I’m beginning to run out of superlatives to describe this season’s Green Bay Phoenix women’s basketball team. Tonight’s 75-48 win over Detroit Mercy was Green Bay’s 10th straight, improving to 15-3 overall on the season and 8-0 in conference play.
The Phoenix and Titans were pretty evenly matched through the 1st, with Green Bay having the slightest edge at 15-13. Green Bay was able to hold Detroit to just eight points in the second quarter, while doubling up the Titans in the period to go into the half with a 32-21 lead.
Green Bay continued the domination into the third, outscoring Detroit Mercy 25-11 in the period. Interestingly enough, during the onslaught there wasn’t one long scoring run for the Phoenix, just a dominant quarter throughout. With the game largely wrapped up, did go into the bench in the fourth and just like the first quarter, only out scoring the Titans point total by two for the period.
The Green Bay “formula” isn’t revolutionary to Horizon League fans, balanced scoring with in-your-face, tenacious defense. In Thursday night’s contest, it was no different. The Phoenix forced 22 turnovers, and scored 30 points off those turnovers. Beyond that, it is offensive balance. 7-14 from the three-point arc, 18-20 from the free throw line as a team, and 36 points in the paint. Any given game, Green Bay will generally have several double digit scorers, and generally one comes from the bench. Tonight the Phoenix had 4 players score in double digits, with Bailey Butler putting up a game high 14, Natalie McNeal added in 12, and Cassie Schiltz dropped in 10 as well to lead the starting five. Off the bench, Natalie Anderson, the grad transfer from Horizon League foe IUPUI, played 29 minutes and had 11 points for Green Bay.
Up next for the Phoenix, it is a Saturday matinee at Oakland, with a tip time of 1pm Ct.
