Tesha Buck (Mdewakanton Sioux) Scores 12 Points as Green Bay Clinches Horizon League Title Over Wright State

GREEN BAY, Wis. (GreenBayPhoenix.com)– While it wasn’t easy at times, the Green Bay women’s basketball team outscored second-place Wright State by 13 points in the second half— holding the Raiders to just four points in the fourth quarter— to clinch its unprecedented 18^th consecutive conference title, 70-55, on Thursday night at the Kress Center.

Junior guard Mehryn Kraker led the Phoenix with 16 points, one of five Green Bay players to reach double figures in scoring in the game, as Kevin Borseth’s team played together down the stretch to win its seventh-consecutive game. Tesha Buck (Mdewakanton Sioux) added 12 Points for Green Bay.

Wright State (20-8, 10-5 HL) hung tough with the Phoenix in the opening half, pulling within a pair at the break, 39-37, after senior guard Kim Demmings knocked down an off-balance triple as time expired. The Raiders connected on 6-of-12 shots from 3-point range through the first 20 minutes.

The Phoenix (24-3, 14-1 HL) wore down the league’s second-place team in the second half; however, displaying its championship mettle through its ability to consistently pound the ball inside. All told, Green Bay outscored WSU in the paint by 24 points on the evening, 36-12, and used a 12-6 edge on the offensive glass toward an 18-4 advantage in second-chance points.   

Defensively, senior guard Kaili Lukan and the rest of the Phoenix defensive effort on the Horizon League’s all-time leading scorer made have been the difference maker. Green Bay limited Demmings to just 2-of-11 from the field and 1-of-9 from beyond the arc on the game, while Wright State went cold from the outside after halftime, finishing just 3-of-14 (21.4 percent).