Jan. 14, 2002

MILWAUKEE -- For the second-straight week, UWM's Maria Viall (Waukesha, Wis./North) was named the Horizon League Player of the Week, the league announced today.

Viall helped UWM grab two victories on the road at Wright State and Butler. She scored a career-high 33 points to pace the Panthers to a 32-point win over Butler Saturday. Viall connected on 13-of-19 from the field and 7-of-11 from the line. She just missed her fourth double-double of the season when she grabbed nine rebounds against the Bulldogs. The sophomore was held to just six points in the previous game against Wright State, recording single digits for just the second time this season.

The sophomore center was also named Player of the Week on Jan. 7 after two solid performances in helping UWM to a pair of wins. She posted consecutive double-doubles for a total of three in a four-game stretch. On Jan. 3 against Loyola, Viall scored 22 points on 10-of-15 shooting and grabbed a game-high 10 rebounds. On Jan. 5 in the close win over UIC, she led with a game-high 17 points and 12 rebounds.

The 33-point explosion gives Viall an average of 16.9 points per game for the team lead in scoring and third place in the league. She also ranks second in the league in field goal percentage (.561) and fifth in rebounding (6.9)