By Justin Grones (@JustinGrones)
GreenBayPhoenix.com
GREEN BAY, Wis.
(GreenBayPhoenix.com) - Riding a
five-game winning streak to close out non-conference play, the Green Bay women's
basketball team (10-2, 0-0 HL) will welcome league rival Detroit (7-5, 0-0 HL) to
the Kress Center on Tuesday evening for the highly anticipated 2012-13 Horizon
League opener. The game will be broadcast on Time Warner Cable Sports32, with
Chris Roth and former Green Bay player Mary Simonsen on the call. Tipoff is set
for 7 p.m.
The meeting will be a rematch of the 2012 Horizon
League Tournament Championship game, which Green
Bay won 66-53 at the Kress Center to advance to a fourth-straight NCAA
Tournament appearance last season. The win came a little more than a month
after Detroit had upset then-No. 9/9 Green Bay at home to snap a program-best
40-game winning streak and give the Phoenix its first Horizon League loss at
the Kress Center.
In its final non-conference matchup of the season,
Green Bay continued its streak of defensive dominance against St. Bonaventure
(7-8), holding the Bonnies to just 27.9 percent shooting in a 61-42
home win. Redshirt junior Breannah
Ranger (Skokie, Ill.) posted a team- and career-high with 14 points on 70
percent shooting and grabbed six rebounds, while teammate Stephanie Sension (Hopkins, Minn.) added 12 points. Senior Lydia Bauer (Lake Zurich, Ill.) scored
13 while hitting three of five attempts from long range, and also had a
game-high eight rebounds.
The win over St. Bonaventure marked the eighth time
the Phoenix has held an opponent to less than 50 points this season. In NCAA stat
rankings released on Jan. 6, Green Bay's 48.5 points allowed per game is the
fifth-best in all of Division I women's basketball. After holding the Bonnies
to just 27.9 percent from the floor, the Phoenix has now held an opponent to
shooting less than 30 percent on four occasions this season. Green Bay also
continued to own the paint, posting a 36-10 advantage over the Bonnies. During
the winning streak, Green Bay has outscored opponents a combined 172-50 in the
paint.
Detroit travels across Lake Michigan with a 7-5
record, having last played in a 74-60 loss at USF on Dec. 31. Led by sophomore
Shareta Brown, the nation's second-leading scorer at 26.0 points per game, the
Titans have scored 88 points or more in four contests this season. Before the
loss to USF, Detroit had won three straight games by an average score of 93-50.
Green Bay is 36-7 all-time against Detroit, including
a 22-1 mark under head coach Kevin
Borseth, who has never faced Detroit in the Kress Center. The last time
Borseth led Green bay against the Titans was an 81-58 win in the Horizon League
Tournament Quarterfinals on March 7, 2007.
FOLLOW IT LIVE: Tuesday's
game will be the third televised game the Phoenix has played this season, with
Time Warner Cable Sports32 carrying the action. Chris Roth will handle the
play-by-play, while former Green Bay player Mary Simonsen (Kulenkamp)
will provide color analysis. Fans can also listen live on Saturday as Bruce VandenPlas will
have the call on The Fan 107.5 FM, 1400 AM and WDUZ The Fan.com.
Live
stats and live video will also be available for the game against Detroit. Be sure to follow @GBPhoenixWBB and @JustinGrones on Twitter for updates throughout the game.
CONFERENCE
OPENER SUCCESS: Since joining the North Star
Conference in the 1988-89 season, Green Bay has never lost a conference opener.
The last time Green Bay opened Horizon League play against Detroit was on Dec.
31, 2010, a 69-62 home win.
BAUER POWER:
Senior Lydia Bauer has found her
stride from behind the arc, hitting six of her last 11 attempts from long
range. Bauer hit three of six attempts at Wichita State on Dec. 30 and followed
it up by hitting three of five attempts in the win against St. Bonaventure. At
34.0 percent, Bauer is second on the team in 3-point field goal percentage and
fourth on the team averaging 9.0 points per game. The Lake Zurich, Ill. native
is also averaging 5.1 rebounds per game.
NOTABLE CONNECTIONS: Detroit head coach Autumn Rademacher played for the
Titants from 1993-97 and was a member of the 1997 MCC Championship team that
defeated Green Bay in the championship game at the Phoenix Sports Center.
Rademacher also served as an assistant coach at Green Bay from the 2003-04
season through the 2007-08 season before accepting her current position at
Detroit.
NEXT ON THE SCHEDULE: Green Bay will remain at home to wrap up a three-game
homestand against Wright State on Saturday, Jan. 12. Originally slated for 2
p.m., the
game will be played at noon due to the Green Bay Packers' NFC Divisional
Round playoff game set for 7 p.m.
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on Green Bay Athletics, please visit GreenBayPhoenix.com.
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