GREEN BAY, Wis. – The Green Bay men's basketball team is returning home to host Oakland and Detroit Mercy this weekend at the Kress Center. The Phoenix secured their second Horizon League win of the season on Monday over in-state rival Milwaukee.
Thursday, February 9 – Green Bay, Wis. – KRESS CENTER
Green Bay (3-22, 2-12 HL) vs. Oakland (10-15, 8-6 HL)
7:00 PM
Follow the action: Watch (ESPN+) | Listen (WDUZ The Fan) | Live Stats
Saturday, February 11 – Green Bay, Wis. – KRESS CENTER
Green Bay vs. Detroit Mercy
6:00 PM
Follow the action: Watch (ESPN+) | Listen (WDUZ The Fan) | Live Stats
Green Bay is 14-11 all-time against Oakland and 35-29 when squaring off with Detroit Mercy. When hosting the Golden Grizzlies, the Phoenix is 10-4. However, the last time GB hosted Oakland on January 22, 2022, the Golden Grizzlies took the contest 68-61. Thursday's matchup will be the second between these two squads this season, as Oakland beat Green Bay 81-65 in Rochester, Mich. on Dec. 31. Jalen Moore led the way for Oakland with 25 while Randy Tucker poured in 17 points.
The Phoenix is 19-8 when hosting the Titans, and won their last home game against Detroit Mercy 70-63 on Jan. 20, 2022. Earlier this season Green Bay traveled to Detroit to take on the Titans but fell 76-59. Antoine Davis led the way with a game-high 24 points.
ABOUT THE GOLDEN GRIZZLIES
The Golden Grizzlies are led by 38th-year head coach Greg Kampe. Kampe is the second-longest tenured active head coach in Division I, behind Syracuse's Jim Boeheim. Kampe is a 1978 Bowling Green graduate and holds a 654-507 record at Oakland.
Oakland is led by one of the most prolific scorers in the Horizon League, Jalen Moore. Moore is fourth in the HL in scoring (18.0) and leads the league in assists per game (5.8). Trey Townsend is also an all-league-level performer, pouring in 16.1 points and 8.1 rebounds per game.
ABOUT THE TITANS
Coming into this weekend, Detroit Mercy sits ninth in the Horizon League with a 6-8 league record. Fifth-year head coach Mike Davis leads the Titans and is 55-84 during his time with the program.
Detroit Mercy is led by one of the best scorers in college basketball history, Antoine Davis. Davis leads the league with 26.6 points per game and is currently 268 points shy of Pete Maravich's all-time points record (3,667). Gerald Lidell averages a double-double for UDM with 16.0 points and 10.0 rebounds per game.
LAST MATCHUP
Green Bay is coming off the back of a big rivalry win in Milwaukee on Monday night. The Phoenix took the contest 80-79 in overtime thanks to a career-high 20 points from Randy Tucker and multiple clutch shots down the stretch from guard Davin Zeigler, who finished the game with 18 points and six rebounds. GB's win over Milwaukee knocked the Panthers out of a tie for first place in the Horizon League and was also the first win for interim head coach Freddie Owens, a Milwaukee native.
NEW BEGINNINGS
Assistant coach Freddie Owens was named Interim Head Coach on January 24. Owens boasts over 15 years of coaching experience and had previous stops at Loyola-Maryland, College of the Holy Cross, Utah Valley State, Oregon State, and Iowa State. He was a two-year starter and four-year letter-winner at Wisconsin, where he was the co-captain of the Badgers' 2002 and 2003 Big Ten regular-season and 2004 Big Ten tournament championship teams. Owens grew up in Milwaukee and attended Washington High School. He earned his first career win as a head coach Monday night in Milwaukee.
DECISIVE DAVIN
Junior guard Davin Zeigler was crucial to GB's win over Milwaukee Monday night. Zeigler played 42 minutes in his first start since Nov. 26 against UIC and finished with 18 points and six rebounds. Zeigler was Key to the late-game effort from the Phoenix, draining a three with just over a second left in regulation to force overtime before eventually hitting the game winner with a second left in overtime.
LET IT FLY
Green Bay shot a season-high 42 threes and made a program record 16 of them in the win over Milwaukee. The previous season-high was 30 attempts at Oakland on Dec. 31.
COUNT ON CUMMINGS
Clarence Cummings III has provided consistency in his first season as a Phoenix. Cummings is shooting 45.3-percent from the field and averages 10.0 points per game, good for second on the team behind Meyer. He is also second on the team in rebounds per game (3.5). Cummings has been a mainstay on the floor for Green Bay, leading the team with 29.4 minutes per game while starting 24 of GB's 25 games.
MAKIN' MEYER
Sophomore forward Cade Meyer has taken a second-year leap. The Monroe, Wisconsin native leads the team in scoring (11.3), rebounding (4.6), and field goal percentage (58.5-percent) Meyer is second on the team in minutes per game (27.9).
HEFFNER CAUSING HAVOC
Redshirt freshman Brock Heffner has made his presence felt in his first year with the Phoenix. A transfer from Hawaii, Heffner leads the team in blocks with 16. The Grafton, Wis. native, was key in the Phoenix win over Milwaukee, scoring 17 points and grabbing six rebounds in 32 minutes off the bench.
ON THE HORIZON
Just six games remain on the docket for the Phoenix. GB is currently the no. 10 seed, but IUPUI trails by one game. Green Bay plays four of the last six at home. After battling Oakland and Detroit Mercy this weekend, they'll travel to Robert Morris and Youngstown State before returning home to take on Cleveland State and Purdue Fort Wayne to close out the regular season on Feb. 23 and Feb. 25.
NEW PHOENIX FACES
Green Bay welcomes 10 new players for the 2022-23 season.
TRANSFERS
Garren Davis (6-4, G | Clarendon College)
Clarence Cummings III (6-5, F | State College of Florida)
Zae Blake (6-1, G | Southwest Mississippi CC)
Brock Heffner (6-8, F | Hawaii)
Davin Zeigler (6-3, G | Indian Hills CC)
Ryan Wade (6-2, G | Central Michigan)
TRUE FRESHMEN
Donavan Short (6-10, C | Denmark, Wis.)
Amari Jedkins (6-7, F | Racine, Wis.)
Jack Rose (6-5, G | Bristol, Wis.)
PRESEASON #HLMBB POLL
Pl. Team (1st-place votes) – Pts.
T1. Purdue Fort Wayne (17) - 394
T1. Northern Kentucky (15) - 394
3. Wright State (3) - 329
4. Oakland (2) - 321
5. Youngstown State (1) - 291
6. Detroit Mercy (2) - 268
7. Cleveland State - 188
8. Robert Morris - 163
9. Milwaukee - 132
10. Green Bay - 111
11. IUPUI - 49
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