Sydney Levy steps into key role as UWGB women prepare for showdown with Wisconsin

GREEN BAY – Forever is a long time, but that’s about how long it will be until the Wisconsin men’s basketball team travels here to play the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay again.

But no such problem exists for the Phoenix women, who will host the Badgers at 7 p.m. Wednesday at the Kress Center.

“I think it’s great for the fans, to be able to see in-state teams compete against each other,” UWGB coach Kevin Borseth said. “I give Wisconsin credit for playing the in-state teams. I think it bodes well for girls basketball in the state of Wisconsin.

“We have a lot of talent in our state. There is a lot of energy in younger girls basketball programs. All these young kids seeing these teams playing against each other — Wisconsin, Green Bay, Marquette, Milwaukee — is really healthy for the game of basketball.”

The Badgers hold a 20-16 advantage all-time over the Phoenix, but UWGB has been in control of the series for more than a decade.

It has won each of the last three meetings and nine of the last 11, with seven of the wins coming by double figures. It includes a 63-53 victory at the Kohl Center last December.

UWGB won’t be at full strength for this one, and perhaps for the rest of the season.

Senior guard Hailey Oskey, who was a first-team all-conference selection in the Horizon as a junior, took a leave of absence from the program for personal reasons after its win at IUPUI on Dec. 3.

The former Seymour star is first on the team in minutes (29.9 mpg), rebounds (5.4 rpg) and steals (11), second in scoring (9.7 ppg) and third in assists (16).

UWGB hasn’t been a team built on big stars since Jessica Lindstrom and Allie LeClaire graduated in 2018, so it’s accustomed to counting on several players to help in the scoring department rather than just leaning on a few.

Fellow senior guard Sydney Levy moved into the starting lineup in a 70-52 win over North Dakota State University on Saturday and had one of the best games of her Phoenix career since joining the team as a transfer in 2020.

Levy scored a season-high 18 points, shooting 7-for-13 overall and 4-for-8 from 3 in 34 minutes.

She has been one of UWGB’s best players in its 5-3 start, averaging a team-high 10.1 points and shooting 50% both overall (30-for-60) and from 3 (19-for-38).

The win over NDSU was one of the most impressive in the early going for the Phoenix. UWGB shot a season-high 54% overall and 47.1% from beyond the arc and had a season-high 19 assists, although it also had 18 turnovers.

“Two years ago, they swept us out of their place pretty handily,” Borseth said. “Then last year we played really well against them (in a 71-54 victory) and this year we played really well against them.

“We had to. You have to supply a lot of energy because they are a good team, a very well-coached team.”

The Phoenix now faces a Badgers squad that has several scorers to contain.

Wisconsin (4-8) hasn’t played great after a solid start, breaking a seven-game losing steak with a win over St. Thomas on Saturday.

It has struggled with more than just defeats. It lost senior captain Halle Douglas for the season with a right knee injury sustained against Illinois State in November, while leading scorer and freshman standout Maty Wilke (leg) has missed two games and Avery LaBarbera (ankle, foot) also has missed time.

The Badgers have five players averaging double figures, led by Wilke’s 13.8 points. Fellow guard Julie Pospisilova is averaging 13 points and recently put up 32 in a loss to Florida State while tying the school record with eight 3s.

“You have got to get yourself ready, for one,” Borseth said. “And do your best with the information you have moving forward on who is playing, because there are a lot of injuries Wisconsin has had. They are going to have all their kids back for Wednesday.

“They have got a very good team. A very good cast of players. I don’t think their record indicates what their caliber is moving forward.”

This article originally appeared on Green Bay Press-Gazette: UWGB women's basketball prepares for showdown against Wisconsin