GREEN BAY, Wis. (GreenBayPhoenix.com) --- Green Bay readies for a crucial weekend in the Horizon League standings as the 2019-20 season is winding down. The Phoenix travels to Chicago for a matchup with UIC on Friday at 11:00 a.m., then will head south for a contest with top-ranked IUPUI on Sunday at 1:00 p.m.
 
CATCH THE ACTION: Friday, February 21 at UIC – 11 a.m. // Chicago, Ill. (Credit Union 1 Arena) | Sunday, February 23 at IUPUI – 1 p.m. // Indianapolis, Ind. (The Jungle)
 
Where to Watch: ESPN+ at UIC | ESPN+ at IUPUI
 
Where to Listen: The Fan
 
Game Notes: Green Bay  |  UIC  | IUPUI
 
Scouting the Flames: UIC enters the game on a losing skid of five games and have struggled in conference play this season. The Flames have also had their troubles against the Phoenix in recent history, having dropped the last 22 games against Green Bay. UIC is led by Jada Nneji who averages a touch over 10 points per game and 7.3 rebounds per game. Abreanna Lake leads the UIC side in assists per game at 2.9.
 
Scouting the Jaguars: IUPUI sits alone atop of the Horizon League Conference with two weekends left in the regular season. They were handed their second loss by a conference opponent in their last game against Northern Kentucky and have only lost by a combined five points in defeats to Horizon League foes this year. The Jaguars are led by five-time Horizon League Player of the Week, Macee Williams who is second in the conference in scoring by .1 points per game at 17.8 and first in the conference in rebounds per game at 9.0. The balanced attack of IUPUI consists of four players that average at least seven points per game, proving to be a challenge for any defense.
 
WURTZ 1K WATCH          
Frankie Wurtz enters the weekend only 19 points away from becoming Green Bay's 37th member of the 1,000-point club. The most recent entry was Jessica Lindstrom in the 2017-18 season.
 
FINSIHING STRONG        
As we near the end of the Horizon League slate, it pays to have a history of being hot heading into the postseason. The Phoenix has fared well in the final contests of the season, finishing 21-4 through the last five games over the past five seasons. In the 2018-19 season, the Phoenix finished a perfect 5-0 through the last games of the campaign.
 
Taking Care of the Rock
Green Bay not only leads the Horizon league but is #9 in the country in turnovers committed per game.  The squad is only conceding 11.6 turnovers on average and is also in the #19 in the NCAA in fewest number of turnovers committed on the season.  With only four crucial HL games left to play before the conference tournament, taking care of the ball will be critical in those crunch-time games.  In addition, the squad ranks 10th nationally in assist to turnover ratio at 1.35 (#1 in HL), which shows the extra possessions are translating to the offensive end of the court as well.
 
Not Scared of the Jungle              
It seems that the road team in the Green Bay/IUPUI matchup as of late should be considered the favorite.  The Jags have taken the last two games at the Kress, but the Phoenix are 3-0 when facing off at the Jungle in Indianapolis.  In those three wins, Green Bay is winning by an average of 15 points, but its most recent victory was a one-possession game, 45-43, when the two teams faced off at the Jungle last season.
 
Here We Go Hailey         
Since returning from injury, sophomore Hailey Oskey has been a steady scorer for the Phoenix.  The guard has reach double figures in scoring in nine of the fifteen games she's played in this season, scoring 9 points in two of the six she didn't.  However, over the past three games, she's scored 10+ points in matchup and in five of the last six matchups for the Phoenix.  In the past three games, she's shooting just over 45% from the field and 44% from three-point land.
 
Pingel Runnin' Point       
Meghan Pingel has performed well as the lead guard for the Phoenix.  In games when Pingel plays this season, the squad is 12-6. When Green Bay is without their point guard, the team is only 2-6 on the year.  She is currently 4th in the Horizon League in assists per game and second in the conference in assist/turnover ratio.
 
PINGEL RUNNIN' POINT
Meghan Pingel has been solid in the lead guard role for the Phoenix this season.  With the responsibility of initiating the offense and taking care of the ball, the point guard is currently second in the Horizon League with an assist/turnover ratio of 1.8, only behind Oakland's Brianna Breedy (2.1).  Additionally, Pingel sits at third in the conference in assists per game at 3.6.  Staying on the floor has been a mainstay for the guard as well with her averaging 30.4 minutes per game on the season, ranking seventh in the HL.
 
BONUS BASKETBALL      
Green Bay has played in three overtime games this season and secured victories in all pairings. THe Phoenix opened the season with a double-overtime victory at Central Michigan, 111-105. GB didn't slow down from there and later defeated #18/16 Syracuse in OT, 79-73. Most recently, Green Bay was taken to overtime at Youngstown State and defeated the Penguins, 70-63, in double overtime.
 
GLOWING ON THE GLASS            
Green Bay has been impressive on the boards this season, with the Phoenix posting its best outing against UIC and outrebounding the Flames 50-19 for its largest positive margin of the season, more than doubling its previous best of 14 set against Detroit Mercy on Jan. 11, 2020. It was also the first time since the 2015-16 season where GB secured at least 50 rebounds, with the last occasion happening against Youngstown State on Feb. 11, 2016, when Green Bay corralled 56 boards. The Phoenix has won the battle on the boards in 14 matchups this season.
 
PROTECTING HOME COURT        
In the past five seasons, Green Bay has been nearly perfect at home when taking the court against Horizon League opponents. The Phoenix owns a 45-5 record dating back to the 2014-15 season when facing teams from the HL within the friendly confines of the Kress Center. The Phoenix also posted perfect 9-0 seasons at home in league play in 2015-16 and 2016-17.
 
BORSETH BREAKING BARRIERS  
Head coach Kevin Borseth tallied his 500th  Division 1 win on last week at Wright State. He has enjoyed numerous successes throughout his coaching career. Last season, Borseth surpassed 700 total wins and 400 wins with Green Bay. His 727 career wins ranks 19th all-time among DI women's basketball coaches. He also ranks inside the nation's top 10 in career wins among active DI coaches. Due in large part to Borseth's leadership, Green Bay is also featured in the nation's top 10 for winningest college basketball programs in the country. The Phoenix is one of only 12 teams to reach more than 1,000 wins, doing so in only 46 seasons.
 
NO TIME FOR TURNOVERS          
GB allows only 11.6 turnovers per game. The Phoenix registered a season-low five turnovers at Milwaukee and allowed only seven turnovers five times this season. The current program record for turnovers allowed in a single season by the Phoenix is 375 in 30 games, which comes to a 12.5 per game average.
 
KEYS TO SUCCESS            
When Green Bay has reached 70 points or more this season, the Phoenix owns a 10-1 record. GB is also an impressive 12-3 on the year when outrebounding its opponent. The team also owns a 14-2 record when posting a better percentage from the floor than its opposition.
 
WURTZ WORKING          
Redshirt senior Frankie Wurtz has notched two double-doubles this season and scored in double figures 20 times, marks which lead the team in both categories. She has also served as the single-game leading scorer 15 times and single-game steals leader 16 times, the highest of any player on the roster. Wurtz ranks third in the Horizon League in scoring in league contests, averaging 15.4 PPG.
 
TOURNAMENT TESTS    
Green Bay has been tested early and often this season, as its non-conference schedule featured nine opponents who advanced to the NCAA Tournament last season, with Central Michigan (W, 111-105), South Dakota (L, 60-66), Missouri (W, 72-64), Marquette (L, 47-60), Mississippi State (L, 58-83), Syracuse (W, 79-73), DePaul (L, 65-76), Maine (L,60-61) and South Dakota State (L, 55-60) all punching their tickets in 2019.
 
RANKING VICTORIES      
Any win is a good win, but there's no feeling like taking down a top 25 team. Most recently, the Phoenix defeated #18 Syracuse in the Greater Victoria Invitational on Nov. 30, marking the 11th victory as a program over a ranked opponent and the fourth in three years.
 
PRESEASON PROMINENCE          
The Green Bay women's basketball team is no stranger to high expectations, with this year being no exception. The Phoenix is favored in the Horizon League's preseason poll for the 12th-consecutive season, sharing the title with defending champion Wright State.
 
KEY RETURNERS               
Green Bay was plagued by injuries a season ago and returns a number of key players in 2019-20. Caitlyn Hibner is poised to make a strong comeback after sitting out all of 2018-19 with an injury. Karly Murphy will also be gracing the floor once again for the Phoenix after suffering an injury in the season opener last year, causing her to miss the remainder of the season. Murphy impressed as a redshirt freshman in 2017-18, averaging 7.4 PPG and 4.1 RPG in league play.
 
PHOENIX FRESH FACES 
Green Bay welcomes three true-freshman to the 2019-20 roster, all from the state of Wisconsin. Cassie Schiltz resides from the local town of Luxemburg, where she was a three-time first team all-conference selection and the Northeastern Conference Offensive Player of the Year.  Julia Hartwig joins the Phoenix from Janesville where she was also a 2x first team all-conference selection and an all-state honoree in 2017-18.  Brooklyn Blackburn found her way to the squad from Milwaukee and also earned first team all-conference honors in high school.
 
WINNING TRADITION   
Green Bay secured its 42nd-consecutive winning season last year and trails only Tennessee (45) 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.
 
COURT AND CLASSROOM COMBO           
The Green Bay women's basketball team was named to the WBCA Academic Top 25 for the fifth-straight season this summer, coming in at No. 8 with a 3.64 team GPA. The Phoenix was dubbed champions of the classroom in 2016-17 and 2017-18 after owning the highest GPA in the nation through those two seasons.
 
BASKETBALL ABROAD    
Green Bay has fared pretty well in tournaments outside of the contiguous United States, posting an all-time record of 14-6. In matchups outside the reach of the United States, Green Bay's all-time record is 9-3. Most recently, Green Bay participated in the Greater Victoria Invitational and claimed third place while posting a record of 2-1 with wins over Bowling Green and #18 Syracuse.
 
SISTER, SISTER  
Redshirt seniors Madison and Mackenzie Wolf make Green Bay one of only 22 teams in DI women's basketball that has a pair of sisters on its roster and one of only 13 with a set of twins.
 
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