GREEN BAY, Wis.
(GreenBayPhoenix.com) - On a nine-game winning streak, the No. 22/16 Green Bay (18-1, 7-0 HL)
women's basketball team will head to Indianapolis Thursday as it faces the
Butler Bulldogs (13-6, 7-0 HL) at 6 p.m. at the Hinkle Fieldhouse. For the
second consecutive season, both teams enter their first meeting of the season
with identical conference records. This time the stakes are higher as neither
team has lost a game in Horizon League play at this point in the season.
In the first meeting last season, both teams had 5-2 records
in league play before Green Bay finished in a first-place tie with Detroit
after capturing a 63-62 win over the Bulldogs. The Phoenix swept the Bulldogs
in a back and forth battle Feb. 27 winning 61-54 in Indianapolis.
The past two seasons Green Bay and Butler have finished No. 1
and No. 2 respectively in the Horizon League final standings.
Green Bay has won 28 consecutive games against the Bulldogs
which is the most for the Phoenix against any Horizon League opponent. Butler
is also the 12th and final team the Phoenix face this season that entered its
2010-11 campaign coming off a post-season appearance. The Bulldogs were edged
57-54 by Illinois State in the first round of the WNIT Tournmaent.
Both teams have tough senior
players that will more than likely play a key role in Thursday's game. Behind Julie Wojta (Mishicot, Wis.), senior Celeste Hoewisch (Hortonville, Wis.) is
averaging 12.4 points per game and 4.1 boards for the Phoenix. Classmate Kayla Tetschlag (Sheboygan, Wis.) is
also putting up double figures in scoring with 12.7 points while leading the
way on the boards with 7.4. Tetschlag posted her seventh double-double of the
season after scoring 20 points and grabbing a game-high 10 rebounds in Green
Bay's win over Milwaukee Jan. 22.
For Butler, reigning Horizon
League player of the week Chloe Hamilton is averaging 13.7 points per contest
while leading the way on the boards with 6.9. Hamilton scored a career-high 27
points in Butler's 64-60 win over Loyola on Jan. 20. Meanwhile senior classmate
Brittany Bowen leads the Bulldogs averaging 15.7 points per game and is second
in rebounding with 6.7 boards per contest. Bowen is the Bulldogs lone Preseason
Horizon League All-Team selection, being named to the second team.
Bench Production... With the Phoenix still without
sophomore starting guard Adrian Ritchie (De
Pere, Wis.), Green Bay's bench to continues to improve and play more minutes.
In league games this season the Phoenix bench has outscored its opponents'
bench 101-55. Sophomore Lydia Bauer (Lake
Zurich, Ill.) came off the bench to lead the Phoenix with a game-high 20 points
against Milwaukee on Jan. 22.
Weird Rankings... After receiving its highest ranking
of the season in both Top 25 polls last week and beating in-state rival
Milwaukee by 48 points, Green Bay slipped one spot in both national polls. The
Phoenix enters play against the Bulldogs ranked No. 22 in the AP Top 25 Poll
and No. 16 in the ESPN/USA Today Coaches
Poll.
Live Game Action... Phoenix fans can watch Saturday's game
live online here.
Joy of the
Journey...The
newest blog to GreenBayPhoenix.com takes you along and inside the Green Bay
women's basketball 2010-11 season as the team works toward a second consecutive
NCAA Tournament appearance and 13th consecutive regular season Horizon League
championship. Fans can check out the
women's basketball blog here
for updates throughout the season.
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