Sunday marked a history making day, though not in the way Green Bay would have hoped. Friday night’s loss against Robert Morris tied a program record for most consecutive losses at 14, set just two seasons ago in the final year of the Will Ryan era. Unfortunately for the Phoenix and their fans, Green Bay dropped their 15th consecutive on Sunday, losing to Youngstown State 73-69.
Like Friday’s loss, Green Bay was able to grab an early advantage, as Preston Ruedinger got the scoring going for the afternoon, giving Green Bay the early advantage. After then giving up a bucket on the next possession, Green Bay jumped to a 9-2 lead after Jeremiah Johnson and Marcus Hall each chipped in on two possessions. The Penguins would go on a 7-0 run to tie things up, before Green Bay got a Mac Wrecke layup to end the run and give the Phoenix a lead once again. The two teams would trade baskets and the lead a few times over the next several minutes.
Green Bay was able to jump out to a six-point lead after Yonatan Levy, who missed Friday’s game with a lower body injury, hit a 3 to give the Phoenix a 20-18 lead. Levy then split a trip to the free throw line on Green Bay’s next possession to keep the run going. Ryan Wade capped off the outburst by hitting a 3 to give the Phoenix a 24-18 advantage.
Youngstown state was able to match the run and the two teams would go into the under 4 break tied at 24-24, with Preston Ruedinger going to the free throw line. Rudy hit both, which Jason Nelson immediately answered with a layup to tie things back up. Phoenix big man Yonatan Levy stepped out and hit another three, which helped Green Bay take a 31-29 lead into halftime.
The Penguins opened the half with the ball and were able to draw a foul on Levy, but only split the trip to the charity stripe, leaving Green Bay in front 31-30. Levy scored from the paint, and Jeremiah Johnson scored six straight to build the lead up to 39-30. Nico Galette ended the scoring run there, as Youngstown State once again split a trip to the free throw line. Galette would score on his next opportunity, as the Penguins got a pair of extra chances from offensive rebounds before Galette found the bottom of the net. A Juwan Maxey 3 cut the lead to 39-36, before Green Bay went on a number of offensive bursts to expand the lead, and answer each metaphorical punch the Penguins offered, ultimately reaching an 11 point lead at 59-48 with 9:36 left in regulation.
Youngstown State was able to chip away at the lead, cutting into it bit by bit as Green Bay could only split a couple trips to the free throw line. The Penguins would get as close as three, 61-58, after a Cris Carroll layup with 6:54 left. Levy and the Phoenix extended it back to a two-possession game after he went 2-2 on a trip to the line. Just as before though, the Penguins chipped into the Phoenix lead, first with a pair of made free throws, then a Galette layup that brought the Green Bay advantage down to just one point at 63-62. Marcus Hall had an answer to give Green Bay a bit of breathing room with 4:01 left in the contest. Galette drew a foul and made the shot, cutting the lead back to 1 at 65-64 with 2:57 left in the game, which prompted the final media timeout of the game.
Galette made the ensuing free throw to tie the game, and Youngstown State grabbed the lead on its next possession after Jason Nelson made a layup with 2:05 left. Carroll extended the lead to 4, at 69-65 after making a pair of free throws with 1:18 left. Levy cut the lead back to 2 with a perfect trip at the line with 0:52 left and got a stop on the Penguins ensuing possession. Unfortunately for the young Phoenix team, David Wilkerson got a steal and found Ty Harper in transition to slam it home to give the Penguins a 4 point advantage with just 0:14 left. Ryan Wade did cut the lead back to 2 after a pair of made free throws with 0:08 left but was unable to get a steal and had to foul. Galette was perfect from the line once again and Green Bay fell short once again.
In his return to action, Levy led Green Bay with 18 points. Wade, Johnson, and Ruedinger each reached double figures as well.
The biggest difference in the game was Green Bay’s 16 turnovers that led to 20 points for the Penguins.
Green Bay gets 1 more home game, hosting IU Indy on Wednesday night from the Resch Center before 4 straight road games. Tipoff is set for 6pm CT.
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