By: Andrew Gavin (@GBGavin)
GreenBayPhoenix.com

GREEN BAY, Wis. (GreenBayPhoenix.com) - After a strong start to its three-game homestand, Green Bay will look to enact revenge for the third-straight contest on Saturday when it hosts in-state rival Milwaukee at 1 p.m. The game at the Resch Center will be part of the Black Out Cancer Initiative, with the Phoenix players wearing black uniforms at home for the first time in program history.

The Black Out Cancer Initiative is an extension of a partnership between Bellin Health and Broadway Automotive. Proceeds from the initiative, including a jersey raffle and auction, will benefit the Patient Assistance Fund at The Cancer Team at Bellin Health.

In addition, the first 1,000 fans in attendance will receive a bobblehead of sophomore center Alec Brown (Winona, Minn.). After the game, youth fans can join the players for Free Throws with the Phoenix.

Less than a month ago, a buzzer-beating three-pointer by the Panthers' Kaylon Williams left the Phoenix stunned in a 64-63 loss that ruined a strong game for Green Bay and a career-high 20 points by freshman Keifer Sykes (Chicago, Ill.).

That loss on Jan. 7 was in the midst of a stretch of six defeats in seven games for the Phoenix, but head coach Brian Wardle's team recovered well by downing Valparaiso and Butler last week. The two double-digit wins improved Green Bay's record at the Resch Center to 9-1 this season and 19-5 under Wardle.

It has been a balanced Green Bay team of late, with four players averaging in double figures in January. Two players scored career highs last week, with sophomore Kam Cerroni pouring in five threes and 23 points in a 75-60 win over Valparaiso on Jan. 26 and junior Brennan Cougill tallying 21 points in an 80-68 victory over Butler last Saturday.

Those efforts, along with a gutsy performance by Sykes against Butler, overshadowed sophomore Alec Brown's week. The 7-foot-1 Brown averaged 17.5 points and eight rebounds in the wins while tying the Green Bay record held by Terry Evans for career blocked shots (132).

Milwaukee enters after losing four of its last five games, including 73-65 on Tuesday night against Youngstown State. Williams leads the Panthers in scoring at 11.2 points per game while ranking first in the Horizon League in assists per game (6.4).

The game will be televised regionally as the Horizon League Game of the Week, with Jim Barbar handling the play-by-play duties and Joel Cornette serving as the color analyst. In Wisconsin, the game is televised by Time Warner Cable Sports32.

• INSIDE THE SERIES: In 46 all-time meetings between the in-state rivals, Green Bay holds a 26-20 lead over the Panthers, including a 16-6 mark in Green Bay. Milwaukee has won two in a row in the series, with the last Phoenix win coming in the last meeting at the Resch Center, a 69-64 result on Jan. 8, 2011 of last season.

• THE FIRST MEETING: The first meeting this season between Milwaukee and Green Bay resulted in a heartbreaking 64-63 Phoenix loss on Jan. 7, when Panther senior Kaylon Williams hit a game-winning three at the buzzer. The Phoenix, led by a career-high 20 points from Sykes, was ahead by as many as 12 points in the first half and took an eight-point lead into halftime.

• BLOCK PARTY: In last week's win against Valparaiso, Brown moved into a tie with Terry Evans (2005-09) for first place on Green Bay's all-time shot blocking list with 132. With just one block against Milwaukee, Brown will hold the record alone in just his 54th career game. With three more blocks today, Brown he will break the single-season record, which he set with 67 as a freshman in 2010-11. Brown is second in the Horizon League and is 10th nationally in blocks per game this season, averaging 3.1 per game.

• BLOODY GOOD GAME: In last Saturday's 80-68 Throwback Night win against Butler, Sykes was forced to wear three different jerseys due to a head gash that left two jerseys bloodied. Sykes ended up scoring points in each uniform, tallying four points in #24, four points in #1 and six points in #11 to help the Phoenix seal the win. The freshman finished with 14 points and seven assists in 29 minutes in a gutsy performance.

• CAN I SEE SOME ID?: The game against Butler continued a strong stretch for Sykes since his 18th birthday on Dec. 30. One of the country's youngest players, Sykes has averaged 13.6 points and 4.1 assists in eight games since becoming eligible to vote. For the season, Sykes ranks first among Horizon League freshman in points, assists and assist-to-turnover ratio. Of the 10 starting point guards in the Horizon League, only Youngstown State's Kendrick Perry (38 TOs) has fewer turnovers than Sykes (40).

• KAM CATCHIN' FIRE: Since being inserted into the starting lineup, Cerroni has consistently been providing the Phoenix with an outside scoring threat. In his 11 starts, including the last nine games, Cerroni is averaging 10.7 points per game and shooting 50 percent (30-60) from long range.

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