(GREEN BAY ATHLETICS) INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA – The Green Bay men’s basketball team’s quest for an NCAA Tournament bid ended Sunday with a 96–76 loss to Northern Kentucky in the second round of the Horizon League Championships at Corteva Coliseum. The Phoenix improved 14 wins from a season ago under second year head coach Doug Gottlieb.
The Phoenix (18-15) had three players score in double figures, led by C.J. O’Hara, who had 18 points. Justin Allen tacked on 18 points, and Preston Ruedinger chipped in as well with a double-double with 13 points and 10 assists.
LJ Wells led Northern Kentucky (20-13) with 26 points and nine rebounds. Kael Robinson added 22 points, and Donovan Oday also contributed with 18 points. The Norse move on to face No. 1 seed Wright State in the Horizon League Championship Semi-Finals on Monday night.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Green Bay started strong, taking a 7-0 lead, finished off by a bucket from Allen with 16:12 left in the first half. Northern Kentucky struck back to take a 22-21 lead after a Kael Robinson three-pointer with 5:41 to go in the half. Green Bay answered back with four straight points from Caden Wilkins to take a 25-21 lead. NKU outscored the Phoenix 15-5 to end the half, taking a 36-30 lead going into halftime.
NKU started the game 0-for-9 from beyond the arc, and finished the game 14-27.
Northern Kentucky kept widening its lead after intermission, constructing a 69-49 advantage before Green Bay went on a 5-0 run after a LeBron Thomas three-point play to shrink the deficit to 69-54 with 7:05 left in the game. Northern Kentucky responded and outscored the Phoenix the rest of the way, rolling to a 96-76 victory.
Game Notes
» Northern Kentucky outrebounded Green Bay 37-25, including 15-5 on the offensive boards.
» The Phoenix finished with 18 assists on 27 made field goals.
» Green Bay turned the ball over nine times while the Norse finished with four.
» C.J. O’Hara and Justin Allen both had four rebounds to lead Green Bay
Comments