By: Andrew Gavin (@GBGavin)
GreenBayPhoenix.com

GREEN BAY, Wis. (GreenBayPhoenix.com) - After being an All-Horizon League First Team selection as a sophomore, Alec Brown's (Winona, Minn.) junior season did not start as planned or expected. The 7-foot-1 junior scored just two points in the opener as part of, by his standards, a rough start to the year.

There has been nothing rough about Brown's finish. In Horizon League play, Brown has been dominant from inside and out, ranking fifth in the conference in scoring at 15.7 points per game. In 15 league games, he has scored 15 or more points nine times and posted four 20-point games while also swatting 2.8 shots in 32.9 minutes per game.

The most recent outburst from Brown was in Tuesday's 78-61 win over Milwaukee, when the big man showed off his entire arsenal in a 28-point outing. His career-high scoring total included four three-pointers, a dunk, a running hook, a step back 18-foot jump shot, two putbacks and a driving layup. Brown went 10-of-12 from the field, including 4-of-5 from long range, and added eight rebounds and three blocks.

For the season, Brown ranks in the top-10 in the Horizon League in points, rebounds, blocks, offensive rebounds and defensive rebounds. After making just four shots from long range as a sophomore, Brown is shooting 42 percent from beyond the arc this season, sinking 21-of-50 threes.

So despite a slow start and some ups and downs, Alec Brown has been what Alec Brown has always been - productive.

Through 91 career games, Brown has racked up 1130 points, 599 rebounds and 211 blocked shots. Only two other players in Horizon League history can boast totals of at least 1,000 points, 500 rebounds and 200 blocks.

Brown and the Phoenix welcome Valparaiso to the Resch Center for the regular season finale on Saturday at 2 p.m. Including 18 points in the first meeting this season, Brown is averaging 18.4 points per game in five contests against the Crusaders.

Team Notes

• Green Bay has bounced back to win after each of its past five losses.
• After dropping its first two league games, Green Bay has won 10 of its past 13 contests.
• The Phoenix has won four-straight Horizon League games for the second time this season.
• The Phoenix leads the conference in field goal percentage defense (.406) and is tied with Valparaiso for first in rebounding margin (+4.7).
• In conference play, Green Bay continues to lead the Horizon League in field goal percentage defense (.383), rebounding margin (+6.7) and blocked shots (5.9).
• Green Bay has outrebounded 13 of its 15 Horizon League opponents.
• Green Bay is 11-2 at the Resch Center this season and 33-8 at home in three seasons under Brian Wardle.
• At 76.2 percent, Green Bay now ranks 10th nationally and first in the Horizon League in free-throw percentage.
• Green Bay has made 476 free throws, ranking 14th nationally with one more free throw made than Valparaiso.
• With five blocks on Tuesday, Green Bay tied the single-season program record for blocked shots with 142. The record was set last season.
• The top three totals for single-season team blocks have been the past three seasons (119 in 2010-11, 142 in 2011-12 and 142 in 2012-13).

Individual Notes

• Keifer Sykes has averaged 20.3 points per game in the past four league contests, scoring 62 of his 81 points after halftime.
• The sophomore has reached double figures in 26 of 29 games this season and 43 times in his career.
• In 59 career games, Sykes has now accumulated 783 career points and 223 career assists.
• Sykes is shooting 24-of-55 from long range, up more than 20 percent from his freshman season.
• Shooting 82.1 percent from the free-throw line, Sykes has raised his free-throw percentage 15.4 percent from a year ago. Sykes has made 18-straight free throws.
• Now with 138 made free throws on the season, Sykes is 14 shy of breaking the program's record for free throws made in a season.
• Junior Alec Brown now has 60 career double-figure scoring efforts, including six in a row in league play. 
• The program's all-time leader in blocked shots (211) is now third all-time on the Horizon League's all-time blocks ledger.
• Brown has 55 blocks this season and now has the top-three single-season block totals in program history (67 in 2010-11, 89 in 2011-12 and 51 in 2012-13).
• The 7-foot-1 Brown had made just 6-of-25 three-pointers in his first two seasons but has now connected on 21-of-50 this season (42.0 percent).
• Freshman Jordan Fouse has more rebounds than any freshman in program history with 221.
• Fouse leads the conference in rebounding and is the only league player in the top-10 in rebounds, blocks and steals. He is in the top-3 in each of those categories.
• With five steals on Tuesday night, Fouse has tied the freshman record for steals in a season with 50. He shares the record with Terry Evans (2005-06).
• With 42 blocks, Fouse has the second-most blocks by a Phoenix freshman and tied for the sixth-most in a season in program history.
• Sophomore Greg Mays scored 15 points on Tuesday, the second-highest outing in his career.
• In league play, Mays is averaging 8.1 points and 5.9 rebounds per game. In conference play, he ranks tied for fifth in the league in rebounds per game and is second in field goal percentage (.594).
• Junior Sultan Muhammad ranks seventh in the Horizon League in three-point percentage (39.4 percent)

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