Green Bay Wins #HLWBB Championship

No. 3 Detroit Mercy 52, No. 1 Green Bay 64

Release courtesy of Paul Oren

DETROIT | Allie LeClaire had 19 points, including a key layup with 2:50 remaining, as No. 1 Green Bay captured the 2017 Horizon League Women’s Basketball Championship with a 64-52 win over No. 3 Detroit Mercy on Tuesday afternoon.

The Phoenix won the Horizon League tournament title for the sixth time in the last seven years and for the 15th time overall. Green Bay will be making its 17th all-time appearance in the NCAA tournament. Tuesday marked the sixth time the Phoenix have defeated Detroit Mercy in the Horizon League title game dating back to 1998-99. The Titans won their lone conference tournament title with a victory over Green Bay in the 1997 Horizon League tournament.

Horizon League tournament MVP Jessica Lindstorm helped the Phoenix (27-5) break open a close game by hitting two 3-pointers during a 12-2 run to begin the second quarter. Lindstrom finished with 15 points and nine rebounds on Tuesday and averaged 16.6 points and 10.6 rebounds per game in the tournament.

The Phoenix led by as many as 17 points midway through the third quarter before Detroit Mercy started chipping away at the deficit. The Titans (18-14) an 8-0 run late in the fourth quarter to cut the deficit to 53-48 with just over three minutes remaining. Green Bay worked the shot clock down on its next possession and LeClaire scored just before the buzzer. Sam Terry followed with a 3-pointer and LeClaire later added three free throws to run the lead back to double digits.

Rosanna Reynolds scored a game-high 25 points and grabbed seven rebounds to lead the Titans while Haleigh Ristovski added 11 points.

Horizon League Player of the Year Mehryn Kraker has 12 points, four rebounds and four assists while Terry added eight points and five rebounds off the bench.

All Tournament Team

MVP - Jessica Lindstrom, Green Bay
Mehryn Kraker, Green Bay
Rosanna Reynolds, Detroit Mercy
Jenny Lindner, Milwaukee
Lexi Smith, Wright State