It wasn’t as easy as some of the other wins along the way, but Green Bay was able to outlast Youngstown State on Thursday night, earning its 13th straight win, by a score of 58-47.
The Phoenix got scoring going on its opening possession when Jasmine Kondrakiewicz split a trip at the free throw line, giving Green Bay a 1-0 lead. Youngstown State got on the board, grabbing the lead with a Sophia Gregory layup and extending it out on a deep 3 from Malia Magestro. The slow start continued for the Phoenix as a pair of missed 3s would give the ball back to the Penguins. Fortunately for Green Bay, their defense was just as stout, and YSU was unable to extend the lead further.
Kondrakiewicz went back to the line and made both free throws to bring the score to 5-3, with Youngstown State holding the narrow lead. Each team exchanged layups prior to the first quarter media break, which came after Haley Thierry got whistled for a foul. At that point, YSU still held a 7-5 lead. Meyer tied the game with a high, banking layup, followed by an elbow jumper from Bailey Butler and a left handed layup from Natalie McNeal to put Green Bay back in front.
The Phoenix continued the scoring run, after Maddy Schreiber got a steal and then scored in transition off an incredible pass from Meyer. Meyer would dish off another assist, this time a lob to Kondrakiewicz, capping a 10-0 Green Bay run. Gregory was finally able to end the drought after backing down Kondrakiewicz in the paint and getting the layup from the block to go.
Jewel Watkins then made a pair of free throws on the next YSU possession to cut the Green Bay lead back to 4, at 15-11. McNeal would tack on another bucket from the paint, and took Green Bay’s final shot of the first. McNeal did miss the shot and the Penguins were able to race out in transition to add one more bucket in the quarter, trailing the Phoenix 17-13 after the opening period.
After the quarter break, Green Bay missed its opening shot, but dug in defensively to force a couple Penguins turnovers. Xoe Rosalez finally got a shot to go, cutting the deficit to 17-15. The Phoenix opened up the scoring, building its biggest lead of the game. First, McNeal scored. Then, Kondrakiewicz on a great find by Cassie Schiltz.
McNeal found Kondrakiewicz again to extend the lead to 23-15. Butler got in on the action, hitting Green Bay’s first 3 of the game to put the Phoenix up by 11. On the defensive end, Green Bay then forced a shot clock violation, to bring the game to the media break for the quarter. Out of the timeout, Green Bay continued the offensive burst, as Meyer got a long ball to go, and McNeal with a layup. When Watkins finally made a shot for YSU, it was a 14-0 run, which had given Green Bay a 31-15 lead prior to the her triple.
Meyer answered with a runner, and Green Bay’s Callie Genke blocked a Penguins shot to give the Phoenix one last scoring chance before halftime. Green Bay was unable to get a shot up in transition, but would take a 33-18 lead into halftime, after outscoring Youngstown State 16-5 in the second quarter.
Coming out of the locker room, Youngstown State got the opening score on another Gregory paint touch. The Penguins also got a pair of made free throws from Magestro before McNeal got Green Bay back in the scoring column with a made jumper. Rosalez buried a 3, followed by a Green Bay miss, which turned into another Gregory layup.
Butler answered with a made jumper, before Magestro hit a 3, cutting Green Bay’s lead down to just 37-30. Kondrakiewicz split a trip at the line, and McNeal was able to go perfect from the charity stripe on a later possession to extend the lead back to 10. Watkins answered back with 5 straight points, first a made 3 then a jumper.
Schreiber returned the call though, in just her third game back from injury, sinking a jumper, then earning and converting on an And 1. On Green Bay’s next possession, Kondrakiewicz got the hoop and the harm, converting an And 1 of her own to balloon the Phoenix advantage back to 13. In the waning seconds of the third, Magestro was able to get a layup to go, but Green Bay still led 48-37 heading into the final period of play.
After a Watkins jumper to open the quarter, the Penguins and Phoenix each split trips to the free throw line to start the fourth. First it was YSU’s Faith Burch, then McNeal for Green Bay, followed by Thierry, each missing the first and hitting the second. Butler broke the cycle, minutes later, hitting a layup after another assist from Meyer.
The media break came early in the fourth after a YSU timeout with Green Bay up 51-41 with 5:41 left in regulation. Magestro would get another pair of free throws to go, shortly followed by Gregory getting a layup to bring the Phoenix lead to just 6. Schreiber drained a 3 to give Green Bay some breathing room, but was answered by another Gregory layup. Genke got her first bucket of the game on the ensuing possession to put the lead back to 9, with just 2:35 left in play. Green Bay was able to shutout the Penguins the rest of the way, and tacked on 2 more points with a pair of Schreiber free throws in the final minute of play.
Green Bay was led by McNeal and Kondrakiewicz each scoring 13 points in the contest. Schreiber was able to add 12 off the bench, with Meyer adding 7 points and 4 assists as well. The win clinches a Top 4 seed in the league for Green Bay, meaning a first round bye and hosting a quarterfinal game in the Horizon League Tournament next month.
After the game, Karius and Kondrakiewicz spoke with the media, with both crediting YSU for making them grind out a physical win and being thankful for the Green Bay’s veteran leadership in those tight games. You can see the full interview below. The Phoenix do remain at home for the weekend, hosting their annual PinkZone game, with special jerseys and a fundraiser for a local breast cancer resource center. The Phoenix will host Robert Morris in that game, with tip off scheduled for 1pm at the Kress Center.
