(GREEN BAY ATHLETICS) INDIANAPOLIS – Back. To. Back. The Green Bay women’s basketball team is Horizon League Tournament Champions once again after defeating Purdue Fort Wayne 76-53 on Tuesday afternoon.
The Phoenix (29-5) won its 22nd consecutive game behind another sensational postseason performance from Natalie McNeal, who racked up 26 points to lead all players. Her performance was good enough to earn Tournament MVP, an award she earned last season. She is the first-ever Horizon League women’s basketball player to collect consecutive Tournament MVP awards.
Callie Genke and Jasmine Kondrakiewicz each tallied 10 points. Maddy Schreiber, who earned All-Tournament honors, scored nine points. Bailey Butler chipped in with another nine points.
Green Bay has won at least 27 games in three straight seasons, and its 29 wins this season are the most since the 2017-18 season. GB will attempt to win its 30th game of the season for the first time since the 2011-12 campaign in the NCAA tournament.
Purdue Fort Wayne (25-8) was paced by Sydney Freeman’s 18 points. McNeal was able to clamp down on PFW’s leading scorer, Lauren Ross, and hold her to just five points on 2-of-8 shooting.
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Phoenix got off to a hot start, jumping out to an 11-5 lead after a McNeal mid-range jumper. PFW clawed back and knotted the game at 17 apiece after a triple from Ross. Genke would end the opening frame with a triple, and the Phoenix took a 22-19 lead into the second quarter.
The Phoenix got off to a hot start, jumping out to an 11-5 lead after a McNeal mid-range jumper. PFW clawed back and knotted the game at 17 apiece after a triple from Ross. Genke would end the opening frame with a triple, and the Phoenix took a 22-19 lead into the second quarter.
A see-saw battle continued leading into the halftime break. Midway through the stanza, Schreiber drilled a deep three to give GB a 33-31 lead. Purdue Fort Wayne reclaimed the lead for a short time after that before Kondrakiewicz capped an and-one to give GB a 40-39 lead. Jazzlyn Linbo added a late free throw for PFW, and the game was tied 40-40 heading into intermission. It was the first game all season that GB went into the halftime break with a tie score.
Out of the locker room, the contest was more of the same. The Mastodons pulled ahead 50-48 after a triple with 4:04 remaining in the third period. The turning point of the game was moments later when Jenna Guyer ripped off eight straight points on three possessions (two three-pointers and a layup), and the Phoenix suddenly had a 60-53 advantage going into the final 10 minutes.
Green Bay opened the last period on a 6-0 run, capped by none other than a McNeal floater.
GB led by double digits for the last 8:09 of the contest, keeping an arms’ length from PFW. The game was put on ice when the Phoenix went on a quick 6-2 spurt, with four points coming from Kondrakiewcz and the other two from McNeal. Green Bay rushed the floor at the final buzzer after clinching its 27th overall Horizon League championship and 20th NCAA Tournament appearance with a 76-53 victory over Purdue Fort Wayne.
GAME NOTES
» Green Bay dominated the boards, outrebounding PFW 36-20.
» GB had 16 second-chance points, while PFW had one.
» The Phoenix continued its dominance in the paint, racking up 36 points in the lane.
» Kondrakiewicz and McNeal tied for a team-high eight rebounds.
» Green Bay dominated the boards, outrebounding PFW 36-20.
» GB had 16 second-chance points, while PFW had one.
» The Phoenix continued its dominance in the paint, racking up 36 points in the lane.
» Kondrakiewicz and McNeal tied for a team-high eight rebounds.
UP NEXT
Green Bay will find out who it plays in the first round of the NCAA Tournament this Sunday at 7 p.m. on ESPN’s Selection Show.
Green Bay will find out who it plays in the first round of the NCAA Tournament this Sunday at 7 p.m. on ESPN’s Selection Show.
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