The Green Bay women’s basketball team continues to soar as they are headed to the championship game after their dominant win against Fort Wayne with a score of 73-48. The Phoenix are looking to win their third straight championship and claim the title for the 19th time in program history.
It was a slow start from Green Bay, turning over the ball after winning the tip-off. However, a three-point shot by guard Kallie Peppler got the team on the board. Green Bay could not establish a solid lead over Fort Wayne despite continued steals and the coaching staff were vocal with the refs, demanding better calls after fouls and travels went uncalled. Missed shots allowed Fort Wayne to retake the lead, but Green Bay kept fighting and established a small lead to end the quarter 13-9. The Phoenix put up eight paint shots and two second-chance opportunities, going 6 of 18 from the field.
Green Bay would get the first points of the second quarter after a successful layup from guard Kamy Peppler. They scored 10 unanswered points, fueled by one two-pointer and two three-pointers. Their defense also applied pressure on Fort Wayne, forcing blocked passes and shots while creating steal opportunities to extend their lead. After one foul call, Head Coach Kayla Karius could be heard urging her team to keep the ball moving.
“The balance score is just a product of the balance in our offense. We just love to get everybody involved,” Karius said. “We’ve been working tirelessly ever since [the loss to Fort Wayne] on how to move the basketball around. And that’s when we’re at our best.”
That showed on the court as players moved the ball quickly, getting to their spots and converting shots. Heading into halftime, Green Bay led 34-23. They closed the quarter with four points in the paint, three off turnovers and 11 bench points, going 9 of 17 from the field.
The Phoenix brought that same intensity from the first half, holding Fort Wayne to just one shot while slowly extending their lead. A steal from guard Maddy Skorupski set up forward Carley Duffney for a successful layup shot. Fort Wayne continued making the same mistakes from the first quarter and struggled to generate offensively, while Green Bay also left points on the board with missed shots that could have stretched the lead further.
Towards the end of the quarter, Skorupski stole the ball again and made the layup, drawing a foul in the process. As she came down, Fort Wayne’s Jordan Reid went up to attempt a block and on her landing, her elbow caught Skorupski in the face, leaving a nasty mark under her eye. The play was reviewed for a flagrant foul upgrade, but the referees ruled that the contact was a result of an unnatural landing position.
“She was just going for the ball…I knew in my head that she was making a basketball play. I think I told everyone in the huddle too. So it was just moving on, keeping our momentum going.” Skorupski said.
The third quarter ended with Green Bay on top, 59-35. The Phoenix put up 18 points in the paint, 10 off turnovers, five second chance points, five fast breaks points, and three points from the bench. Going 13 of 18 from the field. It marked the first quarter of the game where Green Bay had scored in all five statistical categories.
The fourth quarter carried the same momentum as the rest of the game, with Green Bay continuing to dominate the court, making and missing shots while stealing the ball several times. With only three minutes left, the Phoenix pulled their starters, conserving their energy with the outcome all but decided. Continued mistakes from the bench, however, allowed Fort Wayne to add a few more points. After a Fort Wayne layup with 18 seconds remaining, Green Bay ran out the clock. Their fans roared as the team celebrated, punching their ticket to the championship with a 73-48 victory.
“Really proud of our group today…this group has been really driven to fix some of the issues that we had and they responded in a big way,” said Karius. “I was really proud of the efforts from a lot of different people…especially our defensive effort against a really good three point shooting Fort Wayne team.”
Green Bay finished the game shooting 41.2% from the field (28 of 68), 36.4% from three point range (4 of 11) and 86.7% from the free throw line (13 of 15). The Phoenix will now play in tomorrow’s championship game against No.2 Youngstown State, looking to win their third consecutive title.
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