Women's Basketball 1/7/2021 1:44:00 PM

Green Bay Returns Home for League Pairings with Detroit Mercy

GREEN BAY, Wis. (GreenBayPhoenix.com) --- Green Bay welcomes Detroit Mercy to Kress Center as the Phoenix looks to build upon last weekend's sweep at Oakland. Both games will be streamed live on ESPN+ and will have no in-person attendance.

GAME INFORMATION - Friday
vs Detroit Mercy // January 8, 2021
O'Rena // Tipoff at 11AM
Streamed on ESPN+
No in-person attendance

GAME INFORMATION - Saturday
vs Detroit Mercy // January 9, 2021
O'Rena // Tipoff at 11AM
Streamed on ESPN+
No in-person attendance

BALANCED ATTACK
This past weekend saw six members of the team score in double figures through two games. The balanced offense led to a pair of wins and helped GB register its highest point total of the season (92).

DROPPING DIMES
The Phoenix offense was firing on all cylinders this past weekend in Rochester, as GB tallied over 20 assists in both games against Oakland. Green Bay doled out a season-high 23 assists in the first matchup and surpassed that total in game two with 25.

LEANING ON LEVY
Sydney Levy donned the Green and White for the first time in her career at Oakland and did not disappoint, reaching double figures in both games and averaging 14.0 PPG on the weekend. Levy shot 57.9% (11-19) from the floor and 40% (4-10) from long range in two games.

PINGEL RUNNING POINT
Meghan Pingel tallied 15 assists running the Phoenix offense last weekend. She leads the team with 28 assists on the season. Pingel ranks second in the HL in assists per game with 4.0 and leads the entire league in assist/turnover ratio with 1.8.

BLOCK PARTY
Freshman Jasmine Kondrakiewicz registered four blocks in Green Bay's overtime contest at Oakland, aiding in the 78-76 Phoenix victory.

LEVY LEAVING THE BENCH
Transfer Sydney Levy is now immediately eligible after the NCAA Division I Council voted Wednesday to grant a blanket waiver allowing all Division-I transfers to play immediately this year. Levy is a transfer from Milwaukee.

MID-MAJOR POLL MATCHUPS
The Phoenix won its first pairing with a team in the mid-major poll, defeating Drake, 69-61, who currently ranks 9th. Most recently, Green Bay fell in back-to-back games with league-foe Milwaukee, who ranks 14th.

STEALING THE ROCK
Although it came in a losing effort, the Green Bay women's basketball team tallied a season-high 17 steals and forced 25 Bison turnovers in game one at North Dakota State. Meghan Pingel led the way with four steals, followed closely by freshmen Jasmine Kondrakiewicz and Ellie Foster who tallied three apiece.

FRESH PHOENIX FACES
The Green Bay women's basketball team welcomes five new faces to the roster this season, four freshmen (Caelan Givens, Ellie Foster, Kendall Renard and Jasmine Kondrakiewicz) and one transfer, Sydney Levy. A total of six members of the squad are seeing the floor for the first time at the collegiate level as Cassie Schiltz, Julia Hartwig and Brooklyn Blackburn are seeing minutes after redshirting last season.

LEAGUE LEADERS
Caitlyn Hibner is tied for second in the Horizon League in scoring with 19.3 PPG. First is UIC's Jaida McCloud and locked in second with Hibner is reigning HL Player of the Year, Macee Williams.

FANTASTIC FRESHMAN
Kondrakiewicz made her first career start for Green Bay to open the season vs Drake, marking the first time since the 2013-14 season a true freshman graced the starting lineup for the Phoenix. Kondrakiewicz took advantage of the opportunity and scored 15 points in 20 minutes while shooting 50% (5-10) from the field. She also pulled down two rebounds, dished out one assist, logged one steal and recorded a block in her debut.

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 HEATING UP
Hibner has logged the sixth double-double of her career and scored in double figures six times this season. She has surpassed 20 points twice and led the Phoenix in scoring in five games this season.

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 RMU 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.

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Players Mentioned

#4 Caitlyn Hibner: G; 6' 0"; Junior

#14 Meghan Pingel: G; 5' 8"; Redshirt Sophomore

#45 Brooklyn Blackburn: F; 6' 0"; Redshirt Freshman

#35 Julia Hartwig: F; 6' 2"; Redshirt Freshman

#1 Cassie Schiltz: G; 5' 11"; Redshirt Freshman

#15 Kendall Renard: F; 6' 3"; Freshman

#21 Jasmine Kondrakiewicz: F; 6' 1"; Freshman

#2 Caelan Givens: G; 5' 10"; Freshman

#3 Ellie Foster: G; 5' 10"; Freshman

#24 Sydney Levy: G; 5' 8"; Junior

Players Mentioned

#4 Caitlyn Hibner
: 6' 0"; Junior
: G

#14 Meghan Pingel
: 5' 8"; Redshirt Sophomore
: G

#45 Brooklyn Blackburn
: 6' 0"; Redshirt Freshman
: F

#35 Julia Hartwig
: 6' 2"; Redshirt Freshman
: F

#1 Cassie Schiltz
: 5' 11"; Redshirt Freshman
: G

#15 Kendall Renard
: 6' 3"; Freshman
: F

#21 Jasmine Kondrakiewicz
: 6' 1"; Freshman
: F

#2 Caelan Givens
: 5' 10"; Freshman
: G

#3 Ellie Foster
: 5' 10"; Freshman
: G

#24 Sydney Levy
: 5' 8"; Junior
: G