UWGB women's basketball rides defense to top of the Horizon League

1 week ago 2

Defense has always been the calling card for the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay wom e n’s basketball team.

It was that way before all-time great Kayla Karius, then Kayla Tetschlag, played for the Phoenix. It was that way during her time at UWGB from 2007 to 2011. It was that way after she graduated, and it certainly remains that way now that she is in her second year coaching her alma mater.

It doesn’t get much better than the performance UWGB put together in the first 20 minutes of its 64-43 win over Robert Morris on Jan. 4 at the Kress Center.

Ten points.

That’s how many the Colonials scored in the first half as the Phoenix built a commanding 21-point lead at the break that it extended to as much as 30 in the opening minutes of the fourth quarter.

Robert Morris shot 17.9% (5-for-28) in the first 20 minutes, including 0-for-10 from 3-point range.

It never did get much better after that. It finished the game at 29.1% overall (16-for-55) and 23.5% from 3 (4-for-17).

UWGB held the Colonials to their fewest points of the season, two days after it held Cleveland State to its fewest after it entered the weekend as the top-ranked offense in the Horizon League.

The Phoenix improved to 11-5 overall and remains the only undefeated team in Horizon play at 6-0.

“I’m really proud of our defensive effort,” Karius said. “This is what this program has always preached. It’s also a really big challenge when your roster, more than half of it is brand new. We have very talented players, but players who basically have to learn our defensive system now and learn how important it is and have to strive to keep getting better.

“That is probably what I’m most proud of. There is so much buy-in from all of these new players, and returners like Jenna (Guyer) have really shown the way. Just explaining to them and showing them every day how important it is that we don’t take plays off. We guard the ball one-on-one. We just spend so much time on the defensive end, so it’s really cool to see it play out like it did.”

Jenna Guyer continues to shine for UWGB

Speaking of Guyer, the senior forward-center had another notable performance against Robert Morris. She scored a game-high 19 points in 30 minutes, shooting 7-for-13 overall and 3-for-5 from 3.

The 6-foot-2 Guyer missed the first five games of the season with an injury she sustained during an exhibition against UW-Platteville on Oct. 18.

She came off the bench in the first three games after she returned before being inserted into the starting lineup for a Horizon opener at Northern Kentucky on Dec. 4.

Guyer has scored double figures in seven of eight contests as a starter, with her biggest game coming in a win at Wright State when she finished with 21 points and 10 rebounds for her first career double-double.

“We had our exhibition game and that was the game I got injured, but since then in practice, I got good reps,” Guyer said. “That made me feel more comfortable in those games. I wouldn’t say necessarily that starting was the reason, but maybe starting the game and setting the tone on offense, on defense, has kind of helped me get into a better flow.”

There was never a doubt Guyer would be in the starting lineup at some point, considering she is considered one of the best players in the league.

But who was going to come out of it when it was time for her to go in?

Sophomore forward-center Meghan Schultz probably would have come off the bench to start the season had Guyer not been injured, but she played so well as a starter that it was almost impossible to take her out of the lineup.

Instead, it was sophomore forward Gracie Grzesk who went from a starter to a top reserve.

The former Green Bay Notre Dame star still is playing a significant role. She averaged 24.1 minutes in eight games as a starter and is playing 22 a contest in eight games off the bench.

“I spoke to her about it before it became something we announced to the team,” Karius said about her conversation with Grzesk. “I can’t say enough about how well Gracie handled that situation. She obviously stepped into the starting lineup when we needed her to, when Jenna was out, and played great minutes for us. Had a couple great games for us, especially against N.C. State (20 points on 8-for-15 shooting), a top 25 team. Really looked fearless and confident out there for as young as she is.

“It really came down to, we need Jenna’s leadership on the floor to start the game. It is nothing that (Grzesk) did. We explained all of that to her. I loved the energy and the quick offensive burst she gives us when she comes off the bench.”

UWGB guard Kamy Peppler leads the Horizon League in assists this season.

Kamy Peppler helping lead UWGB offense

Former Hortonville star Kamy Peppler has lived up to expectations after transferring from in-state rival UW-Milwaukee for her senior season.

The 5-7 guard had five assists against Robert Morris, the ninth time this season she finished with at least five.

She would have been the Horizon’s assists leader during both her sophomore and junior seasons, if not for former UWGB star Bailey Butler.

Peppler might not finish second this season.

She leads the league with 4.6 assists per game, with teammate Maddy Skorupski second with 3.8.

“She is facilitating everything,” Karius said. “I think she’s trying to find her shot a little bit. She hit a couple on Friday night (against CSU), which is great. She is a scorer, so I think she is balancing the two between facilitator and scorer. Just trying to tell her within our offense, we don’t have to force it. If you can just facilitate and just take care of the ball, and she is such a good ball handler. She has such great court vision that she finds her team so well.

“She is very valuable. As they all are. But what a valuable piece, for that player to come in with experience. Especially in the league. They already know these teams. For her to have that already, she is just so confident out there. The other players, if I can speak for them, draw confidence from her, too.”

Peppler even gave her team some national exposure earlier in the week after her four-point play at Wright State in the final seconds of the first half made the top 10 plays on ESPN’s "SportsCenter."

Karius learned about it after receiving a text from one of her sisters. She received a few more after that first message.

“Any time you are getting national recognition like that, yeah, it was an amazing play,” Karius said. “What’s unfortunate about it is it happened on the opposite end where our bench was. The bench was going crazy. We are all excited for each other any time we do something, but what a play.”

Karius brought it up to Peppler, who was modest about it.

“She just played it off like, ‘Yeah, I guess I was,’” Karius said. “I said, ‘Is that your first time on 'SportsCenter'?” She said, ‘I think so.’

“It’s very cool to get national recognition.”

This article originally appeared on Green Bay Press-Gazette: UWGB women's basketball rides defense to top of the Horizon League

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