Defense Clamps Down in 71-45 Win Over Northern Michigan

Trailing two at the break, Green Bay outscores Wildcats 36-8 in second half

Kati Harty led Green Bay with 17 points, six steals and six rebounds

Nov. 3, 2007

GREEN BAY, Wis. - The Green Bay women's basketball team got a feel for a bounty of new things Saturday afternoon, as the Phoenix debuted on the newly-constructed Kress Center floor for a 71-45 win over Northern Michigan. Over 3,000 fans filled the facility for its debut, which wrapped up a day of festivities for the Green Bay community.

The contest was also the first for first-year head coach Matt Bollant, who rallied his squad into allowing just eight second-half points on the way to its 26-point win. After allowing 10 first-half three-pointers, Green Bay clamped down to give up just one three-pointer in the final 20 minutes of the game.

Junior guard Kati Harty (Ashwaubenon, Wis.) led the way with 17 points, including team-bests of six rebounds and six steals. Green Bay turned over Northern Michigan 30 times, grabbing 18 steals on the day.

Senior Kayla Groh (Elkhart Lake, Wis.) added 10 points, but the highlight of her night was her engagement to long-time boyfriend Josh Bardon, as he surprised her with a proposal following the game.

Green Bay took a 12-point lead midway through the first half on a three-pointer by Rachel Porath (Luxemburg, Wis.), 22-10. However Northern Michigan was on fire from three-point range, as the Wildcats drilled eight three-pointers over the final nine minutes of the half.

Kelsey Deacon, a graduate of nearby Ashwaubenon High School, drilled a three to beat the halftime buzzer to give Northern Michigan a 37-35 lead at the break. The Wildcats shot 10-of-15 from three-point land in the half. Deacon finished with a game-high 18 points, all on three-pointers.

But as hot as Northern Michigan's offense was in the first half, Green Bay's defense was stingy in the second half. The Phoenix held the Wildcats to just eight points on 2-of-23 shooting and 3-of-8 from the free throw line as NMU went without a field goal for a 17-minute run.

All 13 players found the scoring column for the Phoenix. The game also featured the debut of freshmen Kayla Tetschlag (Sheboygan, Wis.), Julie Wojta (Mishicot, Wis.) and Elicia Derusha (Engadine, Mich.). Tetschlag had a respectable eight points with six rebounds in 18 minutes, while Wojta and Derusha added two points apiece.

Green Bay will conclude the exhibition season Tuesday when it hosts the Wisconsin AAU All-Stars at 7 p.m. The Phoenix gets the regular season underway Friday, Nov. 9 at Drake.