Ticket punched: Green Bay starters lead way to Horizon League title

Green Bay has stolen the ball from opponents at a rate good enough to lead the nation this season, and now that the Phoenix have played their way into the NCAA tournament, the rest of the nation will know about it.

Green Bay completed its run to the Horizon League title Tuesday night by handling No. 3 seed Wright State 78-69, taking charge of the game early and never faltering. The Phoenix fell just short of a league title and NCAA berth last season by losing in the title game. Not allowing that to happen again appeared to be on their minds Tuesday because they never seemed to hit a lull or show any doubt.

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Green Bay returns to the NCAA tournament for the first time in 20 years, having last gone dancing in 1996.

The Phoenix won the title by beating the two best defensive teams in the league on consecutive nights, scoring 99 points in an overtime win over Valparaiso and 78 against Wright State.

It’s not as if Wright State was lacking motivation or unfamiliar with the big stage of the title game. The Raiders have now lost in the championship game in three of the past four seasons.

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Wright State outrebounded Green Bay and grabbed 13 offensive rebounds, which was part of the reason the Raiders attempted 17 more shots in the game than the Phoenix. But Wright State shot only 38 percent in the game and 33 percent from behind the 3-point line, which killed its chances of a comeback after falling behind by double digits late in the first half.

All five Green Bay starters scored in double figures, which is nothing new for this team this season. Senior guard Jordan Fouse and junior guard Charles Cooper led Green Bay with 16 points each.

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[Kyle Ringo is the assistant editor of The Dagger on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter! Follow @KyleRingo