GREEN BAY, Wis. – Welcome to the first March edition of Phoenix Weekly! In the lone home event this week, the Green Bay women's basketball team is set to host a Horizon League quarterfinal this Thursday against Oakland at 7 p.m. CT.

WEEK IN REVIEW
MEN'S BASKETBALL
Green Bay men's basketball picked up a win against Detroit Mercy and fell to Oakland twice in the past week as their season came to a close.

On Thursday, the Phoenix defeated Detroit Mercy 76-71, led by Jeremiah Johnson's game-high 20 points. Green Bay trailed 30-20 with 4:09 to go in the first half but was able to trim the deficit to 33-30 going into halftime. Ryan Wade hit a three-pointer to take a 47-46 lead with just over 10 minutes remaining. Marcus Hall and Ben Tweedy hit game-clinching free throws in the final seconds to ice the Phoenix the win. Green Bay was 30-for-39 free throws in the game, including 7-for-7 from Tweedy and 7-for-8 from C.J. O'Hara.

On Saturday, Green Bay fell to Oakland 87-84 in overtime. The Phoenix led most of the first half, taking a 36-32 lead into the break. Green Bay led by as many as 14 and held a 68-58 advantage with 4:11 to go when Oakland started to take over the game. With under a minute to go, DQ Cole hit a three, which dropped the Phoenix lead to 70-68. C.J. O'Hara went 1-for-2 from the line to give the Phoenix a 71-68 lead with 14 seconds left in regulation. Cole was fouled with eight seconds left and converted his first free throw but missed the second, as Allen Mukeba tipped in the missed shot, forcing the game into overtime. The Golden Grizzlies outpaced the Phoenix in overtime, led by Allen Mukeba securing a double-double with 23 points and 11 rebounds.

On Tuesday, the 2024-25 season came to an end, as the Phoenix fell to Oakland in the Barbasol Horizon League Championship First Round, 96-72. The Phoenix had three players score in double figures, led by Jeremiah Johnson, who had 21 points and nine rebounds. C.J. O'Hara added a career-high 15 points and six rebounds from the bench and Marcus Hall chipped in with 11 points. Oakland had everything going offensively, finishing the game shooting 49.3 percent from the field and 44.4 percent from three. Four Golden Grizzlies scored in double figures, led by 15 points and 11 rebounds from Allen Mukeba. Isaiah Jones also had 15. The GB offense didn't fare as well, finishing the night shooting 39.1 percent from the floor and 26.9 percent from three.

WOMEN'S BASKETBALL
Green Bay women's basketball wrapped up a regular season Horizon League Championship with a 68-63 overtime defeat of Purdue Fort Wayne, its 23^rd in program history. The Phoenix led 30-29 at halftime but fell behind 48-43 going into the 4^th quarter. Jazzlyn Linbo converted a layup to give PFW its largest lead of the game at seven. Jenna Guyer and Callie Genke both made layups, cutting the lead to 52-51. Tia Morgan hit a three-pointer to give the Mastodons a six-point advantage with 4:37 remaining. The Phoenix went on a 6-0 run, with all points coming from Natalie McNeal, which tied the game at 57 going into overtime. Cassie Schiltz converted a three-pointer on the first possession of overtime, and Green Bay never trailed the rest of the way. Schiltz made two free throws to extend the lead to two possessions with 13 seconds left. Natalie McNeal scored 27 points and brought down 13 rebounds to lead the Phoenix. Amelia Bromenschenkel led PFW with 18 points.

Natalie McNeal and Maddy Schreiber were named to the Horizon League First team this week. Bailey Butler was named Horizon League Defensive Player of the Year, and Jasmine Kondrakiewicz was also named to the All-Defensive team.

SOFTBALL
Green Bay softball went 2-3 at last weekend's Lindenwood Invite. On Friday, the Phoenix fell to Valparaiso 1-0 and Lindenwood 3-2. On Saturday, Lindenwood beat the Phoenix a second time, 8-2. The Phoenix defeated Western Illinois in the next two games by scores of 10-5 and 10-1. Paige Hanson went 5-for-6 in the two wins with eight RBIs and two runs scored in the final two games. Sara Ebner also went 5-for-7 with three RBIs and four runs scored in the wins.

A LOOK AHEAD
WOMEN'S BASKETBALL
Green Bay women's basketball will host Oakland in a Horizon League Quarterfinal game on Thursday at 7 p.m. CT.

ABOUT THE GOLDEN GRIZZLIES
With interim head coach Deanna Richard at the helm, the ten-seeded Golden Grizzlies snapped their eight-game losing streak in a 62-56 victory at IU Indianapolis. Oakland is led by Horizon League All-Second team selection Maddy Skorupski, who averages 16.3 points per game while leading the Grizzlies with 3.1 assists and 2.9 steals per game. Skorupski had the highest-scoring performance of any HL player this season in her 38-point outing versus Detroit Mercy on 2/1/25. Oakland's lead defender is senior guard Madison Royal-Davis, who leads the Grizzlies with 6.5 rebounds and 1.2 blocks per game while ranking second on the team with 2.2 steals per game. Royal-Davis additionally shoots 46.9 percent from the floor, trailing only center Lianna Baxter's 47.4 percent range for the highest percentage among starters.

Natalie McNeal leads the Phoenix, averaging 14.4 points and 7.1 rebounds per game. Maddy Schreiber also averages double figures in points at 12.3 per game. In Horizon League play, Green Bay has the best scoring margin at 18.6, scoring 70.4 points and allowing 51.9 points per game.

HISTORY VS OAKLAND
Green Bay leads the all-time series 19-6, besting Oakland in both matchups this year by a combined 66 points. The Phoenix is 9-1 in the last ten games against the Grizzlies, and have grabbed victories in seven straight matchups at home dating back to 2016-17. Oakland was held to just 39 points in both contests against Green Bay this season, falling 39-75 to the Phoenix the last time out. The Phoenix dominated all night long, getting a team-high 15 points from Cassie Schiltz.

###
 
Follow the Phoenix on social media: X, Instagram, and Facebook.
 
To receive Green Bay Athletics news via email, please fill out this form.
 
---GreenBayPhoenix.com---