If it’s the Horizon League Tournament women’s championship game, pretty good odds it will involve the Green Bay Phoenix or the Cleveland State Vikings. The 16 time tourney champion Lady Phoenix are back in the title game after beating Purdue Fort Wayne 65-55 in the semifinals today in Indianapolis. Green Bay (26-6) will meet the Vikings of Cleveland State in the championship game Tuesday afternoon with the winner earning an automatic bid to the NCAA Women’s National Tournament. Cleveland State is in the final for the third year in a row and it will be a rematch of last year’s championship, won by the Vikings. The top seeded Vikings rolled past Wright State 83-50 in the first semifinal game.
The Phoenix had two signature runs in the second half. The first came after they fell behind the third seeded Mastadons 39-32. GB got it all even at 50 with five minutes left but in a blink, Maddie Schrieber hit a pair of buckets, Callie Genke delivered a three point hit from the corner and Jenna Guyer hit a jumper in the lane for an 11-0 run that put the game away. Genke finished with 16 points off the bench, Schreiber added 13 and Bailey Butler scored 8 points while dishing out 10 assists.
Tuesday’s title game will be the third meeting this year between the Horizon rivals. Green Bay won 85-72 at the Kress Center on December 30 as Cassie Schiltz piled up 27 points. The Phoenix shot 54% for the game going 9 of 18 from the three point line. The rematch in Cleveland had the Vikings win easily 86-63 on February 3. Despite 30 points from Natalie McNeal, Green Bay struggled shooting, making only 2 of 16 3’s that day.
Green Bay will try and end it’s longest NCAA tournament drought since making it to the dance for the first time.
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