Wis.-Green Bay 72, Youngstown St. 55 -- Saturday, March 3 2007
FAIRBORN, Ohio (AP) -- Ryan Tillema scored 22 points to lead Wisconsin-Green Bay to a 72-55 win over Youngstown State in the Horizon League quarterfinals Friday night.

The Penguins (14-17) took a 15-14 lead with 8:44 to play in the first half on a jumper by Keston Roberts. It would be their last lead as Tillema scored eight points during a 19-9 run that gave the Phoenix (18-14) a 33-24 halftime lead and control of the game. Wisconsin-Green Bay led by no fewer than eight points the entire second half.

Roberts led Youngstown State with 18 points. Quin Humphrey added 12 and John Barber added 10. Ryan Evanochko scored 17 points for the Phoenix.

Women's Basketball Gets Balanced Attack in 78-60 Victory at Loyola -- Saturday, March 3 2007
CHICAGO - The University of Wisconsin-Green Bay women's basketball team (24-3, 15-0) utilized an all-around attack to post its 21st straight win Thursday night, as the Phoenix topped Loyola University Chicago 78-60 at the Gentile Center.

All 10 players scored for the Phoenix in the win, with five notching double figures. Nicole Soulis and Kati Harty led the way with 12 points apiece, while Natalie Berglin, Rachel Porath and Erin Templin each added 10 points.

The Phoenix also benefited from a strong team effort on the defensive end, notching 16 steals and a season-high nine blocked shots. Soulis had four blocks while Porath swatted a pair of shots.

After swapping leads six times early on, UW-Green Bay pulled away with a 19-4 run in the first half to take a 35-20 lead on a Soulis layup. After scoring the team's first seven points, Soulis' layup gave her 10 points for the half.

UW-Green Bay slowly added to its lead in the second half, leading by as much as 26 points with 4:48 to play. No Phoenix player played more than 26 minutes in the contest.

The Phoenix also had balance from long range, as eight players converted the team's nine three-point field goals. Included on the list was Lavesa Glover, who made her first collegiate three-pointer in the second half.

Loyola (7-18, 5-9), who had 18 assists on 20 field goals, was led by freshman Maggie McCloskey, who had a game-high 19 points. Marquise Hanser chipped in 11 points.

The Phoenix will take on UIC Saturday, March 3 at 7 p.m. for its final regular season contest. UW-Green Bay will try to do what no other Horizon League team has done in 18 years when it attempts to go unbeaten in league play with Saturday's contest.

Softball Clinic Rescheduled for March 25 -- Wednesday, February 28 2007
GREEN BAY, Wis. - The youth softball clinic that was to be put on by the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay softball coaching staff and team and was originally scheduled for this past Sunday will now be held Sunday, March 25. The event was forced to be rescheduled following heavy snowfall in the Green Bay area.

The clinic for pitchers and catchers will run from 8:30-11:30 a.m. for students in grades 5-8 and from 3:30-6:30 p.m. for students in grades 9-12 at the Phoenix Sports Center on the UW-Green Bay campus.

Cost of the clinic is $50 when registering in advance or $60 the day of the event. When registering in advance, please indicate whether the student will be participating in the pitching or catching portion of the clinic.

For more information see the Clinic Brochure (PDF) or contact assistant coach Kim Viduski at (920) 660-7971 or Debbie Sanders at (920) 465-2145.

Evanochko, Schachtner Named to All-Horizon League Second Team -- Monday, February 26 2007
GREEN BAY, Wis. - University of Wisconsin-Green Bay senior guard Ryan Evanochko and sophomore forward Mike Schachtner have each been named to the 2006-07 All-Horizon League Men's Basketball Second Team it was announced Monday. Sophomore forward Terry Evans was also named to the all-defensive team.

The all-league team was selected by the league's head coaches, sports information directors and media, while the all-defensive team is picked by the head coaches. Evanochko and Evans were each named to their respective teams for the second consecutive season.

Evanochko, a native of Beaver Falls, Pa., leads the Phoenix with an average of 15.3 points per game. He also paces the Horizon League with norms of 5.2 assists and 36.60 minutes per contest as well as a 2.11 assist-to-turnover ratio. Evanochko set a career high with 16 assists, the second-best mark in school history and a Resch Center record, in a win over Chicago State Dec. 12. He surpassed the 1,000 points for his career at UW-Milwaukee Jan. 27 and currently ranks No. 15 on UW-Green Bay's all-time scoring list. Evanochko has handed out seven or more assists in a game nine times this season and has scored in double figures in 12 of the last 13 games.

A Somerset, Wis., native, Schachtner was the only sophomore named to either the first or second teams. He is averaging 15.2 points per contest and leads the team with nine 20-plus point games including a pair of games tallying over 30 points. Schachtner ranks among the league leaders in all three shooting categories, ranking second with a .913 free throw percentage and a .467 3-point percentage and fifth with a .497 field goal percentage. He scored a career-high 36 points Dec. 12 against Chicago State, hitting 11 of 15 shots including seven of eight 3-pointers. Schachtner also posted 31 points against Cleveland State Jan. 6 to make him the Phoenix player since Jeff Nordgaard in 1995-96 to post multiple 30-point games in the same season.

Evans, a St. Louis native, ranks near the top of the Horizon League in steals, blocked shots and rebounds. He has 52 steals this season for an average of 1.73 per game, a norm that is the second best in the league. Evans is just five steals shy of tying the UW-Green Bay single-season record of 57 set by Frank Nardi in 1986-87. He and Nardi are the only players in school history to have posted at least 50 steals in a season twice in their careers. Evans' average of 1.27 blocks per game ranks No. 3 in the Horizon League while his 6.0 rebounds-per-game average is seventh.

UW-Green Bay (16-14, 7-9 Horizon League) opens Horizon League tournament play at 7:05 p.m. Tuesday as it hosts Cleveland State at the Resch Center.

All-Horizon League First Team
A.J. Graves, Jr., G, Butler
Othyus Jeffers, Jr., F, UIC
DaShaun Wood, Sr., G, Wright State
Quin Humphrey, Sr., G, Youngstown State
Blake Schilb, Sr., G, Loyola

All-Horizon League Second Team
Ryan Evanochko, Sr., G, UW-Green Bay
Mike Schachtner, So., F, UW-Green Bay
Ryvon Covile, Sr., C, Detroit
Mike Green, Jr., G, Butler
Brandon Cotton, Jr., G, Detroit

All-Newcomer Team
Pete Campbell, Jr., G, Butler
Mike Green, Jr., G, Butler
Paige Paulsen, Jr., F, UW-Milwaukee
Todd Brown, Fr., G, Wright State
Vaughn Duggins, Fr., G, Wright State

All-Defensive Team
Terry Evans, So., F, UW-Green Bay
Scott VanderMeer, So, C, UIC
Ryvon Covile, Sr., C, Detroit
DaShaun Wood, Sr., G, Wright State
Majak Kou, Sr., G, Loyola

Player of the Year: DaShaun Wood, Wright State
Coach of the Year: Todd Lickliter, Butler
Newcomer of the Year: Mike Green, Butler

Tickets On Sale Now For Horizon League Tournament First Round Game -- Monday, February 26 2007
GREEN BAY, Wis. - Tickets are on sale now for the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay men's basketball team's first round game in the Horizon League tournament against Cleveland State Tuesday night. Tip-off is set for 7:05 p.m.

Tickets for the contest cost just $12 and are available in person at the Resch Center, online at www.ticketstaronline.com or by calling (920) 494-3401.

The first 100 students with a valid University ID can pick up tickets for free at the UW-Green Bay ticket office located at 320 Rose Hall.

The Phoenix (16-14, 7-9 Horizon League) is the No. 4 seed for the Horizon League tournament while Cleveland State (10-20, 3-13) is seeded ninth. UW-Green Bay won both regular season contests against the Vikings, winning 65-53 Jan. 6 in Green Bay and 79-66 Feb. 3 in Cleveland.

Phoenix Win 9th Straight Horizon League Regular-Season Title -- Monday, February 26 2007
GREEN BAY, Wis. - The University of Wisconsin-Green Bay women's basketball team (23-3, 14-0 Horizon League) secured its ninth straight Horizon League regular season title outright with its 84-70 victory over Butler Saturday afternoon at the Phoenix Sports Center.

In their final regular season home game, the Phoenix seniors led the way, as all four seniors - Nicole Soulis, Amanda Popp, Natalie Berglin and Alex Webster - all started their finale. Soulis went on to lead the Phoenix with a game-high 19 points, while Popp tallied 18 and Berglin notched 16 points. Webster added three points in her first collegiate start.

In a close contest for the first 30 minutes, both teams swapped leads 11 times and had seven tie scores. Butler, who came off a team record three-point effort against UW-Milwaukee Thursday, started just as hot as it had six three-pointers and shot 46 percent from long range to keep up the pressure.

After a Jackie Closser three gave the Bulldogs a three-point lead, 55-52, with 12:40 to go, the Phoenix buckled down for a 16-2 run, including 13 straight points over a span of five minutes. Popp's three-pointer with 6:55 to go gave the Phoenix a 68-57 advantage.

From there, Butler could get no closer than eight points, before another quick 6-0 run put the game away for UW-Green Bay.

Although the Phoenix had an off night from three-point range, shooting just 28 percent from long range, UW-Green Bay shot 53.2 percent from the field for the game. The Phoenix also shot an impressive 12-13 from the free throw line.

Butler (12-14, 9-5) was led by Lade Akande's 17 points while Ellen Hamilton had 15 points, all on three-pointers. Closser added 13 points.

The win was also the 300th victory for the Phoenix in its storied history at the Phoenix Sports Center. Saturday's win is not the final contest for UW-Green Bay at the PSC, as the Phoenix will host a 2007 Horizon League Championship quarterfinal contest Wednesday, March 7 at 7 p.m.

The win was also the 13th straight home win for the Phoenix. UW-Green Bay concluded its third straight month undefeated, going 6-0 for February. It is the team's 20th straight win.

Next up for the Phoenix is a pair of road contests to conclude its regular season next weekend. UW-Green Bay will start with Loyola Thursday, March 1 at 7 p.m.

Last-Second Basket by UW-Milwaukee Stuns Phoenix 74-73 -- Monday, February 26 2007
GREEN BAY, Wis. - Paige Paulsen's basket with 1.2 seconds remaining helped the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee men's basketball team complete a late stunning comeback as the Panthers escaped the Resch Center with a 74-73 win over UW-Green Bay Saturday evening. Mike Schachtner scored a game-high 23 points for the Phoenix while senior Aswan Minatee tied a career high with 20 points.

In the end, the loss meant little to UW-Green Bay which still earned the No. 4 seed for the Horizon League tournament which gets underway Tuesday evening. The Phoenix will host ninth-seeded Cleveland State at 7:05 p.m.

That UW-Green Bay didn't win the game was remarkable considering the fact that it shot a season-best 59.2 percent from the floor for the game, connecting on 29 of 49 field goal attempts including 15 of 20 (75 percent) in the second half.

Trailing by six at 73-67 with just two minutes to go, the Panthers got within four on a Kaylan Anderson lay-in with 1:32 remaining. Following a Phoenix turnover, Avery Smith missed a three-point attempt but UW-Milwaukee got an offensive rebound and Ricky Franklin's three from the top of the key bounced off the back of the rim and fell through to cut the deficit to one.

Franklin then got a steal on UW-Green Bay's next possession and was able to call a timeout while falling out of bounds with 34 seconds left. The Panthers held for one shot and Smith was double-teamed in the corner but managed to get the ball to Paulsen who scored with 1.2 seconds left.

Following a pair of Phoenix timeouts, Schachtner inbounded the ball to Ryan Evanochko whose desperation attempt from 40 feet hit off the left side of the rim.

UW-Green Bay led virtually throughout the contest, but was never able to pull away from the Panthers. Schachtner had the hot hand in the first half, scoring 17 points. The Phoenix led by seven on a pair of occasions in the opening 20 minutes of play, but Milwaukee was able to get within three at 35-32 at the break.

The Panthers had no answer for Minatee in the early stages of the second half as he scored UW-Green Bay's first 11 points and the Phoenix made its first seven field goals after the break overall. Despite the accurate shooting the game was still tied at 46-46 before the Phoenix made a run. Nine straight points by UW-Green Bay gave the hosts their biggest lead of the game at 55-56 with 12 minutes left.

But Milwaukee continued to hang around and made the late rally to send the Phoenix home disappointed.

Minatee hit on nine of 11 field goal attempts in the game including all eight in the second half on his way to tallying 18 points following the intermission. Schachtner, meanwhile, hit eight of 11 shots in the game.

Each team committed just nine turnovers, but UW-Green Bay's pair in the late-going proved to be crucial. The Panthers had the hot hand from behind the arc, making 11 of 21 attempts. Franklin led Milwaukee with 17 points while Smith added 16.

Women's Basketball Shows Defensive Mettle in 73-42 Win Over Wright State -- Friday, February 23 2007
GREEN BAY, Wis. - The University of Wisconsin-Green Bay women's basketball team (22-3, 13-0 Horizon League) not only got a balanced attack offensively but had a stellar performance on the defensive end as the Phoenix nabbed a season-high 17 steals while forcing 31 turnovers in its 73-42 victory against Wright State Thursday at the Phoenix Sports Center.

Kayla Groh and Kati Harty led the way offensively with 12 points, while Amanda Popp added 10 points for ninth double-figure game in 10 outings.

Erin Templin led the way with a career-best four steals, while Harty, Popp and Natalie Berglin each had three takes. The 31 turnover total by the Raiders was a season-high for a Phoenix opponent.

The victory has guaranteed the Phoenix at least a share of the regular season title, as the team holds a three-game advantage with three games to play. UIC is currently 10-3 and is the only team that has a chance to share the title with UW-Green Bay.

The Raiders (7-17, 5-8) refused to let the Phoenix pull away in the first half, and although they never led in the contest, were tied 16-16 with 9:57 to go in the first on a natural three-point play by Erica Richardson.

But the Phoenix began to pull away, as a 10-2 run to end the half and a 7-0 start to the first gave UW-Green Bay a 38-22 lead with 18:44 remaining. The Raiders pulled to within 12 a minute and a half later, but five straight turnovers allowed UW-Green Bay to take a 58-31 lead with 10:12 to go.

From there the Phoenix defense kicked into overdrive, holding Wright State to just 11 points the rest of the way. The Raiders shot 42.5 percent for the game, but had just 17 field goals to 31 turnovers. Brittney Whiteside was the high scorer for WSU with nine points.

Next up for the Phoenix is a contest with Butler at 3 p.m. Saturday at the Phoenix Sports Center. UW-Green Bay will recognize its four seniors following the contest.

DeGrand Repeats as 200 IM Champ as Women Remain Third, Men Fifth at League Championships -- Friday, February 23 2007
CHICAGO - Sophomore Danielle DeGrand repeated as the champion in the 200 individual medley as the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay women's swimming and diving team remained in third place and the men stayed in fifth place following the second day of competition at the Horizon League Championships hosted by Illinois-Chicago Thursday.

The Phoenix women have compiled 294 team points through the first two days of the meet, trailing Wright State (324.5) and UW-Milwaukee (313.5). The UW-Green Bay men have amassed 191 points, putting them behind Wright State (301), Cleveland State (268.5), UIC (226.5) and UW-Milwaukee (210).

DeGrand, a Green Bay native, gave the Phoenix its first individual title of the meet by easily winning the 200 IM title in a time of 2:06.11. Holly Carlisle added a fourth-place finish in the event, coming in at 2:07.87.

After winning one relay event and earning one close second-place finish Wednesday, the UW-Green Bay women had to settle for another tight runner-up result Thursday. UW-Milwaukee out-touched the Phoenix by only six hundredths of a second in the 400 medley relay as UW-Green Bay's team of DeGrand, Jenna Smith, Ashley Warzon and Kristin Carlson just missed out on following up their top finish in the 200 medley relay the day prior by finishing in 3:51.95.

The Phoenix women had three individuals score in the 500 freestyle championship final as Molly Cox took third (5:02.46), Carlson was fifth (5:02.64) and Allison Thut was sixth (5:04.24). UW-Green Bay also got a third-place finish from Kelsey Hausken in the 50 freestyle (23.76).

Joey Weber provided the men's team's top individual finish of the evening, placing third in the 50 free in a time of 20.68. Freshman Alex Hill also chipped in with a fourth-place standing in the 500 free (4:33.37) and Phillip Zumstein finished seventh on the 1-meter diving board competition with a score of 255.10.

In the lone relay event of the evening, the UW-Green Bay men came in fourth in the 400 medley relay as the squad of Travis Mathers, Andrew Johnston, Jordan Mathes and Tony Sturm touched in at 3:28.92.

Action continues Friday at Flames Natatorium with prelims starting at 10:30 a.m. and finals scheduled for 6 p.m.

Ocariz Qualifies for NCAA Championships -- Friday, February 23 2007
GREEN BAY, Wis. - Santi Ocariz, a freshman on the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay men's Nordic ski team, qualified for the 2007 NCAA Championships with his efforts last weekend at the Central Collegiate Ski Association.

Ocariz was the ninth qualifier from the region after his qualifying scores were re-calculated earlier this week. During the initial calculation, Ocariz missed qualification by seven one-hundreths of a point. After the re-calculation of penalty points, Ocariz moved into the ninth and final spot with his 182.67 race average.

"This is a great honor for Santi," said head coach Butch Reimer. "He worked extremely hard all year, and we're thankful the CCSA fixed the mistake. He deserves to be at the NCAAs."

During the final regular season events last weekend, Ocariz placed 12th overall in the 10K freestyle (33:04.0) and was 18th overall in the men's 15K classic (46:36.8).

The 2007 NCAA Ski Championships will be held March 4-10 at Mt. Washington Valley, N.H. The University of New Hampshire will be the host institution. Ocariz will race in the men's 10K freestyle Wednesday, March 7 and then ski in the 15K classic Friday, March 9.