By Murray Gleffe
Correspondent
GREEN BAY – The University of Wisconsin-Green Bay women’s basketball team was waiting for the opportunity to take on league-leading IUPUI at home.
The Phoenix avenged an earlier season, two-point loss in defeating the Jaguars 71-56 behind a raucous crowd Feb. 19 at the Kress Events Center.
“We showed we can compete with the best teams in our league,” Green Bay Head Coach Kevin Borseth said. “Tonight, we played with lots of purpose. We were aggressive, both offensively and defensively.”
Hailey Oskey and Cassie Schiltz each scored 16 points in leading Green Bay to its 10th consecutive victory.
More importantly, it moves the Phoenix into second place ahead of IUPUI and behind Youngstown State in the win column.
“We pay close attention to what other teams are doing in the conference,” Phoenix player Jasmine Kondrakiewicz said. “There’s not much we can do with a few of our games getting canceled, but we know as a team, we’ve beaten the best teams in our conference once already. We have to keep the momentum going.”
Green Bay (16-5 overall, 12-3 Horizon) shot a blistering 10-for-21 from the 3-point arc and outscored IUPUI 28-4 in bench points.
“We have so many players who can do so many things on the floor,” Kondrakiewicz said about the bench advantage. “Our team is deep. It’s fun to watch. The girls who are on the bench know their purpose, and I feel like it has carried over well across the board.”
Rachel Kent led the way for the Jaguars with 21 points, while Horizon League Player of the Year candidate Macee Williams scored 18 on 6-of-11 shooting.
IUPUI (19-4, 16-2) shot a dismal 31.6% from the field and committed 14 turnovers.
The Jaguars jumped out to a 12-6 lead behind the inside play of Williams and outside shooting of Kent.
Green Bay slowly crept back into the game with its shooting.
After Kondrakiewicz ripped a 23-footer from the top-of-the-key, the Phoenix grabbed their first lead at 15-14 with under two minutes remaining in the first quarter.
Four lead changes ensued into the opening minutes of the second quarter.
On the next IUPUI possession, with the score deadlocked at 21-21, a missed basket turned into good fortune for Green Bay, as Williams went over the back of Julia Hartwig and was forced to the bench with two fouls.
The Phoenix closed the half on an 11-4 spurt to grab a 32-25 lead at intermission.
In the third quarter, Oskey nailed a corner triple to give Green Bay its first double-digit lead of the game, 42-32.
Each time, the Jaguars battled back with the interior play of Williams to keep the game within reach.
“I know (Williams) is experienced and has been the player of the year before,” Kondrakiewicz said. “I knew I wasn’t going to win the battle underneath, so I played to my strengths with shooting the three from outside.”
The Phoenix took a precarious 50-41 lead into the final quarter.
Two minutes into the finale, Destiny Perkins drilled a long-range bomb, bringing the Jaguars to within 54-47.
Green Bay then went on a game-defining 12-2 run (66-49 lead), with every shot seemingly finding the bottom of the net.
Down the stretch, IUPUI’s full-court press wasn’t effective, as the Phoenix edged closer to the top of the standings with the victory.
“Honestly, this was the biggest win of the season,” Kondrakiewicz said. “It means the most because it was on senior day. To give (senior) Meghan (Pingel) the win, extend our streak and end their streak was a huge boost of confidence for us.”
Green Bay hits the road for its final three regular-season games against Milwaukee, Purdue Fort Wayne and Cleveland State.
“This one-day prep day is difficult on the players,” Borseth said. “We’re on that right now. It’s intense. I’m not a big fan of three games in a week, for obvious reasons. It is what it is, and we have to go out and play.”
Pingel honored
After the game, Pingel was honored for her accomplishments in a Phoenix uniform.
The crowd in attendance showed their appreciation for a player who has spent the last six seasons in Green Bay.
Pingel was unequivocally the leader early on in the season when Green Bay started 4-4 before the underclassmen came along.