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The University of Wisconsin-Green Bay women’s basketball team is back in the NCAA Tournament for the third straight season.
UWGB beat Youngstown State 57-49 in the Horizon League tournament title game March 10 at the Corteva Coliseum in Indianapolis, earning an automatic bid to the Big Dance.
The Phoenix (25-8) will learn its first-round opponent on March 15. It is seeking its first win in the NCAAs since beating Iowa State in 2012.
“First of all, we are going to enjoy this one,” UWGB coach Kayla Karius said. “As we do look forward, it was a couple weeks ago where we had a really tough loss [to Purdue Fort Wayne]. As we were regrouping and moving onto the next practice, I told this team that I believed in them so much. We have an opportunity, we have a chance, because of the people we have, to be the best team in Green Bay history and to go further than anyone has ever gone.
“On a great day, when we are at our best, we play great defense and we can bury shots outside. We can score the ball inside. … They have already left their mark on this program, but let’s go leave another one.”
The title game showdown played out the way most would have expected.
It was a slugfest between the top two defensive units in the 11-team league. YSU entered ranked first in scoring defense, permitting 57.7 points per game. UWGB was second at 58.9.
After three quarters in which neither team could get much separation – the Phoenix’s 5-0 advantage to start the game was the biggest lead in the first 30 minutes – UWGB finally took control.
The Penguins (24-9) went up 41-40 in the opening seconds of the fourth quarter after a layup from sixth-year point guard Casey Santoro, but it was all Phoenix from that moment.
It scored 11 of the next 13 points and 16 of the next 21 to go up 56-46 with 43 seconds left.
YSU was scoreless from almost 5 minutes during that stretch, unable to come from behind the way it did against Cleveland State in a semifinal one day earlier.
UWGB senior forward-center Jenna Guyer played like the Horizon League MVP she was this season, shrugging off an inefficient semifinal performance against PFW to score a game-high 21 points in 37 minutes while shooting 7-for-11.
Senior guard Maddy Skorupski was the only other Phoenix to score double figures, finishing with 13 points and 6 rebounds while sporting a black eye sustained against the Mastodons.
UWGB trailed only 28-25 at halftime despite shooting just 29.4% (10-for-34) while YSU was at 52.2% (12-for-23), notably because it forced nine Penguins turnovers and scored 11 points off the miscues.
The lack of scoring by UWGB wasn’t necessarily surprising.
Its two lowest outputs against Horizon opponents during the regular season were against YSU. UWGB won both games but scored just 56 points in the first meeting in December and 54 in the rematch two months later.
Still, the Penguins couldn’t capitalize nearly enough on the rough shooting half by the Phoenix.
UWGB started the second half pounding the ball inside, with sophomore forward-center Meghan Schultz scoring the first five points of the third quarter to give the Phoenix back a lead after she went without a point and missed three shot attempts in the first 20 minutes.
Neither team was up more than 3 until UWGB finally pulled away in the fourth quarter against a young YSU squad hoping to make history with a Horizon tournament title.
The Penguins were playing in the championship game for the first time in their 25 years as a conference member and were seeking their first NCAA Tournament berth in 26 years.
Instead, it’s a relatively experienced Phoenix group going dancing again, although Guyer and guard Ellie Buzzelle are the only seniors of the six who played for UWGB last season after Skorupski (Oakland), Kamy Peppler (UW-Milwaukee), Lily Hansford (Iowa State) and Carley Duffney (South Dakota) were signed out of the NCAA transfer portal entering 2025-26.
“It feels great,” Skorupski said. “When Coach Kayla called me when I was in the portal, I knew that coming to Green Bay, I wanted that championship experience and that championship standard that is set here.
“To come in and to see how it’s done every single day, there are no off days. We are always going. We are always pushing through in practice and then in games, we are all together. It was just really fun from start to finish.”
Perhaps it was that type of experience that gave UWGB an advantage in the final two quarters.
It shot 50% (11-for-22) in the second half after such a cold start, while YSU shot 27.6% overall (8-for-29) and went just 3-for-17 from beyond the arc.
YSU freshman guard Danielle Camerson was instrumental in the semifinal win over CSU after scoring a team-high 16 points and hitting four 3s, but she was limited to just 4 points and hit one field goal against the Phoenix.
And to think Karius didn’t even believe her team played that well on defense.
Those are the high standards that have been set.
“We just know they are a really solid team with a lot of weapons,” Karius said. “They have great post play, and then they surround them with great shooters. We just tried to get out there and put more emphasis on getting a hand up on shooters.
“I’m not going to say we contested every single one of those. We were late on a bunch. We miscommunicated on a bunch. Sometimes it’s just the way the game goes. … Overall, we found a way. At the end of the day, 57-49 is not a very pretty game. But we found a way.”
The 49 points by the Penguins were tied for their third-fewest this season, only better than the 40 they had against Robert Morris and the 47 against UWGB in the first meeting.
But that’s what the Phoenix often does to teams, including during its run through the conference tournament.
It allowed no more than 57 points in any of the three games and permitted 48 or fewer in both the semifinal and championship round.
“It’s just a really special moment for this team,” Guyer said. “Like we have been talking about, it’s a completely new team. We had people step up from returners – Ellie Buzzelle, she stepped up – and then to go in and find the players we have now and just how we have meshed and how we have played together, it just makes this year so special.
“This win, I will cherish it forever.”
This article originally appeared on Green Bay Press-Gazette: UW-Green Bay women dancing after win over YSU in Horizon title game
Continue reading...
UWGB beat Youngstown State 57-49 in the Horizon League tournament title game March 10 at the Corteva Coliseum in Indianapolis, earning an automatic bid to the Big Dance.
The Phoenix (25-8) will learn its first-round opponent on March 15. It is seeking its first win in the NCAAs since beating Iowa State in 2012.
“First of all, we are going to enjoy this one,” UWGB coach Kayla Karius said. “As we do look forward, it was a couple weeks ago where we had a really tough loss [to Purdue Fort Wayne]. As we were regrouping and moving onto the next practice, I told this team that I believed in them so much. We have an opportunity, we have a chance, because of the people we have, to be the best team in Green Bay history and to go further than anyone has ever gone.
“On a great day, when we are at our best, we play great defense and we can bury shots outside. We can score the ball inside. … They have already left their mark on this program, but let’s go leave another one.”
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UWGB, Youngstown State battle on defense
The title game showdown played out the way most would have expected.
It was a slugfest between the top two defensive units in the 11-team league. YSU entered ranked first in scoring defense, permitting 57.7 points per game. UWGB was second at 58.9.
After three quarters in which neither team could get much separation – the Phoenix’s 5-0 advantage to start the game was the biggest lead in the first 30 minutes – UWGB finally took control.
The Penguins (24-9) went up 41-40 in the opening seconds of the fourth quarter after a layup from sixth-year point guard Casey Santoro, but it was all Phoenix from that moment.
It scored 11 of the next 13 points and 16 of the next 21 to go up 56-46 with 43 seconds left.
YSU was scoreless from almost 5 minutes during that stretch, unable to come from behind the way it did against Cleveland State in a semifinal one day earlier.
UWGB senior forward-center Jenna Guyer played like the Horizon League MVP she was this season, shrugging off an inefficient semifinal performance against PFW to score a game-high 21 points in 37 minutes while shooting 7-for-11.
Senior guard Maddy Skorupski was the only other Phoenix to score double figures, finishing with 13 points and 6 rebounds while sporting a black eye sustained against the Mastodons.
UWGB trailed only 28-25 at halftime despite shooting just 29.4% (10-for-34) while YSU was at 52.2% (12-for-23), notably because it forced nine Penguins turnovers and scored 11 points off the miscues.
The lack of scoring by UWGB wasn’t necessarily surprising.
Its two lowest outputs against Horizon opponents during the regular season were against YSU. UWGB won both games but scored just 56 points in the first meeting in December and 54 in the rematch two months later.
Still, the Penguins couldn’t capitalize nearly enough on the rough shooting half by the Phoenix.
UWGB takes control in second half
UWGB started the second half pounding the ball inside, with sophomore forward-center Meghan Schultz scoring the first five points of the third quarter to give the Phoenix back a lead after she went without a point and missed three shot attempts in the first 20 minutes.
Neither team was up more than 3 until UWGB finally pulled away in the fourth quarter against a young YSU squad hoping to make history with a Horizon tournament title.
The Penguins were playing in the championship game for the first time in their 25 years as a conference member and were seeking their first NCAA Tournament berth in 26 years.
Instead, it’s a relatively experienced Phoenix group going dancing again, although Guyer and guard Ellie Buzzelle are the only seniors of the six who played for UWGB last season after Skorupski (Oakland), Kamy Peppler (UW-Milwaukee), Lily Hansford (Iowa State) and Carley Duffney (South Dakota) were signed out of the NCAA transfer portal entering 2025-26.
“It feels great,” Skorupski said. “When Coach Kayla called me when I was in the portal, I knew that coming to Green Bay, I wanted that championship experience and that championship standard that is set here.
“To come in and to see how it’s done every single day, there are no off days. We are always going. We are always pushing through in practice and then in games, we are all together. It was just really fun from start to finish.”
Perhaps it was that type of experience that gave UWGB an advantage in the final two quarters.
It shot 50% (11-for-22) in the second half after such a cold start, while YSU shot 27.6% overall (8-for-29) and went just 3-for-17 from beyond the arc.
YSU freshman guard Danielle Camerson was instrumental in the semifinal win over CSU after scoring a team-high 16 points and hitting four 3s, but she was limited to just 4 points and hit one field goal against the Phoenix.
And to think Karius didn’t even believe her team played that well on defense.
Those are the high standards that have been set.
“We just know they are a really solid team with a lot of weapons,” Karius said. “They have great post play, and then they surround them with great shooters. We just tried to get out there and put more emphasis on getting a hand up on shooters.
“I’m not going to say we contested every single one of those. We were late on a bunch. We miscommunicated on a bunch. Sometimes it’s just the way the game goes. … Overall, we found a way. At the end of the day, 57-49 is not a very pretty game. But we found a way.”
The 49 points by the Penguins were tied for their third-fewest this season, only better than the 40 they had against Robert Morris and the 47 against UWGB in the first meeting.
But that’s what the Phoenix often does to teams, including during its run through the conference tournament.
It allowed no more than 57 points in any of the three games and permitted 48 or fewer in both the semifinal and championship round.
“It’s just a really special moment for this team,” Guyer said. “Like we have been talking about, it’s a completely new team. We had people step up from returners – Ellie Buzzelle, she stepped up – and then to go in and find the players we have now and just how we have meshed and how we have played together, it just makes this year so special.
“This win, I will cherish it forever.”
This article originally appeared on Green Bay Press-Gazette: UW-Green Bay women dancing after win over YSU in Horizon title game
Continue reading...
