By Murray Gleffe
Correspondent
GREEN BAY – Eight days after beating in-state rival Wisconsin, the UW-Green Bay women’s basketball team earned a hard-fought, 71-67 nonconference victory over Central Michigan Dec. 20 at the Kress Events Center.
With the Phoenix holding a precarious two-point lead with 21 seconds left in the game, senior Meghan Pingel stepped up.
She took the ball from the top of the key and scored on a scoop off the glass to give Green Bay a four-point advantage.
“That’s what your veterans are supposed to do,” Green Bay Head Coach Kevin Borseth said about Pingel’s driving layup. “She made a big play – that was the dagger.”
Hailey Oskey (Seymour) paved the way for the Phoenix with 19 points, but Cassie Schiltz (Luxemburg-Casco) provided a second offensive spark with her 18 points and four rebounds.
Maddy Schreiber (Kimberly) and Pingel added 10 points apiece.
Central Michigan (2-7 overall) leading scorer Molly Davis finished with 27 points, 26 of those coming in the second half.
Green Bay (6-4) attempted 30 free throws, while the Chippewas went to the charity stripe eight times.
Both teams felt the rust of being away from action, combining to start the game 1-11 from the floor with five turnovers sprinkled in.
With the Phoenix trailing 7-4 after giving up a basket and second-chance opportunity to Jahari Smith, they went on a 25-6 run spanning the first and second quarters.
The main catalyst was Schiltz, who entered the game averaging six points.
She connected on elbow jumpers, triples and free throws.
“(Schiltz) is a talented kid,” Borseth said. “Offensively, she did well against Wisconsin and backed it up with another great game. She has the potential – we’re happy for her.”
Everything seemed to be going Green Bay’s way when Oskey beat the first-quarter buzzer with a 26-foot hurl that found nothing but net.
Central Michigan cut into Green Bay’s 29-13 lead midway through the second quarter behind backup point guard Kalle Martinez, who entered the contest connecting on only 15% of her field goals.
She hit four shots to bring the visitors back into the game, as the Phoenix took a 41-31 lead into the break.
Davis missed all four of her first-half field goals and scored only one point in the first 20 minutes of play.
Every time the Phoenix built their lead back up to double digits in the second half, the Chippewas answered with a basket by Davis or Martinez.
Central Michigan’s 11-0 spurt to end the third quarter cut the margin to 57-53 entering the final 10 minutes.
“(Davis) is good,” Borseth said. “She’s a handful. You can’t guard her with one player. She’s quick and crafty. Down the stretch, we took care of the basketball and got the result we wanted.”
The Chippewas evened the score at 61 apiece with 4:40 remaining but couldn’t make a shot when it counted.
Davis rattled home a late triple, but Bailey Butler and Oskey iced the game from the free-throw line to give Green Bay its third victory in its last four games.
The Phoenix return to Horizon League action when they host Detroit Mercy Dec. 30 at the Kress for a 7 p.m. tip.