Jan. 18, 2002

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MILWAUKEE -- The UWM women's basketball team (11-5, 5-0 Horizon) hosts Detroit (7-8, 3-2 Horizon) Saturday 2 p.m. at the Klotsche Center. The Panthers won their seventh-straight game this season--the hottest streak in the league--when they beat Cleveland State, 80-67, Thursday night at home. The Panthers haven't been beaten at the Klotsche Center by a league opponent through 19 consecutive contests dating back to 1999.

Detroit lost a close one Thursday night to Green Bay, which is tied with Milwaukee at the top of the league with the same record. The Titans fell, 74-71, to the Phoenix in Green Bay and were led by Michelle James's game-high 25 points.

Milwaukee trails in the series against Detroit, 12-7. The series has been very competitive, with the home team winning in each of their past six meetings.

SCOUTING THE TITANS

In Thursday night's loss to Green Bay, Detroit shot better than the Phoenix, recording 50 percent shooting on 27-of-54 from the field. Green Bay shot 42 percent on 22-of-52 attempts, while both teams made eight three pointers. The difference came on free throws, as Green Bay converted on 22-of-31 trips to the line compared to Detroit's 9-of-16. The Titans crashed the boards over the Phoenix and grabbed the 39-26 advantage, though they recorded eight more turnovers then Green Bay. Scoring just six points in the previous game against Cleveland State, senior point guard Michelle James went off on 7-of-12 three pointers and recorded a game-high 25 points. She also made seven assists and nabbed two steals. Forward Randee Henry added 14 points, while Molly Peterman scored 12. Forward Michelle Bortz grabbed a game-high 12 boards.

Michelle James lead the team with 14.2 points per game and is ranked seventh in the league in scoring. She leads the league in steals (3.29/game) and assists (5/game). Peterman is second on the team in scoring with 12.9 ppg, while Henry is third with 12.3 ppg. In league games, Henry leads the team with 16.8 ppg followed by Peterman's 16 ppg. James was held to just 5.8 ppg before her 25-point explosion, but now averages 9.6 ppg.

The Titans average 2.7 points more than their opponents, and average 41.8 percent shooting from the field. Detroit leads the league in field goal pct. defense (.361) and three point field goal pct. defense (.245), and ranks second in steals (10.47/game).

INSIDE UWM'S WIN OVER CLEVELAND STATE

The Panthers led by just two points at the half, but Maria Viall scored 16 points in the second half to distance the Panthers to a 13-point win. Viall finished with a game-high 22 points, but UWM also got help off the bench from Angela Wenzel, who poured in a career-high 17 points. Holly Tamm contributed 13 points and six assists, while Malika Willoughby added 12 points in a game-high 35 minutes of action.

Both teams battled close for the first nine minutes of the second half, with the leading changing seven times before UWM took the lead for good, at 55-54, on a Viall layup with 11:35 remaining. Willoughby's energy sparked the Panthers momentum for the rest of the game. The freshman point guard's tenacious defense paid off when she stripped CSU's guards and sprinted up court for a spin-around layup.

Up 59-54, the Panthers continued its 15-7 run to take a nine-point lead. CSU hit a three pointer for to trail UWM, 70-64, but the Panthers went on a 10-2 run down the stretch.

STEALING HOME

With the recent victory over Cleveland State, UWM extended its home league winning streak to 19 games. The Panthers haven't fallen to a league team at the Klotsche Center since UW-Green Bay upended Milwaukee, 73-54, on Feb. 20, 1999.

BENCH POINTS

Angela Wenzel has come in to every game off the bench for UWM this season, but she sparked the Panthers with 17 points against Cleveland State to help lift them to victory. Wenzel poured in 13 points in just nine minutes played in the first half, already surpassing her previous career high at UWM of 10 points by the half. Her new career high of 17 points came on 7-of-8 shooting from the field and 3-of-4 from the line.

HELPING HAND

Senior guard Holly Tamm currently has 68 assists on the season, averaging 4.25 per game for fifth among league leaders. She has recorded more than four assists in six games, and has recorded less than three assists just three times. If she keeps up dishing out her average assists per game, she will certainly eclipse the 100-assist mark and rank among the school's top ten in season assist leaders. The last time a Panther averaged at least four assists per game was during the 1996-97 season.

VIALL NAMED PLAYER OF THE WEEK AGAIN

Maria Viall was named the Horizon League Player of the Week on Jan. 14 for the second consecutive week. She was recognized by the league this week after pouring in a career-high 33 points to lead UWM past Butler on Saturday. In the previous week, she helped UWM to a pair of league wins at home with two double- doubles, averaging 18.5 points and 11 rebounds in both contests. She is off to a torrid pace in league games, averaging 19.5 points and 8.5 rebounds through four games.

ROAD WARRIORS

UWM has won six games on the road so far this season, tying a Division I school record for most road wins in a season. UWM accumulated six road wins in 2000-01, 1999-00 and 1997-98. UWM has six away games left on its schedule, with a potential of one more if they play host Loyola at the Horizon League Tournament.

UWM'S RPI

Milwaukee is currently ranked 82nd in the latest release of the RPI according to collegerpi.com. The latest rankings are the highest for UWM in the three-year history of the women's RPI. In 2000-01 Milwaukee was at 116, while the Panthers finished the 1999-00 season at 157. The Panthers are projected to finish the season 83rd in the RPI, with a 20-7 record.

PANTHER DEFENSE

UWM's tenacious defense forced 30 turnovers from Wright State, the highest amount an opponent has coughed up this season. That was the eighth time this season that opponents have tallied more than 20 turnovers. UWM ranks second in the Horizon League in turnover margin, with 3.27 less than its opponents, and also ranks second in scoring defense, holding opponents to 60.8 ppg.

FRESHMEN LEADERS

Point guard Malika Willoughby led the team in scoring against Wright State, registering 13 points. She shot 5-of-13 from the field, including 2-of-5 from the arc. That came as the second time this season a freshman has led the Panthers in scoring. Forward Christine Gutierrez led UWM with a team-high 14 points over Bowling Green on Dec. 8.

TWENTY-SOMETHING

UWM committed 21 turnovers against Wright State to make it the sixth time this season the Panthers have tallied more than 20. In that same game, Milwaukee made 20 assists for the second time this season to record at least 20 assists.

CHUDY'S DUTY

Freshman guard Elizabeth Chudy has averaged 9.5 minutes off the bench in eight games played. Up until the game against Wright State, she had always connected on at least one three pointer in games played. The games against Wright State and Butler stopped Chudy's duty of contributing from beyond the arc in her minutes played. She averages 3.8 ppg, while leading the team in three-point field goal percentage (.444) on 8-of-18 treys.

MUST-SEE TV

The premiere of the Sandy Botham Show, featuring UWM's own 2001 MCC Coach of the Year, was shown Thurs., Jan. 10, on Channel 41. Botham can be seen at 6:30 p.m. every Thursday night throughout the rest of the season. CBS 58 sports reporter Trenni Kusnierek hosts the show.

CAREER DAYS FOR VIALL

Maria Viall scored 33 points against Butler to eclipse her previous career high of 30 points gained against Saint Mary's on Dec. 28th. Against the Bulldogs, Viall made 13-of-19 from the field and 7-of-11 from the line. In the game against Saint Mary's, Viall connected on 14-of-18 field goals and grabbed a game-high 12 rebounds to record her first double-double of the season. The sophomore center grabbed a pair of double-doubles in league matches against Loyola (22p, 10r) and UIC (17p, 12r) to open the league season. She now has seven career double-doubles, tops among all active Panthers.

DOUBLE-DOUBLE FACTS FACTS

With seven career double-doubles, Maria Viall has moved into a tie with Trina Rathke for fifth place on the school's career double-double list. The school record is 22 career double-doubles by Erica Young. Viall is also just the second player in UWM's Div. I history to post a double-double in back-to-back games twice in a career, having done so once this season and once last season. Young is the only other player to do so, having accomplished the feat four times. Young also holds the record with five consecutive double-doubles.

CONSISTENT IN APPEARANCE

When Stefanie Kaufmann took the floor at home against Cleveland State, it was the 101 consecutive game she has appeared in. In her fourth year, Kaufmann has played in all 101 team games, while starting 29 times. The record for most games in a career, without missing one, since UWM moved to Div. I is 108 by Trina Rathke (1995-98) and Apryl Rodman (1994-98). Both Rathke and Rodman played all 108 team games in their careers. If Kaufmann stays healthy, she will eclipse the mark Feb. 7 at Wright State. Junior Jessica Wilhite (74), sophomore Maria Viall (46) and freshman Malika Willoughby (16) are the only other players on pace for the same feat.

MARIA MARIA

It may appear as though center Maria Viall has been hot as of late, but really she's been doing it all season. Viall had recorded 12 consecutive games with double-digit scoring, but that streak was cut short when she was held to six points against Wright State. That game came as just the second time this season Viall scored in single digits, with the first coming in the season opener. Her streak of 12 games marked a career best, and tops among all active players. The record, however, is 21 games set by Pam Bartnik during the 1993-94 season.

STARTING SPOT

Freshman guard Malika Willoughby made her first start with the regular rotation in the game against Saint Mary's and has started each game since. She replaced senior guard Allison Klaas, who now gives the Panthers experience off the bench. With Willoughby in the starting five, the Panthers have rattled off seven-straight wins, and hold a 8-0 record overall when she starts.

CAREER LEADERBOARD

With 10 points against Butler on Jan. 12, junior guard Jessica Wilhite moved into 16th place on the school's career scoring list. Wilhite moved past former Panther Laurie Krajnik, who accumulated 960 points in her career. She now totals 967 career points and is just 33 points shy of becoming the 12th Panther to join the school's 1,000 point club. Wilhite will easily surpass a few other players on her way up the ranks: Teresa Teske ranks 15th with 969 points, Trina Rathke is 14th with 975 points, Carol Busche is 13th with 985 points and Maureen Pitrof is 12th with 996 career points.

UP THE CHARTS

Also making news with career leaderboards is sophomore center Maria Viall. Viall has 25 blocks this season, giving her 57 career blocks to move into sole possession of eighth place in the records book. She needs a total of 60 to tie Umenia White for seventh place, and 68 to tie Jaci Clark for sixth place. With 25 blocks through 16 games, Viall is looking to make a run at UWM's Division I school record of 47 blocks in a single season. The current mark is held by Erica Young during the 1993-94 season. The all-time career leader in blocks is Carrie Nonof with 136 blocks. Viall registered 32 blocks last season and ranks third in individual season records for blocks.

POLE POSITION

Following the Wisconsin game on Dec. 11, sophomore center Maria Viall became the team's leading scorer. Viall becomes the first Panther player, other than Jessica Wilhite to have the team lead in scoring since 2000. Corrin Von Wald ended the 1999-00 season with 11.9 ppg, tops on the team. Viall now averages 16.8 points per game, while Wilhite is second with 13.2 ppg. Both rank among the top ten in the league in scoring, with Viall currently in second place and just tenths of a point out of first place.

WILHITE FOR THREE

The game against Wisconsin was the only game this season Jessica Wilhite did not connect from behind the arc. She scored four points but was 0-of-3 from three-point range. Prior to that game, she had made at least one three-pointer in each of UWM's first eight games this season. Wilhite opened the 2000-01 season with multiple threes in the first 15 games, and kept on pace with at least one made in 20 straight games. As a freshman during the 1999-2000 season, Wilhite made it seven games before failing to hit a three. In her career, Wilhite has played in just eight games without making a three point shot.

SINGLE DIGITS

2001-02 Horizon League Preseason Player of the Year Jessica Wilhite has been a marked target this season. Opponents have added great defensive pressure to tie her up and force the ball elsewhere. The Panthers' go-to player exploded in the beginning of the season, averaging 20 points through the first four games. But after a three-game stretch of scoring in single digits, including a season-low three points against Valparaiso, Wilhite now averages 13.2 ppg. She exploded against Loyola on Jan. 3, going off for a school-record 24 first-half points en route to a 28-point outing. She averaged 10.5 points in UWM past two road games, but only scored five points against Cleveland State.

FEWEST TO FOUR

Milwaukee's 71-50 win at Chicago State on Dec. 31 marked the fourth road win of the season for the Panthers. With a 4-2 mark on the road, the 2001-02 squad set a school Div. I record with the fewest games to reach four road wins. The previous record was seven, when the 1997-98 team started the road season 4-3. Last season, the team didn't record its fourth road win until their 12 opportunity.

100 AND COUNTING

With UWM's win over Northern Illinois in the season opener on Nov. 16, coach Sandy Botham collected her 100th career win as a head coach. Botham started her career with Beloit College and collected 22 wins in her lone season there. Since coming to Milwaukee prior to the 1996-97 season, Botham has collected 85 wins, giving her 107 for her career.

CARING FOR THE BALL

Against No. 3 Vandy, the Panthers kept care of the ball by recording 16 assists and turning over the ball a season-low nine times. Through 16 games, Holly Tamm leads the squad with 68 assists and boasts a team-best assist-to-turnover ratio of 2.45. As a team, UWM averages 14.9 assists and 17.3 turnovers. The Panthers have forced an average of 20.8 turnovers per contest, for a turnover margin of +3.5.

SEASON'S GREETINGS

This season's 3-1 start was UWM's best start since the 1988-89 season. That year, the Panthers started 5-0 and finished 19-10.

FREE-THROW SHOOTING

UWM started the season with cold free-throw shooting in the first few games, but finally heated up at the line in their game against Marquette when they made 21-of-25 attempts. The Panthers fell back against Saint Mary's when they converted just 55 percent on 11-of-20 attempts. Through 16 games, the Panthers are shooting 72.3 percent from the free throw line, while opponents are converting 69.4 percent of their attempts. Allison Klaas has made 8-of-9 attempts for a 88.9 percent mark to lead the team, while Jessica Wilhite is second on the team with 83.3 percent accuracy on 40-of-48 free throws. Maria Viall has made it to the line the most, connecting on 58-of-80 shots (72.5 percent).

BENCH MARK

Against Valparaiso, UWM coach Sandy Botham used an eight-player rotation--the first time four other players didn't see time off the bench since January of 2000. Jan. 4, 2000 was the last time the Panthers didn't use at least 10 players in a game. The only other time Botham has ever used only eight players was Dec. 21, 1996, her eighth game at UWM. In that game, seven players saw 20-plus minutes, while one player only played one minute. The Panthers lost at Dayton, 79-70, in that game.

MIND FOR CHARITY

UWM made a living at the foul line last year. The Panthers connected on 493 free throws during the season, almost as many as their opponents attempted (526). UWM tied the team record for free throws made in a season. Milwaukee attempted at least 20 free throws in its final 15 games of the season, and only once shot fewer than 10 free throws during the entire year.

OVERTIME REVISITED

The game against Marquette saw the Panthers play their first overtime game since the 1999-00 season. Last year, UWM did not see any overtime action. It was the first time the Panthers have gone through the season without an overtime contest since the 1997-98 campaign. During the 1999-00 season, UWM played in five overtime games.

ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM

Jessica Wilhite and Maria Viall were named to the Gran Tree Classic All-Tournament team on Nov. 25-26 at Montana State.