GREEN BAY — UW Green Bay senior Natalie McNeal helped propel her squad to a Horizon League regular season title this past weekend in their win over Purdue Fort Wayne, collecting a double-double (27 points and 13 rebounds).
Her mid-range jumper, at times, can be unstoppable.
The Phoenix, who have won 19 in a row, will need a lot more of that from her in the conference tournament if they want to make their second-straight appearance in the big dance.
“It's win or go home, so it’s really just about putting it all out on the floor and enjoying the last couple of games,” said McNeal.
McNeal does put it all out on the floor. To clinch the Horizon League regular season crown, she scored 27 points and collected 13 boards.
“I had the mindset going in of we are not losing on senior night with a crowd like this,” she said.”We owe it more to our fans and to ourselves to win this game,” McNeal said
“She's doing what you want a senior to do at the end of her career, and that’s get to her peak, and I think she’s doing that right now,” said Phoenix head coach Kayla Karius.
The now two-time first team all-Horizon League player thrives in big games. To punch their ticket to the big dance last year, McNeal put up 32 points in their win over Cleveland State.
“The thing that separates her is she refuses to lose, and her competitive edge is unlike I've seen in a very long time,” said Karius. “It reminds me of some old teammates or maybe one or two players I've coached along the way.”
The Phoenix star has attempted just 16 three-pointers all year, as the mid-range game is where she thrives. The guard leads the Phoenix, averaging 14 points per game.
“We have a bunch of good three-point shooters, we have post presence, defenses have to respect both of those, then that kind of leaves me open,” said the senior. “Works for me, I guess. I don't know.”
Recruited by UW-Green Bay heavily out of high school, McNeal chose to go to St. Louis. However, once she hit the transfer portal to play closer to home in front of her family, legendary head coach Kevin Borseth was once again adamant about getting her to play for him. Safe to say it worked out for both parties.
“Being here has just been really exciting because my family is able to come to so many games,” said McNeal. “I'm able to share this with my parents, my grandparents, and my sisters, which means a lot to me, and also meeting some of the best people I’ve ever met in my teammates, the new staff and the old staff. Everybody who walks through Green Bay, they’re great people, and I've been blessed to meet some great people in this process too.”
But the ride isn’t over; McNeal hopes to be a part of another NCAA Tournament appearance.
“Just trying to stay focused on the game ahead of me and just really make the most of what I have left in my career because basketball means a lot to me.”
The No.1 Phoenix will host No. 10 Oakland at 7 p.m. at the Kress Center on Thursday.
