By: Andrew Gavin (@GBGavin)
GreenBayPhoenix.com

GREEN BAY, Wis. (GreenBayPhoenix.com) - Sophomore Alec Brown (Winona, Minn.) set a Horizon League and program record with 11 blocked shots. Freshman Keifer Sykes (Chicago, Ill.) scored a game-high 16 points and sank the game-winning free throws. But for Brian Wardle, it was the Resch Center crowd that was the player of the game in Green Bay's thrilling 57-56 comeback win over Wright State on Saturday.

"That was an emotional roller coaster ride, but I've got to say out of all the players that made big plays - and there were a lot of them - I thought the number one player that made a play was that crowd," said Wardle. "Bottom line. We had a crowd for eight and a half straight minutes standing on their feet screaming for us and our young team just fed off of it and I thought it really flustered the opponent a little bit."

The time period Wardle was speaking of was a 20-3 run midway through the second half that turned a 17-point deficit (46-29) into a 49-49 game with 4:23 to play. The 3,449 fans - a Resch Center high this season - were on their feet through much of the run, when a young Wright State team went 1-for-7 from the field and committed four turnovers.

Junior Brennan Cougill (Sioux City, Iowa), relegated to the bench during the comeback when Wardle went with a smaller lineup to pressure the Raiders, became a cheerleader during the run. A Resch Center favorite, Cougill was effective urging on the Phoenix faithful.

"Coogs is the ultimate team guy who will do anything we need him to do to help us win," Wardle said of Cougill. "He didn't play as many minutes as he usually does on Saturday, but we needed him in a different capacity and he stepped up to help us get the crowd on their feet."

Green Bay returns to the road for games at Cleveland State and Youngstown State this weekend, but the Phoenix return to the Resch Center for an important three-game homestand against Valparaiso, Butler and Milwaukee. The games will feature a variety of promotions, including Throwback Night against Butler on Jan. 28 and the Black Out Cancer game against Milwaukee on Feb. 4.

"Our focus is on this upcoming weekend, but we look forward to seeing the fans back at the Resch in next couple weeks for what should be three more exciting games," Wardle said.

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Team Notes

• Led by Brown, Green Bay broke its team record for blocked shots in a game with 14. The previous record was 10, set last season on Dec. 20, 2010 against North Dakota.
• Meanwhile, Wright State became the first Green Bay opponent this season to fail to record a blocked shot.
• Green Bay defeated Wright State despite season lows of 13 made field goals and 35 field goal attempts. The last field goal make for the Phoenix was at the 4:23 mark of the second half.
• The Phoenix set season highs in free throws made (26) and attempted (35). Sykes (10-14) and Brown (7-11) combined to make 17-of-25.
• Wright made 5-of-6 free throws, marking season lows for free throws made and attempted by a Phoenix opponent.

Individual Notes

• Brown's 11 blocks broke the single-game records for Green Bay, the Resch Center and the Horizon League. He broke his own school record, set with eight on Dec. 20, 2010.
• With 122 career blocks, Brown is alone in second place on the program's all-time list and just 11 blocks shy of breaking Terry Evans' program record of 132.
• Brown now has five games this season with five or more blocks and nine in his career.
• The 7-foot-1 sophomore has at least one block in 16 of 17 games this season and 43 of his 49 career games.
• Brown is now ninth nationally in blocks per game (3.2) and ranks second in the Horizon League.
• Brown has started all 49 of Green Bay's games in the past two seasons.
• Brown currently ranks in the top-10 in the Horizon League in points (eighth, 13.6), rebounding (second, 7.9), free throw percentage (sixth, 78.7), blocks (second, 3.2), offensive rebounds (t-first, 3.1) and defensive rebounds (t-third, 4.8).
• Sophomore Kam Cerroni has moved into third place in the Horizon League in three-point percentage (43.9%, 25-57). The guard is shooting 58.8 percent in the past four games (10-17).
• Cerroni made three three-pointers and scored all 11 of his points after halftime on Saturday.
• Freshman Keifer Sykes has scored 10 or more points in four-straight games after tallying a game-high 16 against Wright State. He is averaging 15.8 points and shooting 58.1 percent from the field in that stretch.
• Sykes also added a career-high six rebounds and hit 10-of-14 free throws. It was the first time a Phoenix player hit 10 free throws since Brown made 10 against North Dakota on Dec. 20, 2011.
• In league play, Sykes leads all Horizon League freshmen in points, field goal percentage, assists and assist-to-TO ratio.
• Freshman Josh Humphrey played a season-high 22 minutes in the win, including 15 in the second half. He had four points, two rebounds, an assist and a steal.