YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio – Down two with just over five seconds on the road at Youngstown State, Green Bay men's basketball head coach Sundance Wicks called a timeout and drew up a sideline out of bounds play for the Phoenix. The result was an open three for Foster Wonders, which he buried, to give the Phoenix an 84-83 lead with just over a second remaining in the game. A YSU half court attempt at the buzzer was no good, and GB maintained its spot as the lone leader of the Horizon League.
In a day where the Phoenix (17-9, 12-3) was without its leading scorer, Noah Reynolds, due to illness, Preston Ruedinger stepped up with a career-best 26 points, five rebounds, and four assists. The freshmen duo of David Douglas Jr. and Marcus Hall was massive too, scoring 16 and 13 points, respectively. Douglas also pulled down a career-high eight rebounds. Wonders' buzzer beating three gave him 10 points on the day and made him the fourth Green Bay player in double figures.
Youngstown State had big days from DJ Burns and Brett Thompson. Burns finished with a game-high 32 points and 16 rebounds. Thompson poured in 23 points including a perfect 9-for-9 from the free throw line.
At 17-9 this season following last year's 3-29 season, Green Bay is currently on a 17.5 game turnaround. That mark, if it held for the rest of the season, would tie the single-best season-to-season turnaround in NCAA Division I men's basketball history. Towson had a 17.5 game turnaround in the 2013 season.
HOW IT HAPPENED
After falling behind 7-0 early, Green Bay battled back and outscored the Penguins 26-9 over a nine-minute stretch to grab a 26-16 lead with 9:42 to go in the first half. Youngstown State then responded with a 10-0 run of their own to tie it up at 26 all with just over six minutes in the first. The two teams traded baskets back-and-forth for the remainder of the half, with the hosts taking a 42-38 lead into halftime.
The Penguins threatened to pull away at the start of the second half if it wasn't for Ruedinger scoring nine of his 19 second half points in the frame's first five minutes. YSU still led for much of the second half until a Ruedinger and-one gave the Phoenix a 65-64 lead with 8:26 to go. GB extended that lead to 70-64 before the hosts responded with a 13-6 run to take a 77-76 lead with 3:07 to go. Both teams grabbed the lead at different points down the stretch before Wonders had the final say with his game-winning three.
GAME NOTES
» The Phoenix shot well from three point range, knocking down 14-of-29 (48.3 percent) long range attempts.
» GB has hit 10+ threes in 13 games this season.
» Green Bay recorded 17 assists on 28 made baskets.
» The Green Bay bench outscored YSU's, 29-13.
» GB outscored YSU in the paint, 28-26.
» Green Bay had a 39-30 edge on the boards in the win.
» Green Bay cleaned up on the offensive glass, collecting 13 offensive boards.
COMING UP
Green Bay has just one game this week, a Wednesday night showdown with Northern Kentucky at the Resch Center at 6 p.m. It's the last game of the season at the Resch, so get your tickets to see the Phoenix
HERE.
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