by By: Joey Daniels (@GBJoeyD)
GREEN BAY, Wis. (GreenBayPhoenix.com) – Benefitting from a career-high performance by Tesha Buck (Mdewakanton Sioux/Prairie Island Indian Community), the Green Bay women’s basketball team cruised to an 84-52 victory over Duquesne on Saturday afternoon at the Kress Center in its home opener.
The Phoenix (3-1) shot a blistering 57.1 percent (12-21) from behind the arc in the game, led by Buck’s career-high six three-pointers. Buck finished with a game-high 24 points, tying her career-best for points in a game.
Green Bay forced Duquesne (0-3) into 24 turnovers and a 20 percent (3-15) performance from three-point range.
Green Bay forced Duquesne (0-3) into 24 turnovers and a 20 percent (3-15) shooting performance from three-point range. Those 24 turnovers led to 31 points by the Phoenix, while Duquesne converted 13 Green Bay turnovers into just three points.
“Our players are working really hard. We did a really good job of getting some shots down around the basket. I’d like to have more than 24 points in the paint, but we shot the ball very well and if we can continue to do that we’ll be able to do good things,” head coach Kevin Borseth said.
Taking an 11-point lead into the half, Green Bay came storming out of the locker room in the second half by starting off on a 9-0 run. That run was sparked by a pair of Mariah Monke layups and a Buck three-pointer that forced Duquesne to take a timeout after being down by 20 points in the blink of an eye.
The visiting Dukes wouldn’t come closer than 15 points the rest of the way. The Phoenix also led the game for 37:43, while Duquesne never held the lead.
All 10 players who played scored at least two points, with eight of those players scoring five points or more. Ellen Edison scored a season-high 14 points, the only other player for Green Bay to finish in double figures. Edison went a perfect 3-for-3 from the outside.
“I think we’re all feeding off one another. When one person has confidence, we all gain confidence,” Edison said.
The 32-point win is the team’s largest margin of victory since Nov. 29, 2013, when the team downed William & Mary by 46 points. Green Bay is now averaging 80.8 PPG through four game this season and owns a +14.8 scoring margin.
Green Bay will now head to the Sunshine State, to take part in the GulfCoast Showcase. The Phoenix will play Georgia Tech on Friday, Nov. 28, at 11 a.m. central time in Naples, Fla., at Germain Arena.
