GREEN BAY, Wis. - For the second straight year the Green Bay women's basketball team is set to host a WNIT game at the Kress Center. The Phoenix will host Niagara in the tournament's opening round on Thursday, March 16 at 7 p.m. CT.

FULL BRACKET
 
Thursday, March 16 – Green Bay, Wis. – KRESS CENTER
Niagara (18-12) vs. Green Bay (27-5)
7:00 PM | Tickets
Follow the action: Watch | Listen | Live Stats | Tournament Information 
 
GB is making its seventh WNIT appearance all-time, with Thursday's game marking the third time the Phoenix has hosted. Green Bay hosted Minnesota a year ago, falling to the Golden Gophers 73-65.
 
The Phoenix has only played Niagara twice in program history. GB grabbed a pair of wins over the Purple Eagles during the 1987-88 season.

IT'S ALWAYS SUNNY IN GREEN BAY
New Green Bay men's basketball head coach Sundance Wicks will be making his first public appearance as the head coach of the Phoenix at the game Thursday night. (LINK)

TICKETS

• Tickets are available starting at $10 here.
• Fans can purchase tickets online or by calling the Phoenix Ticket Office at 920-465-2625.
• Students will receive free admission to the game.

ABOUT THE PURPLE EAGLES
The Purple Eagles finished the 2022-23 season with a 18-12 overall record and third in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference with a 16-4 conference record. Niagara lost in the MAAC Semifinals 81-68 to Manhattan.
Niagara is led by eighth-year head coach Jada Pierce. Over her eight years at the helm of the program, Pierce holds a 88-137 record.
The Purple Eagles are led by the duo of Aaliyah Parker and Angel Parker. Aaliyah Parker averages 17.3 points and 7.8 rebounds per game while Angel Parker is just behind at 15.7 points and 4.0 rebounds per game.
Niagara looks to speed opponents up on the defensive end, forcing the most turnovers per game in the NCAA at 28.4 per game.
 
LAST MATCHUP
Green Bay fell 73-61 in the 2023 Barbasol Horizon League Championship game on March 7. After falling behind 11-6, Green Bay went on a 10-0 run with 4:44 left in the first quarter, culminating in a bucket from Bailey Butler, to take a 16-11 lead. The Phoenix held onto their lead at the start of the second until the Vikings' Gabriella Smith hit three consecutive three pointers in a three-minute span that punctuated a 19-10 run to give CSU a 34-26 lead. Sydney Levy and Callie Genke hit three pointers at the start of the second half, but GB struggled to get the offense going after, finishing the third quarter shooting 3-for-18. CSU hit their free throws down the stretch and took the game 73-61.

AMAZING ACCOLADES
On February 27, the Horizon League announced its All-League award winners, and Green Bay had several individuals honored. Head coach Kevin Borseth was tabbed Coach of the Year for the ninth time, while Sydney Levy was named All-League First Team, and Bailey Butler was named All-League Second Team and All-Defense.
 
BORSETH IN THE BOOKS
Head coach Kevin Borseth is inching closer to 800 career wins. Borseth tallied career win number 793 with the win over Purdue Fort Wayne in the Horizon League Semifinal on March 6. He is 8th among active coaches in total career wins, recording 481 of them in 20 seasons with Green Bay. Borseth climbed to 20th all-time in career wins on February 3 after GB defeated Detroit Mercy 56-47.

WNIT HISTORY
Green Bay will be looking for its first WNIT win Thursday night. The Phoenix has appeared in the tournament six times - 2001, 2006, 2008, 2014, 2019, and 2022. It's the third time in program history the Phoenix is hosting a WNIT game.
 
TAKING CARE OF THE ROCK
The Phoenix has taken great care of the ball this season. GB commits the fourth fewest turnovers per game (11.6) in the country. Taking care of the ball will be especially crucial against the Purple Eagles, who force the most turnovers in the country at 28.4 per game.
 
SYD THE KID
Senior Sydney Levy has been lights out for the Phoenix this season. She has reached double figures 19 times this season, more than the past two years combined. The Appleton North High School graduate has also paced GB in scoring in 11 games while notching her first career double-double on December 29 versus Oakland.
 
BLOCK PARTY
Jasmine Kondrakiewicz put herself in the record books during the March 6 Semifinal contest against PFW, becoming the first Green Bay women's basketball player to record five or more blocks in a single game since Nicole Soulis recorded six against Detroit Mercy on February 18, 2006. Her five blocks also marked a career-high. Kondrakiewicz paces green bay with 28 total blocks on the season, an average of 0.9 BPG.
 
SHOUT FOR SCHILTZ
Cassie Schiltz has solidified herself as a leader for the Phoenix this season. The Luxemburg-Casco graduate has appeared in 31 of GB's 32 games, starting all of the games she's appeared in. She's third on the team in scoring at 8.9 points per contest. Schiltz is also the team's leading rebounder, pulling in 5.3 per game. She has racked up a team-leading 133 defensive rebounds.
 
MONEY MCNEAL
Natalie McNeal has been a centerpiece of Green Bay's success off the bench. McNeal was massive in the Horizon League Championship, scoring a team-high 18 points and grabbing 13 rebounds, which marked her second double-double of the season.
 
BRING ON BAILEY
Reigning Horizon League Freshman of the Year Bailey Butler has been on top of her game down the stretch. Since Green Bay's first game of 2023 at Wright State, Butler has reached double figures in 12 of GB's 19 games, including four in a row from 1/5/23 to 1/14/23. She has been a mainstay on the hardwood, racking up 32 or more minutes in 14 of GB's last 19 games, including nine in a row from January 20 to February 17.
 
DEMOLITION DEFENSE
Green Bay boasts the no. 11 scoring defense in the country heading into the WNIT. The Phoenix allows 54.0 points per game while scoring 68.0 per game on the offensive end.
 
WIN FROM WITHIN
13 of GB's 15 players come from inside the state border. Only Jenna Guyer (Circle Pines, Minn.) and Tatum Koenig (West Branch, Iowa) are not from Wisconsin.
 
NEW PHOENIX FACES
Green Bay welcomed three newcomers to the team last offseason.
 
Transfers
Tatum Koenig (5-7, G | Bradley)
Natalie McNeal (5-8, G | St. Louis)
Brehna Evans (5-8, G | St.Cloud State)
 
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