GREEN BAY, Wis. – It was a night to remember at the Kress Center as the Green Bay women's basketball team got back in the win column with a 64-56 victory over the UIC Flames. Head Coach Kevin Borseth became the 20th head coach in NCAA women's basketball history, and the 16th HC in the Division I landscape, to collect 800 career wins.
Natalie McNeal tried to steal the show by scoring a career-high in points with 19 and five rebounds for Green Bay (6-3, 1-0 HL). Jasmine Kondrakiewicz was the only other Phoenix to reach double figures, chipping in with 14 points, one steal, and four rebounds.
The Flames (5-3, 0-0 MVC) were paced by Danyel Middleton and Makiyah Williams, who each tallied 12 points.
HOW IT HAPPENED
It was a tight first quarter, with neither team leading by more than three. Cassie Schiltz highlighted the frame with a triple before McNeal made a jumper for an 11-10 with 4:15 to go. Schiltz drilled a mid-range jumper to tie the game at 13 going into the second quarter. Callie Genke got in on the action with a layup with 8:19 remaining in the quarter, extending GB's lead to 19-15. UIC came back to take a 25-21 advantage after Williams executed a layup. The Phoenix went into the break on a solid note, thanks to a Maren Westin floater and a shot from McNeal that splashed home just before the buzzer, tying the game at 25.
The second half started on a different note, with McNeal taking over the game. She scored a dozen points in the frame, giving her a career-high 18 by the end of the quarter. McNeal scored six in a row at one point and helped give the Phoenix a 39-32 advantage. UIC showed some fight and eventually took a 42-41 lead when Keimari Rimmer banked home a long triple. Green Bay answered right back to end the quarter on a 6-0 run, with Genke tacking on four more points. The Phoenix took a 47-42 lead going into the final frame and blew open the contest by starting the 4th on a 9-3 run. Maddy Schreiber made it a 14-point lead from the charity stripe, and Green Bay never looked back for a 64-56 victory.
GAME NOTES
» Both teams combined to go 5-for-38 from beyond the arc.
» The Phoenix forced 22 UIC turnovers while committing only eight on the other end. Green Bay scored 21 points off UIC's turnovers.
» Green Bay was relentless in the paint, racking up 40 points.
» GB was lethal at the charity stripe, making 14 of 15 attempts.
COMING UP
The Phoenix will have a quick turnaround to prepare for Saint Louis, who visits the Kress Center this Saturday at 4 p.m. Get your tickets here, or if you can't make it to the game, watch the contest on ESPN+ or listen here.
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