media guide - UWGB Phoenix Athletics

Reserve Ranger Impacts Title GameBy: Andrew Gavin, GreenBayPhoenix.comMarch 17, 2013Green Bay’s experience was on display onSunday afternoon as the Phoenix defeatedLoyola 54-38 for its third-straight HorizonLeague tournament title. However, theplay of an inexperienced junior on bothends of the floor was a major factor inGreen Bay cutting down the nets at theKress Center.While seniors Adrian Ritchie (DePere,Wis.) and Sarah Eichler (Grafton, Wis.)used their experience (260 combinedgames in Phoenix jerseys) to total 31points, 16 rebounds and six assists, the effortsof Breannah Ranger (Skokie, Ill.) mayhave been just as pivotal.Ranger joined Eichler (16) and Ritchie(15) as the third Phoenix player in doublefigures, and on a day when Green Bay’sshots were not falling from the perimeter(5-28 3FGAs), the junior’s 12 points in thepaint in 25 minutes were crucial.After entering the season with only 79career points and one double-figure scoringgame, Ranger has scored 10 or morepoints 11 times as a junior and is averaging7.5 points per game.On the defensive end, Ranger battled withFirst Team All-Horizon League post playerSimone Law. Loyola’s top player had 12points and 14 rebounds but shot just4-of-12 from the field. Ranger grabbed sixrebounds, all on the defensive end of thefloor, and had two steals.In the semifinals, Ranger and her teammatesalso limited Detroit’s First TeamAll-Horizon League post player, SharetaBrown. The Titan’s leading scorer was heldto 1-of-5 shooting and only nine points,11 below of her average.It was the second-straight season that aninexperienced Phoenix player has shinedin the championship game. In the 2012title bout against Detroit, then freshmanMegan Lukan (Barrie, Ontario) scored 20points as Green Bay won 66-53.Lukan Shines Against Titans Yet AgainBy: Andrew Gavin, GreenBayPhoenix.comMarch 15, 2013In Friday night’s Horizon League Championshipsemifinal game against Detroit,sophomore Megan Lukan (Barrie, Ontario)missed the first four shots she attemptedfrom the field. Facing a Titans team thathanded Green Bay its last home, Lukanand her team trailed 18-17 midwaythrough the opening half. Lukan drained athree-pointer on the next possession, andthe Phoenix would not trail the rest of thenight.Lukan came out of the locker room afterhalftime and proved to be the difference,draining a triple to start a 9-2 run thatturned a 31-28 lead into a 40-30 advantagewith 16:37 to play. Her second threeof the half and third of the night wouldfollow moments later, and the sophomoreadded seven more second-half points asGreen Bay pulled away from Detroit for a71-54 win.After shooting 1-of-7 in the first half,Lukan made 4-of-5 shots and scored 13 ofher game-high 19 points after intermission.The performance against Detroitshould come as no surprise for Lukan, theteam’s sixth-leading scorer who has averaged16.2 points per game in the last fivemeetings with the Titans.This season, Lukan has scored 11, 20 andnow 19 points in three wins against Detroit,making 9-of-19 three-pointers in theprocess. Last season, Lukan shined againstthe Titans in the Horizon League championshipgame, scoring 20 points to lead thePhoenix to the title.In part because of another solid effortfrom Lukan on both ends of the courtagainst Detroit, Green Bay will be backin that championship game on Sunday.The Phoenix faces No. 3 seed Loyola at 12p.m. CT at the Kress Center.When asked about Lukan’s performance,her head coach just wanted to talk aboutthe tenacious defense she played while onthe floor for 39 minutes.“I didn’t even know Megan made abasket,” said head coach Kevin Borseth.“Megan played defense. All I know is shewas working her tail off to keep those kidsin front. It is one of the games where theyforce her to play well, and she does.”