Phoenix women drop Wichita State

WICHITA - The Green Bay women’s basketball team (9-2) used a team effort and an explosive second half to defeat Wichita State (6-6) in its final nonconference road game of the 2012-13 season. The 63-42  win featured eight Phoenix players in double-digit minutes, and 17 assists on 23 field goals.

Green Bay opened the game on an 8-0 run, sparked by threes from seniors Lydia Bauer and Adrian Ritchie. The Shockers responded with a 9-2 run of their own over the next five minutes led by Jessica Diamond, who finished the first half with a team-high nine points.

Both teams struggled from the floor in the first half, with the Phoenix posting a 28% mark and the Shockers hitting just 25% from the field. Bauer led Green Bay with nine first-half points on 3-of-6 shooting from long range, while fellow senior Sarah Eichler pitched in eight.

Green Bay shot 77.8 percent (14-18) from the field in the second half, and opened it on a 12-5 run with a turn-around layup by redshirt senior Jenny Gilberton (Wabasha, Minn.). Gilbertson played 24 minutes, tallying five points and five rebounds.

Green Bay held the Shockers to just 29.7 percent from the floor, and allowed the home team to score just seven points over the last 10 minutes of the second half.

Eichler led the Phoenix with 15 points, while Bauer added 11. Ritchie and redshirt Sophomore Megan Lukan  added seven points. Lukan also posted seven assists on the day, one shy of tying her career high.

The win marked the eighth time this season Green Bay has held an opponent to 50 points or less, and the Phoenix continued its dominance in the paint outscoring the Shockers 26-6 inside.