by By: Joey Daniels (@GBJoeyD)
MILWAUKEE, Wis. (GreenBayPhoenix.com) – Five players scored in double figures to open the season and the Green Bay women’s basketball team cruised to a 94-66 rout of Marquette on Saturday afternoon at the Al McGuire Center in Milwaukee.
The Phoenix (1-0) picked up its eighth consecutive win in season openers, after the Green Bay bench accounted for 52 points, led by freshman Allie LeClaire’s team-leading 15 points. LeClaire was one of five players in double figures for Green Bay, as the balanced attack was too much for Marquette (0-1) to overcome.
Powered by a 52 percent shooting effort from the floor in the first half, Green Bay entered the locker room up 41-25 at halftime. A LeClaire three-pointer with the score at 23-20, which received the benefit of a shooters’ bounce, with 4:42 left in the half sparked a 15-1 run by the Phoenix that boosted the score to 38-21. That run seemed to all but put the game away, as the Golden Eagles wouldn’t come any closer than 15 points.
Despite playing only 10 minutes because of foul trouble, Mehryn Kraker (West Allis, Wis.) still managed to score 13 points. Ellen Edison (Maple Grove, Minn.) chipped in 13 points of her own off the bench, shooting 6-for-8 from the field.
Two other bench players finished in double figures, as freshman Jessica Lindstrom (Superior, Wis.) looked solid in her debut with 12 points and four rebounds. Sam Terry shot a perfect 3-for-3 from the floor, adding 11 points to the Phoenix effort.
Tesha Buck (Mdewakanton Sioux) added 8 points on the night for the Phoenix and had a game high 5 assists in 32 minutes of play.
Grabbing a team-high 11 rebounds was Mariah Monke (Fergus Falls, Minn.), who crashed the glass and played stout defense throughout the game. Monke also chipped in with six points of her own, which helped lead the Phoenix to a 48-18 edge in points scored in the paint.
The Phoenix shot 57.8 percent (37-64) as a team in the game, and held Marquette to just 36.4 percent (16-44). Green Bay also forced the Golden Eagles into 23 turnovers, leading to 12 steals by the Phoenix which was led by Megan Lukan’s (Barrie, Ontario) four takeaways.
The 94 points scored are the most since the 2012-13 season, when Green Bay scored 99 against UIC.
Green Bay continues its daunting road trip, which includes three games in five days. Up next for Green Bay is Vanderbilt in Nashville. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m.
