(GREENBAYPHOENIX.COM) GREEN BAY – Emmanuel Ansong led Green Bay with 18 points as the Phoenix snapped Purdue Fort Wayne’s four-game winning streak on Friday night at the Kress Center, 77-59.
Green Bay improves to 4-11 on the season and 4-7 in Horizon League play, while the visiting ‘Dons fall to 6-6 on the year and 5-6 in conference action.
After back-and-forth action in the early going, Green Bay pieced together a 17-2 run at the 12:34 mark which spanned over five minutes, 19 seconds to take a commanding 23-10 lead. The Phoenix shot 7-for-11 in the span which included two three-pointers and seven points from Ansong.
GB carried a 35-22 lead to the locker room after holding Purdue Fort Wayne to 10-of-27 (37%) from the floor and 1-of-6 (16.7%) from long range.
The Phoenix scored the first 10 points of the second half to increase its advantage to 23 points, 45-22, after triples from Lucas Stieber and Ansong fell through the net.
GB’s defense never allowed PFW to get into a rhythm, as the league leaders in three-point percentage finished just 4-of-18 (22.2%) from long range. The Phoenix also forced 22 turnovers which led to 31 points.
After an and-one from Terrance Thompson, Green Bay’s lead had increased to 23 points – its largest of the game and the season with only 2:28 remaining. The Phoenix got back in the win column with an impressive 77-59 victory and snapped Purdue Fort Wayne’s four-game winning streak.
Ansong finished with a season-high 18 points on an efficient 8-of-12 effort from the field. He also pulled down nine rebounds and collected one steal in 24 minutes. Jefferson added 16 points while Pipes finished with 13 to round out Green Bay’s double-digit scorers.
