SOUTH BEND, Ind. -- Green Bay got physical with top-ranked Notre Dame and gave the Fighting Irish about all they could take.The Phoenix (2-1) rallied from 17 points down midway through the third quarter and narrowed the lead to five points three times in the final 4 minutes before finally falling 71-67 in a Preseason WNIT semifinal Thursday night.The Irish (3-0) shot just 33 percent in the second half and 36 percent for the game. Arike Ogunbowale led the Irish with 18 points but didnt hit another basket after making a 15-foot jumper to extend Notre Dames lead to 17 points.Jessica Lindstrom led the Phoenix with 20 points and 16 rebounds, hitting a 3-pointer to cut Notre Dames lead to 69-64 with 19 seconds left. But Marina Mabrey, who finished with 13 points, hit two free throws to give the Irish a seven-point lead with 16 seconds left.Notre Dame coach Muffet McGraw was disappointed with the Irish, saying they were ragged on offense and struggled defensively against Green Bays screens.Theyre so experienced. Theyre poised. Theyre well coached. Theyre disciplined. Offensively they were really hard to guard and defensively they made it really difficult to get the ball in the post, she said.The Irish, who normally dominate inside, had only a 28-24 advantage inside against the Phoenix and Green Bays reserves outscored Notre Dames bench 22-8.The Phoenix shot 64 percent in the second half and 45 percent for the game.We changed a little bit of the schematic and tried to put it so we could drive it and spread them out a little more, which helped us, Green Bay coach Kevin Borseth said. But we hit some shots, some big shots.Players on both sides described the game as physical.But I feel like thats just part of the game nowadays, Lindstrom said.McGraw believes having such a tough challenge will help the Irish.Hopefully we learned a lot from it. I thought we made some big plays in the end when we had to. But overall, just really disappointing, she said. We looked like the younger team on the floor, and I think we were. But I think we can play a lot smarter.BIG PICTUREGreen Bay: The Phoenix, the favorites to win the Horizon League, played their first game ever against a No. 1 ranked team and stayed within reach throughout the game as they gave the Irish all they could handle.Notre Dame: The Irish struggled offensively early against the Phoenix, who ranked ninth nationally in scoring defense last season at 52.2 points a game, but managed to pull out the victory despite being held to 36 percent shooting.POLL IMPLICATIONS:Green Bay: The Phoenix were already receiving votes and likely could well move into the rankings with an impressive showing on the road.Notre Dame: The Irish may be hard-pressed to keep the No. 1 ranking after struggling on its home court against an unranked opponent.TIP-INS: The Irish were 0 of 5 from 3-point range in the second half after going 5 of 8 in the first half. ... Green Bay was 6 of 9 from 3-point range in the third quarter. ... The Irish have players from 10 states on their roster. Every player on Green Bay is from Wisconsin. ... The Phoenix dropped to 1-2 all-time against the Irish, with the win coming in 1987.UP NEXTGreen Bay: The Phoenix are knocked out of the Preseason WNIT. Green Bay plays road games against Belmont, Chattanooga and Bradley before returning home to face Drake on Dec. 3.Notre Dame: The Irish will play No. 17 Washington in the Preseason WNIT final at South Bend on Sunday. The Irish then play at Louisiana-Lafayette on Tuesday. Air Max 97 Off White Sale . Blackwood, 28, has played the last three seasons in the San Diego Padres system, including the past two summers with Class AA San Antonio of the Texas League. Wholesale Air Max 97 Mens . Siddikur, whose previous win on the circuit came in Brunei three years ago, finished his bogey-free round with a birdie on the 18th for a total of 17-under 199. Indias Shiv Chowrasia, who has finished runner-up in this tournament twice, was in second place after a 66. http://www.wholesale95airmax.com/ .com) - Following a late-game loss to the reigning NBA champs, the Toronto Raptors will look to sustain their recent high-level play as they travel to Indiana to take on the Pacers. Wholesale Air Max 97 Womens . Third-seeded Murray had the easiest path to victory on New Years Eve, barely breaking a sweat during his 6-0, 6-0 win over 2,129th-ranked Qatari wildcard recipient Mousa Shanan Zayed. Air Max 97 Mens Cheap . "No difference at all," chirped U.S. roommate and linemate James van Riemsdyk. "Its still the same cranky Phil. Australian Tyler Wright has won her maiden world surfing title, sparking emotional scenes on the beach at Hossegor in France.Wright, 22, claimed the title when her only rival, Courtney Conlogue from the U.S., was toppled in the semi-finals on Wednesday. She took out Tatiana Weston-Webb in her semi-final before losing to Conlogues conqueror, three-time world champion, Carissa Moore, in the final.Theres a lot thats gone into this, a lot of hours, a lot of fun, said Wright, who won four events this year.Im surprised Im not crying, but itll come.The breakthrough victory caps a difficult 12 months for Wright, whose brother Owen has endured a very public recovery from a serious brain injury sustained while competing.Less well known has been her private battles dealing with the death of her uncle, to whom she promised she would win a world title.Theres a lot of reasons why I set out to win this world title this year, a lot of reasons I didnt mention to the public, Wright said.Last year was such a hectic year, even this year ... I lost ann uncle and this was his last event that he ever saw me compete in.dddddddddddd lot of emotional moments but pretty much from that moment, I promised him Id win a world title. And I did. And from that point, so many things happened this year. [My family] I just love them so much.Wright, who has won the past two titles at the Landes break, held a commanding lead in the season standings heading into the penultimate event of the campaign; she reached the final early on Wednesday, but had to hold onto her victory dance until the final seconds of the second semi-final.As she walked down the beach, and Conlogues final wave scores were read out over the loudspeaker, it became clear the 24-year-old hadnt done enough to reel in fellow American Carissa Moore.The news prompted Australian six-time world champion Stephanie Gilmore to give Wright a hug before the new champion broke away to raise her arms in triumph. ' ' '