March 13, 2008

Cleveland State game notes

GREEN BAY GAME DAY - HORIZON LEAGUE QUARTERFINALS
Game 31: Green Bay vs. Cleveland State
Friday, March 14 • 8 p.m. CT
Kress Center • Green Bay, Wis.

TELEVISION Time Warner Sports
INTERNET AUDIO http://uwgbathletics.cstv.com/multimedia/wbb-audio.html
INTERNET VIDEO http://www.horizonleaguenetwork.tv
LIVESTATS http://www.uwgbathletics.cstv.com

The Green Bay women's basketball team (26-4) continues its quest for the Horizon League tournament title Friday when the Phoenix hosts Cleveland State at 8 p.m. Central in the semifinal round of the 2008 Horizon League Championship.

The tournament's other semifinal game, Wright State vs. Milwaukee, will take the Kress Center court at 5:30 p.m. central time. Sunday's championship game will be televised live on ESPNU at Noon CST.

For ticket information, contact the Green Bay Athletics ticket office at (920) 465-2625. To stay up-to-date with Green Bay's postseason action, visit the Green Bay Athletics' website at the Green Bay Athletics' website.

Friday's contest will air live on AM 1400 WDUZ "The Fan" in the Green Bay area, with Bruce VandenPlas on the call. Live audio is also available here. Live stats and video are also available through Green Bay Athletics' website.

Phoenix Fast Fact:For the first time in team Division I history, Green Bay could have three players that reach 100 assists for the season. Junior Kati Harty leads the way with 104 assists in 30 games, while senior Kayla Groh also surpassed the 100-assist mark against Loyola March 12. At 95 assists, Erin Templin needs five more assists to join the group.

Scouting Green Bay: Green Bay won its 13th straight game March 12 with a strong showing in the second half as the top-seeded Phoenix defeated No. 9 seed Loyola 83-67 at the Kress Center. Lavesa Glover led the Phoenix with 21 points while Erin Templin was one off her career best with 16 points. Kayla Groh and Rachel Porath added 14 and 12 points, respectively. Kati Harty just missed double-figures in scoring with nine points, but the junior guard teased a double-double with a career-tying high seven assists in the win.

Green Bay has been beyond impressive at home since joining the Horizon League in the 1994-95 season. The Phoenix is a whopping 115-10 all-time against Horizon League foes in Green Bay for a .920 winning percentage. In just the last 10 seasons alone, Green Bay is 86-2 at home against league challengers, for an eye-popping .977 winning percentage. With its victory over Loyola March 12, the Phoenix has won 25 straight games versus the Horizon League in Titletown.

Green Bay continues to find success from three-point range this season, as the Phoenix is firing an impressive 43.2 percent from downtown, good for the top mark in the NCAA. A trio of Green Bay players are among the top five in the Horizon League in three-point percentage: Rachel Porath (2nd, .480) Kayla Groh (3rd, .462) and Kati Harty (5th, .432). Green Bay could set a new team record in three-point percentage; the team fired 44.0 percent during the 1990-91 campaign. If the team can pick up its pace, 44.1 percent ranks 15th all-time in NCAA history.

Scouting Cleveland State: The Vikings advanced to the semifinal round for the first time since the 2003 championship with a 79-68 home win over Butler. Kailey Klein had a double-double with game-highs of 20 points and 13 rebounds.

Klein, a first-team all-league performer, leads the Vikings with 19.7 ppg and 6.0 rpg. Dominique Butler is second on the squad with 10.2 ppg and is the league's defensive player of the year.

The last time Green Bay and Cleveland State played in the league championship was 2005, a 96-66 Phoenix win in the quarterfinals.

Cleveland State is led by fifth-year head coach Kate Peterson Abiad, who is 45-100 for the Vikings.
All-time series: Green Bay leads, 43-3
Green Bay vs. Cleveland State at Green Bay: 20-1
Green Bay's overall streak: W13