NEW HEIGHTS FOR THE NORTH STAR CONFERENCE.  Wisconsin-Green Bay earned a trip to the round of sixteen with home-grown players overlooked by the better-known programs in their neighborhood.

"I think it comes down to the heart all these players have," senior forward Kayla Tetschlag said. "We have been undersized at almost every position all season long, especially up against the bigger teams in the NCAA tournament so far. Our athleticism has been matched and even beaten.

"It just comes down to the heart that this team has. No matter who the opponent, we are going to come out and play hard. That's what has made us so successful this year."

 It's also what BCS schools apparently didn't notice about UWGB players while recruiting.

Tetschlag was interested in Wisconsin, but it wasn't interested in her. Senior guard Celeste Hoewisch couldn't even get UWGB to offer a full ride initially let alone a BCS school. None of the other starting five, which is rounded out by guards Hannah Quilling and Sarah Eichler and forward Julie Wojta, received an offer from a Big Ten school.

The cast of those five Wisconsin girls, along with a reserve unit that includes former De Pere standout Adrian Ritchie, not only continues to prove it can hang with big schools, but also beat them.

After its nine-point win over Michigan State on Sunday, the Phoenix improved to 4-0 against Big Ten schools this season.

The broadcasters of Sunday's game with Baylor noted that Green Bay defeated Wisconsin at Madison, setting in motion a season that ended with Wisconsin's coach being dismissed.  In basketball broadcasting, that nugget counts as equal time, one mention of the underdog team per ten mentions of Baylor's post player.  Baylor did win the game, and those announcers mostly mentioned the efforts of that post player, but Green Bay's problem was at the perimeter.

"Their guard defense was the best we have seen all year," [coach Matt] Bollant said. "We really struggled to try to get by. We are a very good passing team, and honestly, going in I didn't know if that would work with [Brittany] Griner inside. We made her have to guard the perimeter.

"We got great looks."

For the most part, they did. But whenever Green Bay got to within three or four points, Baylor would provoke, or Green Bay's players would commit, a turnover on the perimeter allowing Baylor to break the overlap.