By: Andrew Gavin (@GBGavin)
GreenBayPhoenix.com
GREEN BAY, Wis.
(GreenBayPhoenix.com) - Winners of
three-straight and six of its last eight games, Green Bay (13-14, 8-8 HL) hits
the road to end the regular season with a pair of games in Chicago. The first
test will be on Thursday night when the Phoenix plays at Loyola at 7 p.m. at
the newly renovated Gentile Center.
Head coach Brian Wardle, a native of nearby
Willowbrook, will bring a strong contingent of players and staff from the
Chicago area to the Windy City. The Phoenix roster includes six Chicago
natives, including freshman point guard Keifer Sykes (Chicago, Ill.), and two of Wardle's assistant coaches have ties to
the city.
Sykes has scored in double figures in eight games in a
row and has been incredible in Horizon League play, averaging 13.1 points and
4.2 assists per game. In Green Bay's 71-67 home win over Cleveland State, the
point guard had 13 points and five assists while playing 40 minutes.
Wisconsin native Kam Cerroni (Sussex, Wis.) enters the
weekend streaking as well. The top three-point shooter in the Horizon League is
shooting 46.6 percent from long range and has made a three in 16 consecutive
games. He had five threes and 17 points in Tuesday's win.
Green Bay won the first meeting against Loyola 57-47,
with sophomore Alec Brown scoring a team-high 14 points. The Ramblers have won
two of their last four games on the strength of strong play from junior Ben
Averkamp, a Wisconsin native who leads the team in scoring (14.7) and
rebounding (7.2).
The game will also be broadcast live on
WDUZ The Fan with the pregame show beginning at 11:45 a.m. Matt Menzl and
Andrew Gavin will be on the call for the radio broadcast. To listen live
online, click here.
• INSIDE THE SERIES: Green Bay holds a 23-15 advantage in the all-time
series with Loyola and has won five of the past six games. The lone exception
during that run was a 79-62 loss at the Gentile Center on Feb. 12, 2011. Loyola
holds a 10-7 margin in the series on its home court.
• THE FIRST MEETING: In the first meeting this season, Green Bay sprinted
out to a 32-12 halftime lead and staved off a great effort from Loyola in the
second half to win 57-47. Walt Gibler, who has missed the last two games due to
injury, scored a game-high 18 points for the Ramblers while Phoenix sophomore Alec Brown (Winona, Minn.) was the lone
Phoenix player in double figures with 14. Green Bay had nine different players
score in the contest.
• HOME SWEET HOME: Green Bay went 12-2 at the Resch Center this season, completing one of
its best ever seasons at the facility. The Phoenix went 13-2 at home during the
2008-09 season. Green Bay has a 22-6 home record in two seasons under head
coach Brian Wardle.
• BACK HOME ON THE ROAD: The Phoenix brings nine different players and coaches
from the Chicago area to the Windy City this weekend. All six Green Bay players
from Chicago are newcomers, including sophomore Terry Johnson and freshmen
Aaron Armstead, Jared Dimakos, Josh Humphrey, Greg Mays and Keifer Sykes. The
Chicago natives combined for 28 points in Tuesday's win.
• CAN I SEE SOME ID?: Sykes is in the running for Horizon League Newcomers
of the Year. Since turning 18 on Dec. 30, the freshman is averaging 14.4 points
and 4.6 assists in 14 games. Since becoming eligible to vote, the country's
second-youngest player has scored in double figures in 13 of 14 games, including
eight in a row. He leads all Horizon League freshmen in points, assists and
assist-to-turnover ratio and is eighth in the conference in scoring in league
play.
• CERRONI STREAKIN': Cerroni, the Horizon League's top three-point shooter
at 46.6 percent, has consistently given the Phoenix a presence from long
distance. After hitting five threes Tuesday against CSU, Cerroni has now
drained a three-pointer in 16-straight games and in 20 of the past 21. He is
now 55-of-118 from long range this season. In league play, Cerroni is shooting
50 percent from beyond the arc and averaging 10.9 points per game.
• CERRONI IN THE CLUTCH: In the last five minutes of games this season, Cerroni
leads the Phoenix in scoring. Cerroni has knocked down 13-of-24 threes (54.2
percent), 20-of-23 free throws (87 percent) during those minutes.
• TOP THE CHARTS: Brown has broken the program's single-game, single-season and career
blocked shots records this season. The 7-foot-1 Brown has 81 blocks this season
and 148 for his career. He has a block in 52 of 59 career games and became the
program's all-time leader in the category in just 54 career games.
• SWAT TEAM: Led
by Brown's record-breaking season, Green Bay has tallied 127 blocks to break
the program's single-season team record of 119 set last season.
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