By: Andrew Gavin (@GBGavin)
GreenBayPhoenix.com

GREEN BAY, Wis. (GreenBayPhoenix.com) - For Green Bay will look to end a pair of four-game losing streaks on Saturday afternoon when the Phoenix hosts Wright State at 1 p.m. at the Resch Center. The Phoenix has lost four-straight games overall this season and has also dropped four in a row in the all-time series with the Raiders.

The Festival Foods Family Game will provide numerous exciting opportunities for youth Phoenix fans. The first 1,000 youth fans in attendance will receive a mini autograph basketball presented by the Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board. Youth tickets are just $7 with adult tickets starting at $9 while hot dogs and small sodas are just $1. After the game, the team will sign autographs on the court during Free Throws with the Phoenix.

The four single-digit losses for Green Bay have not come without positives, with sophomore Alec Brown (Winona, Minn.) continuing a strong season (13.9 points, 7.9 rebounds), freshman Keifer Sykes (Chicago, Ill.) emerging as a  game-changer (15.7 points per game in last three contests) and sophomore Kam Cerroni (Sussex, Wis.) heating up from long range (made seven of last 11 threes).

However, the Phoenix has been unable to pull out a win in close losses to Butler, Valpo, Milwaukee and Detroit. In Thursday's 80-73 loss to Detroit, Green Bay lost despite a 17-point, nine-rebound effort from Brown. The Titans turned a 40-30 edge in rebounding into 20 second-chance points.

Wright State, who swept three games from Green Bay in 2010-11, comes to the Resch Center after suffering a 58-38 loss at Milwaukee on Thursday night. Leading scorer Julius Mays, one of the surprises of the league, was held to just three points.

The game will pit the two youngest teams in the Horizon League, highlighted by the two freshman point guards - Sykes and Wright State's Reggie Arceneaux. The two squads feature a combined 21 underclassmen.  

• INSIDE THE SERIES: The series with the Raiders is even at 22-22 entering Saturday after Wright State swept three games in 2011-12. The two regular season games a season ago were decided by a combined five points. The two teams both have a strong edge at home, with the Phoenix holding a 15-5 advantage in 20 all-time meetings in Green Bay.

• MATCHUP TO WATCH: The top two freshman point guards in the Horizon League will be on display on Saturday. Sykes, averaging 10.8 points per game in league play, will square off against WSU's Reggie Arceneaux, who come in averaging 8.9 points per game this season. 

• CAN I SEE SOME ID: Sykes, who turned 18 on Dec. 30, has been on a tear since becoming able to legally vote. Believed to be the youngest player in the country, Sykes has scored in double figures in three-straight games as an 18-year old. In league play, Sykes is sixth in the conference in field goal percentage (55.4) and is tied for 19th in scoring (10.8 ppg).

• CRASH THE GLASS: The area that Brown may have improved the most from his freshman campaign is rebounding. Brown is second in the Horizon League in rebounding (7.9 per game) and is averaging nine boards per game in league play. He has tallied 10 or more five times this season after doing so just three times as a freshman.

• BLOCK PARTY: With two blocks against Detroit, Brown now has 111 blocked shots in his 48-game Green Bay career, moving into a tie for third place with Matt Hill (1995-99). He needs just two more blocks to move past Larry Hill (1988-92) for second place. Brown has a block in 42 of his 48 career games and is on pace to break the program's career blocks record and his own single-season record of 67 this season. The career record of 132 is held by Terry Evans (2005-09).

• CLOSE CALLS: Green Bay is coming off four-straight frustrating losses by a combined 15 points. In the past two seasons, Green Bay has lost just three league games by 10 or more points. Only Cleveland State and Butler have fewer double-digit losses in that span.

• EARLY OFFENSE: In its last three games, Green Bay's offense has been clicking early. The Phoenix has shot over 50 percent in the opening 20 minutes in each game and is shooting a combined 55.4 percent in those three halves.

• RAIDERS PLAYER TO WATCH: Julius Mays has emerged as a star not only for WSU but in the Horizon League after transferring from North Carolina State. The 6-foot-2 guard is averaging a league-best 18 points per game in conference action.

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