GREEN BAY, Wis. - Noah Reynolds scored 23 points to help lead the Green Bay men's basketball team to their first win over the Saint Francis (Ill.) Fighting Saints 72-56 at the Kress Center.
The Phoenix (1-1) had three players score in double figures, led by Reynolds, who put together a double-double with 23 points and 10 assists. Elijah Jones added 19 points and eight rebounds on a perfect 9-of-9 shooting. Rich Byhre chipped in as well with 11 points and seven rebounds.
Green Bay took advantage of excellent ball movement in Thursday's game, piling up 19 assists on 30 made field goals.
GB's defense held Saint Francis to 40.0-percent shooting from the field. The Phoenix on the other hand shot 53.6-percent from the floor.
HOW IT HAPPENED
After falling behind 8-4, Green Bay went on a 9-0 run with 16:02 left in the first half, culminating in a three from Jones, to take a 13-8 lead. The Phoenix then lost some of that lead, but still entered halftime with a 31-27 advantage. Green Bay did a majority of their first half damage in the paint, scoring 20 of its 31 points close to the basket.
The Fighting Saints tied things up at the start of the second half 33-33 before Green Bay went on a 10-0 run, finished off by Marcus Hall's three, to seize a 43-33 lead with 16:27 to go in the contest. The Phoenix kept expanding that margin and coasted the rest of the way for the 72-56 win.
GAME NOTES
» Green Bay had a 33-27 edge on the boards in the win.
» The Green Bay bench scored nine points while the USF bench had 17.
» Green Bay cleaned up on the offensive glass, collecting 11 offensive boards in the game.
» Jones and
Marcus Hall led GB with eight rebounds each.
COMING UP
Green Bay will travel to Valparaiso to take on the Beacons on Tuesday at 7 p.m. CT. Following, GB will travel to Montana to square off against Montana State and UC Riverside on Monday, Nov. 20 and Tuesday, Nov. 21.
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