Green Bay women’s basketball is off to its best start since the 2017 season, after taking down North Dakota and New Hampshire this week.
Following last week’s brief road trip down to Chicago, the Phoenix returned to the Kress Center for the first of two games at home, hosting the North Dakota Fighting Hawks. The two teams traded baskets for most of the first quarter, with North Dakota holding a 15-14 advantage after the first 10 minutes. Green Bay regained the lead early into the second when Meghan Schultz and Maddy Skorupski got the offense in gear, combining to score 14 of the Phoenix’s 21 points for the period. This effort helped Green Bay take a 35-30 lead into the locker room.
Skorupski kept the scoring going in the third, hitting a jumper on the opening possession, while Kamy Peppler would also score on back-to-back possessions to help the Phoenix expand the lead into double figures. Schultz scored the final four points of the low-scoring period, giving Green Bay held a 48-38 lead. In the final 10 minutes of play, the Phoenix defense clamped down to close the door on the Fighting Hawks, including a 15-0 run for seven minutes of game play. Offensively, Schultz and Carley Duffney piled on the points to help run away with the game.
When all was said and done, Green Bay toppled North Dakota 63-47, as Schultz upped her career high in scoring to 26 points, leading all scorers in the game, and aided by Duffney’s 13 points.
Green Bay capped the week hosting an Education Day game, inviting local elementary schools for Thursday matinee contest against the New Hampshire Wildcats.
The Phoenix got off to a blazing start, as Skorupski scored all eight of her points in the game in the first quarter, with a pair of made triples leading Green Bay to a 23-12 lead after the opening 10 minutes. Gracie Grzesk and Ellie Buzzelle helped Green Bay expand the lead in the early going of the second, building the advantage up to 32-14 midway through the quarter. New Hampshire, attempting to wrap up a three-game road trip with a win, fought back, getting some timely three-point shooting to draw the game back into a single-digit deficit. Peppler would get the Phoenix back to a double figure lead by hitting a pair of free throws in the final minute of the half, as Green Bay went to the break with a 38-27 lead.
The Phoenix looked to get some breathing room in the third quarter, getting big baskets by Duffney and Grzesk in the early going. The Wildcats refused to go away quietly though, as the long ball kept falling and kept the contest in check. Freshman guard Kristina Ouimette got going as well, scoring three of the next for buckets to help the Phoenix to maintain the advantage. Green Bay closed the third in similar fashion to how it started, getting buckets from Duffney and Grzesk, then holding a 61-41 advantage after 30 minutes of action. Early into the fourth, after the teams exchanged points, another made three by Ouimette helped the Phoenix get to its highest lead of the game at 24 points. The Wildcats had one last gasp, as their long-range shooting heated back up, and they closed the lead to 73-61, then took possession following a Phoenix miss. Green Bay’s defense clamped down though, and got a Peppler layup to help put the game away, winning the contest 76-64.
In the winning effort, the Phoenix finished with five double-digit scorers, led by Duffney’s 13 points, aided by 12 from Schultz and Ouimette, 11 from Buzzelle, and 10 from Peppler. New Hampshire’s Camryn Fauria led all scorers with 19 points in the defeat.
Green Bay will be back in action on Sunday afternoon, traveling to Madison to face the Wisconsin. The Phoenix has won its last four matchups against the Badgers, including a 70-60 win the last time these two teams faced off, in December of 2022. Tipoff is slated for 2 PM CT at the Kohl Center.
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