, which also leads the Horizon League. The team has six games with 21 assists or more as a team this year.
3X3U: McCLOUD AND HANKERSON
- Guards JayQuan McCloud and Kameron Hankerson are two of 10 Horizon League seniors named to the Dos Equis 3X3U National Championship Midseason Watch List, which was announced on Tuesday. The 2020 event is scheduled for April 3-5 at Atlanta's Atlantic Station, where it will be contested outdoors for the first time.
- In what is the single-largest gathering of draft-eligible talent in the months leading up to the NBA Draft, the Dos Equis 3X3U National Championship features 128 seniors from all 32 Division I conferences vying for one of the biggest purses at any FIBA-sanctioned 3x3 event. Teams will compete for $150,000, with $100,000 going to the tournament champions. The winning team will once again earn an automatic berth to the 2020 USA Basketball 3x3 Open National Championship in May.
- Both players are averaging in double-figures for the Phoenix this season, with McCloud averaging a team-best 16.0 PPG and Hankerson averaging 10.2 PPG. Both players have started in all 11 Horizon League contests this season, making up a formidable backcourt with freshman Amari Davis. McCloud and Hankerson have combined to score over 1,700 points in their GB careers.
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.
CONNECTING WITH KENPOM
- After three games in the books, Green Bay has played at the 11th-fastest pace among all NCAA Division I teams, averaging 73.9 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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