Photo by Matt Becker/Fourth Estate

Ryan Evanochko, Mike Schachtner and Terry Evans were named to the Oneida Casino Classic All–Tournament Team. Evanochko scores 14 points, three of which are at the end of the game, to give the Phoenix the 65–62 win over Bowling Green.

Exciting Basketball action highlights games durring break

Josh Brewer

Fourth Estate

While most of UW-Green Bay’s student body spent semester break escaping the rigors of lectures, homework and midterms, the Phoenix basketball teams continued with their season schedules. Both squads had successful runs during break, as the men’s team won five of eight while the women’s team extended their winning streak to 10.

Kevin Borseth’s team started break right where they left off at the end of the fall semester. After rattling off five consecutive victories, the Phoenix women’s basketball team won all five of its games during semester break. None may have been bigger than the team’s 85-70 victory — Borseth’s 200th win at UWGB — over in-state rival UW-Milwaukee Jan. 13.

UWGB’s five games during break were not only victories, but they were also one-sided. The Phoenix has won each of their last seven games by at least 12 points. The streak has also included three victories of 20 points or more, highlighted by a 28-point victory over Illinois State Dec. 22.

Preseason Horizon League Player of the Year Nicole Soulis has lived up to expectations, leading the Phoenix on and off the court. Soulis leads the Horizon League in scoring, averaging 18.4 points per contest. She notched a career-high 32 points in an 87-71 victory over Loyola Dec. 30.

The Phoenix seems primed for a run at a ninth-straight regular season Horizon League championship, as they are 4-0 in Horizon League play. UWGB will look to extend their winning streak to 11 tonight as they play host to Cleveland State at the Phoenix Sports Center. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m.

The annual Oneida Casino Holiday Classic took place at the Resch Center Dec. 27-30, and once again, the Phoenix men’s basketball team took home the hardware. Thanks to a late-game rally which saw the Phoenix overcome an 11-point deficit, UWGB defeated Bowling Green 65-62 in the tournament’s title game.

Phoenix Head Coach Tod Kowalczyk viewed the team’s three tournament victories as an important home-court statement. 

“Those are games you have to win at home, and we played against some good competition,” Kowalczyk said. “I thought Bowling Green was an excellent team, and I was really happy and proud of how our guys played.”

Overcoming deficits seemed to be the name of the game for UWGB during semester break. The Phoenix staked an even bigger comeback in its 65-53 victory over Cleveland State Jan. 6. The Vikings led by 13 at the half, and seemed to have the game in the bag, but the Phoenix thought otherwise. UWGB’s defense stood tall, allowing only nine points in the second half to take the victory. Sophomore Mike Schachtner tallied his second 30-point scoring output in the victory, scoring 31 for the Phoenix.

Kowalczyk has been impressed by Schachtner’s stellar play this season.

“Mike is a guy that has really elevated his game, and it’s shown. The fruits of his labor are showing,” Kowalczyk said.

The Phoenix sits in sixth place in the Horizon League, with a 10-8 overall record, including a 2-3 mark in conference play.

Up next for the Phoenix is Saturday’s road game against 18th-ranked Butler. The Bulldogs and Phoenix have very differing styles of play, Kowalczyk said. Regardless of this fact, Kowalczyk knows what his team has to do to grab the victory. 

“They play very, very slow. They want it to be a possession-by-possession game,” Kowalczyk said. “They don’t want to play in transition, (and) they just want to slow the game down. We have to find a way to speed them up.”

Kowalczyk and the Phoenix return to action at the Resch Center Jan. 24 as the UIC Flames pay a visit to Titletown.