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Green Bay grabs early Horizon League separation with win at Wright State

wardle

Through 16 games entering Friday night’s important Horizon League tilt at Wright State, Brian Wardle’s Green Bay Phoenix have been one of the league’s best offensive teams. Green Bay entered the game ranked second in the conference in scoring (78.9 ppg) and field goal percentage (48.1%), with guard Keifer Sykes and center Alec Brown being two of the key reasons why.

And that was once again the case on Friday night, as Brown (24 points, five rebounds) and Sykes (18, seven assists and six rebounds) led four Phoenix in double figures in Green Bay’s 79-69 victory. Greg Mays added 14 points and seven rebounds and Jordan Fouse scored ten points for Green Bay, which remains undefeated in conference play.

As a team the Phoenix were solid offensively, taking smart shots and that paid off as they shot 59.6% on the night. And when they didn’t attempt shots Green Bay got to the foul line, making 21 of their 26 attempts while shooting just four three-pointers (making two). If there’s one issue with Green Bay’s offensive performance it would be the 15 turnovers, more than two above their season average (12.4). However due to what the Phoenix were able to do when they took care of the basketball, those turnovers didn’t have the impact that they could have in the end.

Reggie Arceneaux scored 17 points to lead five Wright State players in double figures, but with the defeat they fall two games behind Green Bay in the loss column atop the Horizon League standings. And the separation gained by Green Bay is important given the league’s conference tournament setup. The top two seeds receive byes to the semifinals, with the top seed hosting the quarterfinals and semis and the title game being played on the home floor of the highest remaining seed.

Green Bay still has 12 Horizon League games to play, but with a 4-0 record (14-3 overall) and a two-game lead on the field (in the loss column) they took a step in the right direction on Friday night. And given the nature of conference tournaments in smaller leagues, it never hurts to have those games on your home floor.

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