Green Bay defeats Santa Barbara 67-64
Green Bay Edges Santa Barbara in Thrilling Non-Conference Showdown
The Kress Center was electric on Friday night as the Green Bay Phoenix hosted the visiting Santa Barbara Gauchos in a highly anticipated non-conference matchup. In the end, the home team's experience and clutch shooting proved to be too much for the visitors, as they emerged victorious with a 67-64 win.
From the opening tip, it was clear that this was going to be a defensive battle. Both teams struggled to find their rhythm early on, with Green Bay holding a slim 42-30 halftime lead. The Phoenix's Marcus Hall led the way in the first half, scoring 15 points and grabbing 5 rebounds, while Preston Ruedinger chipped in with 8 assists.
In the second half, Santa Barbara made several adjustments to try and get back into the game. Aidan Mahaney, who had 18 points at halftime for the Gauchos, continued to torment the Phoenix defense with his three-point shooting. However, Green Bay's bench stepped up, providing a crucial spark that helped the team extend its lead.
As the clock ticked down, it became clear that this was going to be a nail-biter. With just over 5 minutes left in the game, Hall drained a deep three-pointer to push the Phoenix's lead out to 12 points. Santa Barbara refused to give up, however, and Mahaney canned a few baskets of his own to keep the Gauchos within striking distance.
In a thrilling finale, Green Bay's Ruedinger scored on a drive, followed by a pair of free throws from Marcus Hall with just seconds left. Santa Barbara's Kevin Mays (who wasn't mentioned in the provided data) attempted a desperation three-pointer that rimmed out to seal the win for Green Bay.
The final margin was 3 points, a testament to the intensity and physicality of this matchup. Both teams played with heart, but in the end, it was Green Bay's depth and clutch shooting that made all the difference.
Marcus Hall led the way for the Phoenix with an impressive 25-point performance. Preston Ruedinger added 13 assists, while Marcus Hall grabbed 5 rebounds to complement his scoring output. For Santa Barbara, Aidan Mahaney paced the team with 18 points on 2-6 three-point shooting.
The advanced statistics paint a similar picture: Green Bay's eFG% of 64.0% was nearly identical to Santa Barbara's 57.0%, but the Phoenix had a significant edge in free throw rate (53.5% vs 15.2%). Green Bay also held a slight advantage in turnover ratio, which proved critical down the stretch.
This win for Green Bay marks an important step forward for the program as they continue their non-conference schedule. With several ranked opponents on their horizon, this team is poised to make some noise in the Horizon League.