'We have got to continue to build': UWGB women prepare for rival UWM after another upset of ranked opponent
GREEN BAY – The University of Wisconsin-Green Bay women’s basketball team keeps playing spoiler this season.
For the second time in four games, the Phoenix knocked a team out of The Associated Press Top 25 after beating No. 23 Washington State 59-48 on Saturday at the Cancun Challenge in Mexico.
It came nine days after upsetting No. 22 Creighton by 12 points on the Bluejays’ home floor.
UWGB has beaten two ranked opponents in the same season for the first time since defeating No. 24 Arizona State and No. 23 Marquette during the 2017-18 campaign, which also is the last time it reached the NCAA Tournament. That team was led by all-time greats Allie LeClaire and Jessica Lindstrom.
The Phoenix is 4-2 entering a Horizon League opener at in-state rival UW-Milwaukee on Thursday, and it’s beginning to get noticed on the national stage.
UWGB received six votes in this week’s AP Top 25 while Washington State (55 votes) and Creighton (44 votes) received the most votes of those not ranked.
With two such notable wins early on, is there a case the Phoenix should be ranked?
A season-opening loss at Northern Iowa and a loss to Maryland at the Cancun Challenge hurt UWGB’s chances, but it might not be far off if it continues to play well in December.
Four teams in the top 25 have two losses, including No. 24 North Carolina (5-2) and No. 25 Princeton (4-2).
“Well, we are not bad, we are a pretty good team,” UWGB coach Kevin Borseth said. “I think we demonstrated that. I think had we beaten Maryland, we probably would have been in there. We are a pretty good squad on any given night, but then again, you have to be consistent night in and night out. Against Maryland we weren’t, against Northern Iowa we weren’t.”
It doesn’t get much easier against a Panthers team that was picked to finish sixth out of 11 teams in the Horizon preseason poll but is riding a four-game winning streak.
UWGB also has struggled at the Klotsche Center in the recent past, losing the last three games at the venue since 2020.
UWM has won five of the last eight games in the series overall.
The Panthers are coming off a dominating 84-59 win over Central Michigan on Saturday in which the team set a program record with 17 3-pointers in a regulation game.
Junior guard Kendall Nead is second in the Horizon in scoring at 19.7 points, while sophomore guard and former Hortonville standout and Miss Basketball winner Kamy Peppler is eighth with 14.6.
“Let’s hope we bring our ‘A’ game down there,” Borseth said. “They are on their four-game winning streak right now and doing really well. They have their entire roster back and a very good opponent.
“We can’t rest on what we have done so far. We have got to continue to build on what we have got and make some things happen.”
Genke shining early on for UWGB
Junior guard Callie Genke has come off the bench each of the first six games and provided a big offensive lift for the Phoenix.
The 6-foot Genke is averaging a team-high 10.8 points in 21 minutes while shooting 44.2% overall (19-for-43) and 38.7% (12-for-31) from 3-point range.
She helped UWGB rebound from its loss to Northern Iowa by scoring a career-high 26 points and grabbing six rebounds in a win over Illinois State earlier this month.
Genke averaged 5.2 points and 2.8 rebounds in 20.1 minutes last season while playing in 34 games and making 18 starts.
“Callie has been coming around in a lot of areas,” Borseth said. “She is turning into a more complete player than she was when she first got here. She is strong around the basket, she has got the ability to take you off the bounce, and she can obviously shoot the ball from the arc.
“She is a great defender. A really good defender. One of the better defenders we have got. Just a really, really good player at this point. Could very easily be in the starting lineup.”
Phoenix is winning away from Kress Center
Perhaps most impressive about UWGB’s start to the season is that it’s done it almost entirely away from home.
The Phoenix has played at the Kress Center just one time in its win against Illinois State, going 2-1 on neutral courts and 1-1 in road games.
It plays each of the next two games on the road, including at DePaul on Dec. 5, before finally enjoying an extended homestand.
More UWGB basketball: UWGB men enter Horizon League play at full strength
UWGB will play five straight contests at the Kress from Dec. 13 to Jan. 1.
“(Former Phoenix great) Chari Nordgaard said a long time ago that it’s easier to concentrate when you are on the road,” Borseth said. “There is some truth to that. When you are on the road you concentrate a little harder.
“It’s the nature of the beast. We’ve happened to have games on the road to start with early in the year, and in December we get a lot of home games. Hopefully, we can hold our own until then.”
This article originally appeared on Green Bay Press-Gazette: UWGB women's basketball ready for rival UWM after another top-25 win
