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Purdue Fort Wayne
23-7,18-2Horizon
Green Bay
26-5,19-1Horizon
Mastodon WBB Loses Heartbreaker in OT at Green Bay
3/1/2025 5:49:00 PM | Women's Basketball
GREEN BAY, Wis. - The Purdue Fort Wayne women's basketball team had a shot at the buzzer to win, but Green Bay took Saturday's (March 1) contest 68-63 in an instant classic overtime game.
In a winner-take-all matchup for the Horizon League regular season championship, Green Bay's Natalie McNeal scored 27 points and grabbed 13 rebounds to lead the Phoenix to the title and the No. 1 seed for the upcoming Barbasol Horizon League Championship.
With the loss, Purdue Fort Wayne will be the No. 2 seed and play the second-lowest remaining seed in the quarterfinal round on Thursday (March 6) in the Gates Sports Center at 7 p.m.
In the closing moments of regulation, the Mastodons found Jordan Reid, who had been great all afternoon, with the ball in her hands. She pulled up for a mid-range jumper, but it caromed off the back iron and the game went into overtime.
Reid scored four more points in the overtime period, including a jumper to make it a one-possession game with under a minute to go, but the Phoenix recycled their next possession to put a potential game-tying triple out of reach.
Throughout the contest, it was a wonderfully entertaining basketball game, with the two teams trading punches. The Mastodons jumped out to a 12-2 lead in the first five minutes thanks to a 3-for-4 stretch from 3-point range. From there Green Bay clawed back to lead 15-14 at the first quarter break.
The two teams were dead even in the second, giving the Phoenix a one-point lead at the intermission.
The halftime speech played to the Mastodons' advantage, as they went on a 14-5 run over a 5:23 stretch in the third quarter. The 'Dons led by five heading into the fourth.
After Amellia Bromenschenkel and Reid each canned a pair of free throws, Tia Morgan hit a huge 3-pointer off the bench to put the 'Dons up six with 4:38 left in regulation. From there, the Player of the Year contender McNeal went on a 6-0 run herself to force OT.
Bromenschenkel played a great game, finishing with 18 points, five rebounds and two assists. Reid finished with 13, six and three. Lauren Ross put together a 10-point, six-rebound, three-assist game. Sydney Freeman had seven points, six assists and five rebounds.
As a team, the Mastodons finished with 18 assists on their 23 made baskets. The 'Dons were 9-of-21 (42.9 percent) from beyond the arc.
The best regular season in the program's Division I history wrapped up with a 23-7 mark, 18-2 in Horizon League play.
Green Bay improved to 26-5, 19-1. Their only league loss was to the Mastodons on December 7.
~ Feel the Rumble ~
