Green Bay Downs Wright State in Title Game - Mar 9, 2016

The 20-year wait is over. For the first time since 1996, the Green Bay men's basketball team is returning to the NCAA Tournament.

In front of a national TV audience, senior Jordan Fouse (6'7''-G) scored a team-high 16 points with 7 rebounds, and the No. 4 seed Green Bay (23-12) led for all of 17 seconds on Tuesday night to prevail 78-69 over No. 3 seed Wright State (22-13) in the 2016 Little Caesars' Horizon League Men's Basketball Championship to receive an automatic bid on Selection Sunday for the first time since the 1995-96 campaign.

Following the game, Fouse was named the Tournament MVP, while Carrington Love (6'1''-G), Charles Cooper (6'4''-G), Valparaiso's Alec Peters (6'9''-F-95) and WSU's J.T. Yoho (6'6''-F-93) were named to the All-Tournament Team.

After the Raiders took its first lead on a jumper by Mark Hughes (6'4''-G) with 17:16 remaining in the first half, 6-4, the Phoenix used a 13-0 run over the next four minutes and 23 seconds to seize a 17-6 advantage.

Ultimately, it proved to be a lead first-year head coach Linc Darner 's team refused to relinquish until they finished what they came to Joe Lewis Arena to accomplish: dance.

Playing in its fourth game in as many days, Green Bay showed no signs of tired legs coming off a 99-92 overtime thriller against top-seeded Valparaiso less than 24 hours earlier. Instead, it was the Phoenix who shot 51.7 percent (15-of-29) from the floor in the game's opening half to take a 12-point lead into the break, 42-30.

Green Bay continued to put the pressure on after halftime, and took its largest lead of 19 points when a Love steal was pushed ahead for an thunderous dunk by Cooper with 9:41 to play that gave the Phoenix a commanding 60-41 lead.

Although Wright State made a last-gasp attempt to cut into the deficit in the final minutes, the Green Bay defense held the Raiders' leading scorers Yoho (2-of-17) and Mark Alstork (6'5''-G-95) (1-of-7) to just 12 points on a combined 3-of-24 from the field to clinch the victory. Wright State was limited to just 37.5 percent (27-of-72) shooting as a team, while all five Phoenix starters recorded double figures in scoring.

Courtesy of Green Bay

Horizon League Tournament Final: Green Bay - Wright State 78-69
Horizon League Tournament Semifinals:
Wright State - Oakland 59-55
Green Bay - Valparaiso 99-92