By: Jill Wunrow
GreenBayPhoenix.com
***APPROXIMATE TIP TIME NOW 5:50 P.M.***
AMES, Iowa (GreenBayPhoenix.com) - As the No.
7 seed in the Kingston region, Green Bay (30-1, 17-1 HL) faces No. 10 seed Iowa
State (18-12, 9-9 Big 12) Saturday, Mar. 17 in the first round of the NCAA
Tournament at 5:30 p.m. on ESPN2. For the second time in program history, the
Phoenix is making its fourth consecutive trip to the NCAA Tournament while the
Cyclones are making their sixth-straight appearance.
Both teams are
making their 13th appearance in the NCAA Tournament. Green Bay earned a seven
seed after a 30-1 season, winning a record-14th consecutive regular season
Horizon League championship. Iowa State is one of seven Big 12 teams selected
to the field of 64 after advancing to the Big 12 championship game.
Saturday's game
marks the third meeting between Green Bay and Iowa State, all coming in
postseason play with the Cyclones owning a 2-0 series record. Both games were
decided by an average 6.0 points and both were played in Ames, Iowa. Green Bay
fell 79-71 in the first round of the WNIT Mar. 16, 2006 and led the majority of
its most recent meeting with the Cyclones Mar. 23, 2010 before being edged
60-56 in the final second in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
Since its last
meeting against Iowa State in 2010, Green Bay has compiled an impressive record
of 64-3. Green Bay is 5-12 overall in NCAA Tournament appearances and 3-3 under
fifth year head coach Matt Bollant while the Cyclones are 16-12 all time in
NCAA Championship games. Iowa State is one of just 16 teams to make the NCAA
Championship field in each of the last six seasons.
Green Bay joins a
list of 20 teams (including Baylor, Stanford, and Delaware this season) who
entered the NCAA Tournament with at least 30 wins and no more than one loss.
All 16 of the previous teams advanced at least as far as the Sweet 16.
With an appearance
in this year's tournament, seniors Julie
Wojta (Francis Creek, Wis.) and Hanning
Quilling have played in more NCAA Tournament games (7) than any other
Phoenix players in the 39-year history of the program. Under Bollant, all six
of the NCAA Tournament games have been decided by 10 or fewer points. Green
Bay's wins have been by an average of five points while its losses have been by
an average of eight points.
Of the 64 teams in
the NCAA Tournament, the Phoenix ranks second in turnover margin (+9.19) behind
Kentucky (10.9) who is also featured in the Ames, Iowa site. Green Bay's
scoring margin (+20.1) ranks sixth while its 12.5 steals per game is seventh
among the field of 64. The Cyclones 7.3 three-point field goals per game ranks
sixth among teams in the tournament.
BOLLANT VS. THE BIG 12... The four-time
Horizon League Coach of the Year, Bollant is 1-2 against opponents from the Big
12 Conference. Bollant led the Phoenix to a 68-56 win over Kansas State in his
first season with the Phoenix. In addition to the loss against Iowa State in
2010, Green Bay fell 86-76 to Baylor in the program's first Sweet 16 appearance
in the 2011 tournament.
FROM POTENTIAL TO POTENTIAL ALL-AMERICANS... Both Green Bay and Iowa State
will both feature potential All-Americans leading their respective teams in
Horizon League Player and Defensive Player of the Year Julie Wojta (Francis Creek, Wis.) and Chelsea Poppens,
respectively. Wojta leads the phoenix with 19.8 points and 10.2 rebounds per
game, posting 18 double doubles this season. In Green Bay's 2010 NCAA
Tournament appearance in Ames, as a sophomore, Wojta averaged 11 points and
seven rebounds.
Poppens, a
unanimous All-Big 12 selection this season as a junior, averages 14.3 points
and 10.7 rebounds per game to lead Iowa State. As a starting freshman, the
6-foot-2 Poppens had eight points and five rebounds in a 60-56 second-round win over Green Bay.
Both Wojta
and Poppens were recently named All-Region nominees for the WBCA Division I
Coaches' All-American Team. Wojta and Poppens are two of 52 players to receive
the honor for their respective regions.
RELIABLE RITCHIE... Second Team
All-League selection Adrian Ritchie has proven to be reliable for the Phoenix
when it comes to NCAA Tournament play. In her five NCAA Tournament games, the
5-foot-11 guard is averaging 9.2 points and 3.8 rebounds per game. In last
season's second round win over Michigan State, Ritchie poured in a game-high 20
points, going 4-of-5 from three-point range. Ritchie thrives under deadline
situations as twice this season she has made last-minute game-deciding shots.
The junior sank a three with 0.6 second remaining against then No. 25 Georgia
Tech to send the game into overtime. After Green Bay trailed by nine with 59
seconds to play in regulation against Youngstown State, Ritchie poured in nine
points, including three game-tying free throws with 19 seconds to play to send
the game into overtime.
ON TELEVISION...Green Bay's contest against Iowa State can be watched on ESPN2 and
ESPN3. To watch the game on ESPN3.com, click here.
LIVE CHAT... During
the game on Saturday evening, fans can participate in a live chat and share
their comments with GreenBayPhoenix.com. To access the live chat and sign up
for an email reminder, visit the Tournament Central Page.
SOCIAL MEDIA...
As always, Green Bay will keep you up to speed with the Phoenix on and off
the court through social media. Follow and like the following for the latest
updates, pictures and information from Iowa.
Twitter
Facebook
###
The meeting
between Green Bay, the Horizon League regular season and tournament champions
and Iowa State, an at-large bid from the Big XII Conference, will take place at
Hilton Coliseum on Saturday, March 17 at 5:30 p.m. CT. Green Bay has an
unblemished road record of 12-0 while Iowa State is 14-2 this season on its
home court. The winner will play either second-seeded Kentucky (25-6) or No. 15
seed, McNeese State (26-7) on Monday, March 19.
For ticketing
information, please visit Cyclones.com. Single-session and all-session ticket
packages are available. All-session tickets can be purchased for $30 for adults
and $25 for youth (high school and younger). Single-session tickets are being
sold for $18 for adults and #13 for youth.
To follow all of the
action throughout Green Bay's trip to the NCAA Tournament, check out Tournament Central presented by Taco Bell.
For the latest and most up-to-date information on Green Bay Athletics,
please visit GreenBayPhoenix.com.
Follow us on Twitter: @GBPhoenix, @GBPhoenixWBB and @GBGavin.
Like Green Bay Phoenix women's basketball and Green Bay Phoenix Athletics on Facebook.
---GreenBayPhoenix.com---
