Phoenix fall to open 2025, make roster moves

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Photo courtesy of Green Bay Athletics

A 20-1 run in the first half proved to be too much for the Green Bay Phoenix men’s team, as it dropped its 11th straight game, losing to Wright State 74-51 in the Nutter Center.  

Green Bay and Wright State traded early baskets, as the Raiders went on a 5-0 burst to grab a 7-2 lead.  The Phoenix would rally, even grabbing a 10-9 lead on a Foster Wonders paint jumper.  Brandon Noel converted an And-1 which gave Wright State the lead with 12:39 left in the first half, which it would hold onto for good. Green Bay did cut the lead to one, as Mac Wrecke split a pair of free throws with 11:26 left in the first, the last points the Phoenix would score until Ben Tweedy made a layup with 3:17 left in the half.  Over that time, the Raiders would tack on 18 straight, giving Wright State a 30-13 lead.  On a high note, Green Bay would hold take a 7-5 advantage to close the half, going into the break trailing 35-20.  

The Phoenix were able to cut into deficit as the second half got underway.  Newcomer Yonatan Levy, who officially gained final eligibility from the NCAA in December, converted an And-1, bringing the lead down to 12.  Once again though, Brandon Noel and the Raiders had an answer, and sank a 3 on the following possession to extend the lead to 15.  From there, Wright State closed the door on any Green Bay comeback attempt. 

Green Bay did have a few roster changes since their early conference preview in December.  Isaiah Miranda and walk-on Muodubem Muoneke both left the program. Green Bay did add Yonatan Levy, as mentioned above. Levy, 23, comes in at 6-9, and was granted immediate eligibility as a Freshman.  Levy previously played in Israel’s Pro A league for Hapoel Eilat, where he averaged 3.7 pts and 4.3 rebounds per proballers.com. 

Gottlieb stated Levy, when he’s fully in basketball shape, will play the traditional 5/Center role, and gave credit to Levy for his patience with the eligibility process which began in November.  Gottlieb added that when Levy decided to play college hoops, “Big J” and Kassie Wagner, Green Bay’s Senior Associate AD for Compliance worked with the NCAA to go through each game and team to determine amateur status.  Levy officially joined the team earlier this week.  

Additional positives from the Phoenix in the loss last night, freshman Jeremiah Johnson continues to show growth at the NCAA level, leading the Phoenix with 14 points, while shooting 6-10 from the floor.  Preston Ruedinger chipped in 8 points as the second leading scorer for Green Bay.  

The Phoenix remain on the road for its next several games, with Northern Kentucky next on the docket, this Saturday.  Northern Kentucky is coming off an overtime 69-68 over Purdue Fort Wayne. Tipoff is set for 12 pm CT.  

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