INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. - The Green Bay women's basketball team returns to Indianapolis for a second consecutive season as they ready for the 2023
Barbasol Horizon League Championship Semifinals. GB will battle No. 6 Purdue Fort Wayne tomorrow at 11 a.m. CT for a spot in the HL Championship game, which is on Tuesday.
Monday, March 6 - Indianapolis, Ind. - INDIANA FARMERS COLISEUM
No. 6 Purdue Fort Wayne (14-18, 9-11 HL) vs. No. 1 Green Bay (26-4, 18-2 HL)
11:00 AM CT |
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History
Green Bay and Purdue Fort Wayne have never met in the MCC/Horizon League Tournament. The Phoenix has hosted Purdue Fort Wayne twice and visited the Mastodons six times in the regular season, including four in a row from 2021-2023. Overall, the Phoenix has played 32 conference tournament semifinal games, going 25-7. The Phoenix dropped their first four semifinal matchups, with the first coming on March 10, 1989, in Chicago, where GB fell to DePaul 73-64. At that time, GB was part of the North Star Conference. Since joining the MCC (now the Horizon League) in 1993, GB is 24-2 in semifinal contests. The Phoenix has dropped their last two semifinal appearances.
ABOUT THE MASTODONS
Second-year head coach Maria Marchesano has Purdue Fort Wayne on the cusp of a Horizon League Championship berth. Marchesano is 21-39 through her first 60 games at PFW and boasts a 161-150 record in 11 total seasons as a head coach. Amellia Bromenschenkel presents a threat to the Phoenix, averaging 12.5 points and 5.1 rebounds per contest. She is the only Mastodon to average double figures and five or more rebounds per game. In two regular-season games against Green Bay, she was held to 14 total points on 6-of-21 shooting from the field.
250 AT THE KRESS
Thursday's contest marked the 250th women's basketball game at the Kress Center. Green Bay Athletics held its first athletic event at the Kress on November 2, 2007. Since beginning play inside the Kress, Green Bay is an impressive 219-31 (.876). GB has recorded 10 or more home wins in all but three seasons since the 2007-08 season. Green Bay tallied win number 219 over Wright State last Thursday in the Quarterfinal matchup.
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.
MID-MAJOR MADNESS
Green Bay has been in the Mid-Major top 25 all season long, and on February 28, they climbed into the top 10, coming in at no. 7. Horizon League foe Cleveland State is no. 10 and is the only other Horizon League school to be in the top 25 or receiving votes.
BORSETH IN THE BOOKS
Head coach
Kevin Borseth is inching closer to 800 career wins. Borseth tallied career win number 792 with the win over Wright State last Thursday. He is 8th among active coaches in total career wins, recording 480 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.
TAKING CARE OF THE ROCK
The Phoenix has taken great care of the ball this season. GB ranks fourth in the country in fewest turnovers per game (11.6). Horizon League foe Northern Kentucky isn't far behind with 12.4, ranking 15th in the nation.
LEAVE IT TO LEVY
Senior
Sydney Levy has been lights out for the Phoenix this season. She has reached double figures 18 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.Â
COUNT ON CASSIE
Cassie Schiltz has solidified herself as a leader for the Phoenix this season. The Luxemburg-Casco graduate has appeared in 29 of GB's 30 games, starting all of the games she's appeared in. She's fourth in scoring on the squad at 8.7 points per contest. Schiltz is also the team's leading rebounder, pulling in 5.2 per game. She has racked up a team-leading 126 defensive rebounds.
MONEY MCNEAL
Natalie McNeal has been a centerpiece of Green Bay's success going into tournament action. Over her last seven games, she reached double figures twice and averaged 9.0 points per game. In Green Bay's last matchup, she flirted with another double-double, recording nine points and 10 rebounds in the win over Wright State.
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 11 of GB's last 17 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 12 of GB's last 17 games, including nine in a row from January 20 to February 17.
DYNAMITE DEFENSE
Green Bay boasts a top-10 defense heading into the Semifinal matchup. The Phoenix ranks eighth in the country in scoring defense (53.0 PPG), which is easily the best in the Horizon League. Cleveland State is no. 2 in the conference in scoring defense and 32nd in the nation. GB has suffocated opponents for fewer than 60 points in 22 of 30 contests, helping create the Horizon League's second-best margin of victory at +15.1, only trailing Cleveland State's +17.7. The Phoenix also boasts the HL's no. 1 opponent field goal percentage (33.4 percent) and no. 2 three-point shooting percentage (26.0 percent).
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)
The other Semifinal matchup on Monday is:
- (No. 5) Northern Kentucky vs. (No. 2) Cleveland State - 1:30 p.m. CT
The winner of the HL Semifinals will advance to the Championship Game hosted at the Indiana Farmers Coliseum in Indianapolis, Ind. on March 7.
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