As the Green Bay Packers begin their search for a new defensive coordinator - as reports indicate is about to happen - they wouldn't have to look very far to find a coach who really knows about defense.
Unfortunately for the Packers, UW-Green Bay's Matt Bollant coaches women's basketball and not Football.
On Sunday night at the Klotsche Center, Bollant's Phoenix put on a defensive clinic.
Green Bay forced 29 turnovers and held UW-Milwaukee to just 27.9% shooting to cruise to a 47-36 victory in the Horizon League opener for both teams.
The Phoenix built a 13-point lead a little more than 6 minutes into the first half and never had a lead of less than five the rest of the way.
With its defense continually clicking, the Phoenix (9-3, 1-0) was able to win easily despite shooting just 37.3% and committing 26 turnovers of its own.
"I'm obviously disappointed that we had that kind of performance, but give all of the credit to Green Bay," UWM coach Sandy Botham said. "Defensively, they really did a number on us."
That was more than an understatement. Until Jineen Williams made two free throws to get UWM within 47-31 with 3:15 left, there was some doubt as to whether the Panthers would finish with more points than turnovers.
In making just 12 of 43 shots, the Panthers (5-7, 0-1) never got into an offensive rhythm. Center Traci Edwards was held to 14 points, five below her average, and Williams (12 points) was the only other Panther with more than three.
"Obviously we wanted to get into them," Bollant said of the defensive effort led by Kati Harty and Celeste Hoewisch. "Traci is so good inside that if the guards can have vision and see, we felt like they'd be able to throw the lob or they would be able to get her touches or throw the skip (pass).
"I give a lot of credit to our guards for our ability to stop Traci because their guards really had trouble seeing to get the ball inside."
The Panthers were fortunate to be within 24-19 at halftime after making just three of their first 18 shots and turning the ball over 12 times in the first 15 minutes.
They trailed, 21-8, at that point before a layup by freshman Amanda Viehauser stopped a 10-0 Green Bay run and started a 6-0 rally for the Panthers.
Two free throws by Edwards, a basket in the post by Lindsay Laur and a free throw by Williams with 19.2 seconds left pulled the Panthers within five, overcoming a half in which they shot 28% (7 for 25) and turned it over 15 times.
Green Bay was only marginally better, at 33% (9 for 27) with 12 turnovers.
If the Panthers had any thoughts of keeping the momentum after the break, those disappeared when Green Bay's Rachel Porath hit a three-pointer to start a 7-0 run. The lead reached 18.
Porath and center Lavesa Glover each had 10 points to lead the Phoenix. But this game was won by defense.
"We wanted ball pressure on those guards so they couldn't lob it into Traci Edwards so easily," Porath said. "We watched film from last year's games and saw how easily they got to pass it inside and how easy it was, so we didn't want to make it easy for them at all."
In forcing all those turnovers and getting 18 steals, the Phoenix clearly reached that goal.
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