By Justin Grones (@JustinGrones)
GreenBayPhoenix.com
GREEN BAY, Wis.
(GreenBayPhoenix.com) - Winners of 15
straight games, the RV/RV Green Bay women's basketball team (20-2, 10-0 HL)
will play the third of four straight at home against Youngstown State (17-5,
7-2 HL) tomorrow afternoon at the Kress Center. Tipoff between the first-place
Phoenix and second-place Penguins will be at 2 p.m. with the game broadcast
live on the Horizon League Network.
Green Bay will look to sweep the season series with
Youngstown State following an 88-51 win over Cleveland State on Thursday. In
the victory over the Vikings, senior Sarah
Eichler (Grafton, Wis.) became the 31st member of the Green Bay women's
basketball 1,000-point club and finished with a team-high 14 points. Eichler is
the second Green Bay player to accomplish the feat this season, after Adrian Ritchie (De Pere, Wis.) did so
on a three against Indianpolis on Nov. 30.
The Phoenix outscored Cleveland State's bench 37-0,
led by freshman Brionna Barnett (Elkhart,
Ind.) who entered the game with just 11 career points. Barnett scored 13 points
on 5-6 shooting and a 3-4 mark from long range, joining Eichler as one of six
players in double figures on the night.
SCOUTING YOUNGSTOWN
STATE: After finishing 0-30 just
three years ago the Horizon League's most improved team, Youngstown State,
enters Saturday's contest with a 17-5 overall record and a 7-2 mark in
conference play. The Penguins have won six straight games after Green Bay
defeated the Penguins 59-41 on Jan. 19. Youngstown State is led by Brandi
Brown, who averages a double-double with 19.3 points and 11.8 rebounds per
game.
FIRST TIME
AROUND: Green Bay defeated the
Penguins 59-41 on the road on Jan. 19, led by Lydia Bauer (Lake Zurich, Ill.) who had 15 points on 6-8 shooting.
Bauer hit an NBA-length three at the buzzer of the first half, swinging the
momentum in the Phoenix's direction. Jenny
Gilbertson (Wabasha, Minn.) scored nine points on 3-4 shooting from
downtown in the second half, allow Green Bay to pull away for the win.
FIFTEEN STRAIGHT: The Phoenix pushed its winning
streak to 15 games with Thursday's win over Cleveland State, with the last loss
back on Dec. 5 at Central Michigan. Since the streak began, Green Bay has held
opponents to just 45.9 points per game while boasting a +21.6 scoring margin.
The team has shot 47.2 percent front the field and 34.4 percent from long
range, while holding a +4.7 advantage on the boards. Green Bay has also
averaged 18.5 points per game, while forcing 19.3 turnovers per contest.
RIGHT AT THE
EDGE: Green Bay was the top
vote-receiving team for the second straight week in both Top 25 polls and
remains at No. 2 with four first-place votes in the College Insider Mid-Major
Top 25 poll. With 43 votes in the AP Top 25 poll, the Phoenix fell just six
votes short of No. 25 Oklahoma State.
NEXT IN LINE:
Lydia Bauer is next in line to join
the 1,000-point club, as she enters Saturday's contest with 879 career points. She's
averaging 9.7 points per game this season on 41.8 percent shooting, including a
35.7 percent mark from long range.
FOLLOW IT LIVE: Saturday's
game will be carried live on the Horizon League Network, found on
HorizonLeague.com.
Fans can also listen live on Saturday as Bruce VandenPlas will have the call on
The Fan 1400 AM and TheFan1075.com. Live stats will also be available
on GreenBayPhoenix.com.
Be sure to follow @GBPhoenixWBB and @JustinGrones on Twitter for updates throughout the game.
NEXT ON THE SCHEDULE: Green Bay will close the four-game homestand next Saturday
against Valparaiso in the annual PinkZone game with the team wearing special
uniforms to raise breast cancer awareness. Green Bay will look to sweep the
season series with the Crusaders after picking up a 78-55 win on the road on
Jan. 26.
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For the latest and most up-to-date information
on Green Bay Athletics, please visit GreenBayPhoenix.com.
Follow us on Twitter: @GBPhoenix , @GBPhoenixWBB and @JustinGrones.
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