By: Jill Wunrow (@JillWunrow)
GreenBayPhoenix.com
GREEN BAY, Wis. (GreenBayPhoenix.com) - For the third consecutive season the RV/RV
Green Bay (2-0) women's basketball team will participate in a regular season
tournament as it heads to Cancun, Mexico for the Cancun Challenge November
22-24 at the Moon Palace Resort. The Phoenix enters the Cancun Challenge on a
nine-game regular season winning streak and looks to start it season 3-0 for
the fifth consecutive season.
The 2012-13 squad is 7-0 in regular
season tournament play, including going 3-0 against Big Ten opponents and 9-2 overall
when playing on a neutral court. Green Bay will play three games in three days
with a battle against James Madison (1-2) Thursday, Nov. 22, Missouri (1-2) Friday,
Nov. 23 and Richmond (1-3) Saturday, Nov. 24.
Green Bay is off to a 2-0 start after
edging UNI 54-53 in its regular season opener Nov. 10 in Cedar Falls, Iowa
before capturing a 75-48 win over Central Michigan in its home opener Nov. 17.
The Phoenix has outscored its first pair of opponents by an average of 14
points per game while forcing its opponents an average of 21 turnovers per
contest.
The Phoenix is being led in scoring
and rebounding by senior Adrian Ritchie (De Pere, Wis.) with 20.5 points and
7.0 boards per game. In Green Bay's win over Central Michigan, Ritchie posted
her first career double double performance scoring a game-high 25 points and 10
rebounds while pouring in a career-high 11 field goals. Green Bay's game
against James Madison will mark Ritchie's 100th game in a Phoenix uniform.
In addition to Ritchie averaging in
double-figure scoring, classmate Sarah Eichler (Grafton, Wis.) is also off to a
strong start in her senior campaign, averaging 14.5 points and 6.0 rebounds per
game and a team-high seven steals.
STARTING SENSION: With Green Bay returning four of its five starters this season, senior
Stephanie Sension (Hopkins, Minn.) fills the fifth spot for the Phoenix in the
starting line-up. Sension has turned in impressive performances in her first
pair of games in the starting lineup. After scoring 13 points, 12 in the first
half, while playing a career-high 33 minutes in Green Bay's season opener at
UNI Nov. 10, Sension tied a career-high seven rebounds in the home opener
against Central Michigan while pouring in 14 points. It was the first time in
her career the redshirt senior has scored in double figures in back-to-back
contests.
GREEN BAY (2-0) VS. JAMES MADISON (1-2) - Thursday, Nov. 22, 5:00 p.m.
CT: Thursday's
Thanksgiving evening game will be the first meeting between the Dukes and the
Phoenix. Both teams are ranked in the top six in College Insider's Mid-Major
Top 25 with Green Bay at No. 2 and James Madison at No. 6. Both teams also
return four starters this season after having successful 2011-12 postseasons.
For the third consecutive season, Green Bay advanced to the second round of the
NCAA Tournament while James Madison was the WNIT Runner-Up after falling 75-68
to Oklahoma State.
GREEN BAY (2-0) VS. MISSOURI (3-0) - Friday, Nov. 23, 5:00 p.m. CT: For the second consecutive season,
Green Bay will battle an opponent from the SEC Conference when it faces
Missouri for the second time in a regular season tournament. Green Bay is 4-7
all-time against opponents from the SEC with its most recent battle against No.
2 seed Kentucky in the second round of the 2011 NCAA Tournament in which the
Phoenix was edged 65-62 in the most remarkable comeback in program history.
Green Bay head coach Kevin Borseth is 1-1 when leading the Phoenix against the
Tigers after capturing a 74-66 win Nov. 29, 2004 in Green Bay's Oneida Bingo
and Casino Holiday Tournament.
GREEN BAY (2-0) VS. RICHMOND (1-3) - Saturday, Nov. 24, 2:30 p.m. CT: Richmond is the second of three teams
Green Bay will face this season for the first time in program history (St.
Bonaventure being the other). Like James Madison and Green Bay, Richmond rounds
out the only three teams in the six-team tournament who returns four starters
from its 2011-12 roster. Saturday's game will be the first of two contests
against A10 opponents this season for Green Bay as it faces St. Bonaventure
Jan. 5 in Green Bay.
ABOUT THE CANCUN CHALLENGE: The event enters its eighth year and has become one of the
most popular destination preseason tournaments for women's teams. Since its
inception in 2005, 42 Division I teams have participated from 21 different
conferences. In addition to Green Bay, this year's field includes James Madison
(Colonial), Minnesota (Big 10), Missouri (SEC), Richmond (Atlantic 10), and
Wichita State (Missouri Valley). Each team will play three games. There is no
champion crowned.
This is the third appearance in the
Cancun Challenge for James Madison which is the most all time, second
appearance for Richmond and Green Bay, and the first appearance for Minnesota,
Missouri, and Wichita State.
FOLLOW THE ACTION: Fans not making the trip to the Cancun Challenge can track all the
action on GreenBayPhoenix.com. Daily updates, scores and notes along
with prizes will be given away on the Cancun Challenge Facebook and Twitter pages throughout the tournament. You can also follow @GBPhoenixWBB and @JillWunrow on Twitter as the Phoenix travels to
Cancun.
Live stats and live video streams will also be
available for all Cancun Challenge contests. All links can be found on the top of the article.
You can also listen to all three games on the radio dial 1400 AM.
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Individual,
full season ticket and Pick 5 packages are on sale now with the Green Bay
Athletics Ticket Office. For more information and to order tickets, please call
920.465.2625 or visit the athletics department offices in the Kress Events
Center.
For
the latest and most up-to-date information on Green Bay Athletics, please visit
GreenBayPhoenix.com.
Follow
us on Twitter: @GBPhoenix, @GBPhoenixWBB
and @JillWunrow.
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