ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – The Green Bay women's basketball team is headed to the Sunshine State for the St. Pete's Showcase, where they will clash against the Florida Gators and Northeastern Huskies. GB will play on Thanksgiving afternoon and Friday afternoon.
Thursday, November 24 – St. Petersburg, Fla. – MCARTHUR CENTER
Green Bay (2-1, 0-0 HL) vs. Florida (4-1, 0-0 SEC)
2:00 PM | Tournament Info
Follow the action: Watch (FloSports) | Listen (WDUZ The Fan) | Live Stats
Friday, November 25 – St. Petersburg, Fla. – MCARTHUR CENTER
Green Bay vs. Northeastern
1:00 PM | Tournament Info
Follow the action: Watch (FloSports) | Listen (WDUZ The Fan) | Live Stats
Green Bay is seeking its first win against the Gators, dropping their first two contests versus Florida. The programs first met on January 7, 1988, and their last meeting was on January 3, 2000. Meanwhile, Northeastern and the Phoenix will battle for the first time on Friday.
ABOUT THE ST. PETE'S SHOWCASE
The tournament features five teams all from different conferences, including Green Bay (Horizon League), Florida (SEC), Houston (American Athletic Conference), Northeastern (Colonial Athletic Association), and Portland (West Coast Conference). Eckerd College is hosting the St. Pete's Showcase in their newly renovated 1,400-seat McArthur Center. Eckerd College is home to 14 intercollegiate sports claiming 25 Sunshine State Conference Championships and a top-10 ranking for Academic Success Rate. Eckerd, located on 188 acres of waterfront property, is a pioneer of innovation-developing programs that have been adopted nationwide, earning the College an international reputation for academic excellence.
ABOUT THE GATORS
Kelly Rae Finley is in her first official season as head coach of the Gators after spending all of 2021-22 in an interim capacity. Florida enters the St. Pete's Showcase with a 4-1 record. Leilani Correa is averaging 16.6 points per contest while Ra Shaya Kyle pulls down 7.2 rebounds per game. The Phoenix defense will have their hands full, as the Gators are putting up 81 points per contest.
ABOUT THE HUSKIES
Bridgette Mitchell enters her second season with Northeastern, accumulating a record of 16-21. The Huskies, coming off a 59-61 loss against Maine, feature sophomore guard Gemima Motema. The Portland, Maine native leads the team in points per contest (15.6 PPG) and rebounds per game (4.4 RPG).
OFFSEASON RECAP
A lot happened during the 2022 offseason. Let's get you caught up:
April 4 - Tatum Koenig is added to the roster from Bradley.
April 22 - Natalie McNeal joins Green Bay from St. Louis.
June 21 - Supporters of green bay women's basketball enjoy a successful Prevea Fore Hoops Golf Classic with the team.
June 24 - Seven players make the Horizon League Spring Academic Honor Roll.
July 20 - GB lands in the top five of the WBCA Academic Top 25 Team Honor Roll.
August 17 - The 2022-23 #HLWBB schedule is released.
September 22 - Brehna Evans is added to the roster from St. Cloud State.
October 21 - Joey Dotterweich is named the women's basketball play-by-play announcer.
LAST MATCHUP
The Phoenix pulled out a win in a nail-biter against St. Louis last Friday night. Five GB players (Cassie Schiltz, Bailey Butler, Maddy Schreiber, Hailey Oskey, and Brooklyn Blackburn) posted double figures in the points column. Green Bay went 6-for-6 at the charity stripe down the stretch, holding on for a 73-70 victory.
OSKEY ON A ROLL
Senior guard Hailey Oskey had one of the best games of her career against the Billikens on Friday, filling the stat sheet by scoring 13 points, pulling down nine rebounds, tallying four assists, and grabbing two steals. It was the 40th time in Oskey's career (98 games played) that she scored 10 or more points.
GOBBLING UP THE WINS
The 2022-23 season marks head coach Kevin Borseth's 36th season as a head coach and 20th with Green Bay. Borseth is an impressive 457-134 in his first 19 years with the Phoenix and has a 769-303 overall record. Borseth coached for five years at Michigan from 2007-2012 but returned to Green Bay and has posted seven 20-win seasons since. The Phoenix has punched a ticket to 13 NCAA appearances under Borseth.
WIN FROM WITHIN
Head coach Kevin Borseth has garnered a plethora of talent from the state of Wisconsin. This season, 13 of the 15 players are from Wisconsin. Jenna Guyer (Circle Pines, Minn.) and Tatum Koenig (West Branch, Iowa) are the only players not originally from the dairyland.
STUFFING ON THE SIDE
Maddy Schreiber has registered a block in two of GB's first three games. Last season, the forward tallied a team-leading 14 blocks in 27 games. Schreiber is on pace for the same amount this year with 29 games on the docket.
HOME IS WHERE THE HEART IS
Natalie McNeal and Brehna Evans, whom both transferred to Green Bay during the offseason, are local products. McNeal played high school basketball at Germantown, where she was a two-time All-State First Team member, and Evans played at West De Pere High School, just minutes from the Kress Center. Evans scored over 1,000 career points with the Phantoms and averaged 14.5 points per contest over her high school career. McNeal will face her former team on Friday, playing against St. Louis since coming to Green Bay.
RECIPE FOR SUCCESS
Last season GB had incredible success at the charity stripe. Four Phoenix players (min. 13 attempts) had a free-throw percentage of 84.6 percent or higher, helping GB finish ninth in the nation in free-throw percentage (78.6 percent). Through the first three games, GB is second in free throw percentage (86.8), and against St. Louis, the Phoenix shot 6-for-6 in the final moments, helping secure the second win of the season.
NEW PHOENIX FACES
Green Bay welcomes three new members for the 2022-23 Season.
TRANSFERS
Tatum Koenig (5-7, G | Bradley)
Natalie McNeal (5-8, G | St. Louis)
Brehna Evans (5-8, G | St. Cloud State)
PRESEASON #HLWBB POLL
Pl. Team (1st-place votes) – Pts.
1. Youngstown State (8) - 118
2. Green Bay (2) - 106
3. Cleveland State (1) - 102
4. Northern Kentucky - 88
5. Milwaukee - 75
6. IUPUI - 67
7. Oakland - 47
8. Purdue Fort Wayne - 44
9. Robert Morris - 42
10. Wright State - 26
11. Detroit Mercy – 11
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