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. Darius Garland Jersey . If ever they start actually putting pictures beside words in the dictionary, the Blue Jays left-handers mug will appear beside “Consistency. Kyrie Irving Jersey . Reassurance came from Paul Tesori, his caddie and close friend whose newborn son is in intensive care in a Florida hospital. 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But theres something else, something unique.Hes all over the place, Penn State wideout DaeSean Hamilton said. We call those type of guys game-wreckers. We need to make sure they dont come in and wreck the game.Thats exactly what Michigans do-it-all utility man did last week when his team fell into a 21-7 first-quarter hole against Colorado.Peppers, whos listed as a linebacker and defensive back, moved around in the Wolverines defensive alignments to spark the Michigan defense with nine tackles, 3 1/2 for losses, and a sack. He added a 54-yard punt return touchdown to seal the game early in the fourth quarter and became the first player in Big Ten history to earn the conferences defensive and special teams player of the week awards dating to 1994.I cant think of another player like Jabrill, Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh said. I know theres not another player that Ive coached like him. The unique thing is all the positions that he can play.Peppers prowess and high football IQ have made the New Jersey native arguably the nations most versatile player and one any scout team should struggle to accurately replicate in practice. Penn State is expected to use multiple players to try and mimic Peppers impact this week.Any team would have trouble doing so with just one.Hes an athletic freak, Penn State quarterback Trace McSorley said. Hes a great player, you obviously have awareness for wwhere the great players are on the other team are and you want to know where theyre at on every play.ddddddddddddt his press conference Monday, Harbaugh rattled off 11 positions on offense, defense and special teams that the 6-foot-1, 205-pound Peppers can or has played in three years in Ann Arbor. This versatility allows defensive coordinator Don Brown to be creative with his calls. He can disguise coverages and blitzes in order to torment opposing offenses.Theres times I should be thinking about what to do on the next series but I like watching our guys play, Harbaugh said. I really watch the way our defense is running to the football, the way theyre flying around, hitting.The speed with which Peppers and Michigan can attack is something thats jumped out to McSorley and Penn State coach James Franklin.Although Penn State didnt allow any sacks to Temple, tackles Andrew Nelson and Brendan Mahon were beaten a few times on the edge. McSorleys ability to climb the pocket to escape the pressure prevented the momentum-changing sacks like the ones Penn State allowed to Pitt and Kent State in the first two weeks.Simply stepping up may not work, however, and Penn States young guards will have to be on notice, too. Peppers lone sack against Colorado came when he slowly crept toward the line and exploded at the snap, unaccounted for up the middle.Theyre just a big, strong, physical, mature team, and then they do have some speed aspects, Franklin said. Jabrill does that for them on defense, special teams and offense. ' ' '