Feb. 5, 2002

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MILWAUKEE -- The UWM women's basketball team (16-6, 10-1 Horizon) hosts Wright State (4-17, 2-8 Horizon) Thursday night at 7 p.m. The Panthers have made winning at the Klotsche Center a tradition, as they seek their 23rd-straight win against league opponents in the arena.

The Panthers keep a firm grip on second place in the Horizon League after beating Loyola, 74-49, on the road. Milwaukee pulled away in the beginning of the second half after a small halftime lead and won its third-straight game.

The seventh-place Raiders came up just short in their last game to Detroit, losing 66-65 on Saturday. Both teams shot about the same with 40 percent on the game, though the Titans got their advantage on the boards and in second-chance points.

LAST TIME OUT

Milwaukee already beat the Raiders this season, winning 70-52 on the road. Both teams shot around 43 percent from the field, though the Panthers made five more field goals from three-point range. UWM scored 28 points off of 30 Wright State turnovers, and tallied 16 steals on the game. Freshman Malika Willoughby led UWM with 13 points, while Holly Tamm scored 12 and Jessica Wilhite chipped in 11. Wright State only played seven players deep, and was led by Tiffany Webb's 18 points. Jill Ransdell added 16 points, while Robyn Swain grabbed a game-high 13 boards.

SERIES RECORD

UWM swept the Raiders last season, winning two regular-season games and then the Horizon League Tournament Quarterfinal game. The Panthers' win this season gives them the edge in the series, as they now hold the 9-8 all-time record.

SCOUTING THE RAIDERS

Tiffany Webb paced the Raiders with 15 points, while Iesha Gray scored 14 and Jill Ransdell added 13. WSU shot 22-of-55 from the field, including 3-of-11 three pointers. The Raiders connected on 18-of-25 free throws and recorded 14 assists and 15 turnovers. Wright State was outrebounded by nine boards and allowed Detroit to score 22 points off second-chance points.

Webb leads the team in scoring with 15.5 ppg, while Gray is second with 11.1 ppg. Swain leads the team on the boards with 6.9 rpg, and is fourth in scoring with 6.6 ppg.

Wright State is near the bottom of the league in most team statistical categories, but Webb is fourth in the league in scoring and Gray is 12th. Webb also ranks second in steals with 2.86 per game, while Swain ranks third in rebounding.

WSU's two wins in the league came in a 77-74 battle over Butler on Jan. 26 and in a 72-53 win at Cleveland State on Jan. 7. Tiffany Webb has led the team in scoring 13 times.

INSIDE UWM'S WIN OVER LOYOLA

Five players scored in double digits for UWM and were led by Maria Viall's 16 points and 10 rebounds. Viall recorded her fifth double-double of the season after UWM was able to work its inside game in the second half. She finished connecting on 6-of-11 from the field and 4-of-6 at the line.

Leading by three points at the half, the Panthers connected on five of their first six shots in the second half during a 13-6 run to take over the game. After playing just six minutes in the first half because of foul trouble, Jessica Wilhite connected on consecutive three pointers to give UWM a 10-point lead with under 15 minutes remaining.

Milwaukee then went on a 17-5 run over the next five minutes to keep out of range. Holly Tamm put the Panthers up 60-40 when she tipped in Malika Willoughby's three-point attempt that went in and out of the basket. Milwaukee kept up the full-court pressure to keep its distance and take the 25-point margin of victory.

Tamm and Stefanie Kaufmann added 12 points each for UWM, while Wilhite and Willoughby chipped in 10 a piece.

The Panthers finished shooting 39.7 percent from the field and 40 percent from three-point range. UWM shot 45 percent in the second half after it started the game with 34 percent accuracy. Milwaukee forced 27 turnovers from Loyola, while grabbing 15 steals.

POURING IN THE POINTS

The Panthers' 25-point league victory against Loyola on the road marked the eighth time this season the Panthers have won by 20 or more points to hold the school record. Milwaukee has posted six of those wins in league play, and has outscored league opponents by 22 points per game.

STEALING HOME

With the last victory at home over Youngstown State, UWM extended its home league winning streak to 22 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.

DOUBLE VISION

Maria Viall grabbed her fifth double-double of the season against Loyola on Feb. 4, and it came as the second time this year against the Ramblers. She scored a game-high 16 points and grabbed a game-high 10 rebounds for her ninth career double-double. In her previous match against Loyola, she tallied 22 points and 10 rebounds. Her others this season have come against Green Bay (20 points, 10 rebounds), Saint Mary's (30 points, 12 rebounds) and UIC (17 points, 12 rebounds).

DOUBLE-DOUBLE FACTS FACTS

With nine career double-doubles, sophomore Maria Viall has moved into a tie for third place with Pam Bartnik and Niki Flack 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.

FOURTEEN-TREY FIESTA

UWM nailed 14 three pointers against Youngstown State to break the Division I school record for most treys in a game. The Panthers connected on 14-of-24, also recording a season-high 58.3 percent accuracy from beyond the arc. The previous record for team three pointers came when UWM tallied 13 against Chicago State on Jan. 25, 2000.

MARGIN OF VICTORY

UWM's 54-point margin of victory over Youngstown State on Feb. 2 broke the Division I school record. The previous record was a 47 points, recorded on Jan. 22, 1991 in a 104-57 win over Northeastern Illinois at home. The win still holds the school record of most points scored by UWM, though the Panthers came close to that record this season with a 102-71 win over Detroit.

ONE HUNDRED AND COUNTING

The Panthers have scored at least 100 points on two occasions this season, the first time in the program's history that they have done so more than once in a season. UWM defeated Youngstown State, 100-46, on Feb. 2 and beat Detroit, 102-71, on Jan. 19. UWM has recorded 100-point games two other times in its division I history, but have done it in separate seasons. The Panthers beat Cleveland State, 101-99, in the 1995-96 season and recorded a 104-57 victory over Northeastern Illinois in the 1990-91 season.

BACK ON THE BOARDS

After consecutive games of losing the battle of the boards, UWM dominated Youngstown State with the 47-20 advantage. The margin of 27 rebounds comes as the third highest in Division I school history, with the record margin of rebounds standing at 29. The Panthers were previously outrebounded by Green Bay (40-37) and then by UIC (37-35), which broke UWM's streak of eight straight games that it had not been beaten on the boards.

PERFECT PLAY

Reserve Angela Wenzel came off the bench in the game against Youngstown State to score 11 points for UWM. Her contribution came off of 4-of-4 field goals, including 3-of-3 treys, in 16 minutes of play. She has played in every game for the Panthers this season and has scored in double figures five times, including four times in the past seven games. She averages 59.8 percent from the field to lead the team, and also averages 43.5 percent from three-point range.

1,000-POINT CLUB

With 17 points against Green Bay, junior guard Jessica Wilhite became the 12th player in school history to record 1,000 career points. She currently has 1,039 career points and ranks 10th on the all-time career scoring list. Wilhite was also just the fourth player to reach 1,000 points in the school's Division I history. The last player to reach 1,000 points was Daryl Schaffeld (1996-00), who ended her career with 1,310 points. If Wilhite keeps on pace, she would be ranked eighth entering the league tournament on the all-time career leaderboard.

HANDCUFFED

For the first time this season, Holly Tamm did not dish out any assists in the game against UIC. She recorded two turnovers, but chipped in 10 points and two steals. She now averages 4.45 assists per game, good for fourth in the league. Freshman Malika Willoughby did the dishin' for Tamm instead, recording a career-high six assists to pace the game.

DON'T TURN OVER A NEW LEAF

Against UIC, UWM recorded 20 turnovers and 19 assists--the first time in four games it made more turnovers than assists. The Panthers quickly changed that, though they have recorded just one more assist than turnovers in each of their past two games. Milwaukee has recorded more assists than turnovers in 12 matches this season.

FREE THROW WOES

The Panthers made just 4-of-11 free throws against Green Bay to record a season-low 36.4 percent at the line. That percentage also ranks as the second-lowest in school Division I history, with the lowest coming in at 35.3 in 1995. UWM's game against the Phoenix tied a season record for fewest free throws, with the other coming on a 4-of-7 performance at Valparaiso. The game against the Phoenix also came as just the fourth time this year UWM has recorded single digits at the line.

YEAH, BUT CAN THEY PLAY DEFENSE?

For two straight games, the Panthers did some editing in their record book. On Jan. 19 against Detroit, the Milwaukee offense stole the show with a 102-71 victory. On Jan. 23, it was the patented UWM defense that put on a clinic. Butler's 39 points and 12 field-goals made stand as the second-lowest among opponents in school history. The Panthers also held the Bulldogs to just 24 percent shooting on 12-of-50 shots, including 4-of-25 in the second half. The shooting percentage ranks third lowest among Milwaukee opponents.

GIANT VICTORY

The 102 points UWM scored against Detroit came as the second highest total in school history. It also came as the first time since 1996 that the Panthers scored over 100 points. On Feb. 17, 1996, UWM beat Cleveland State in overtime, 101-99. The school record for most points scored is 104, which UWM recorded in a 104-57 win on Jan. 22, 1991 against Northeastern Illinois.

HALF A RECORD

The win over Detroit did allow UWM to reset the school record for most points in a half. The Panthers poured in 59 points in the second half, beating the previous record of 55 points scored in a half against St. Francis in the 1990-91 season.

STREAKS A' PLENTY

After starting the season 4-5, Milwaukee rattled off nine-straight wins to tie the school record. The Panthers' streak ended Jan. 26 after their loss to Green Bay, but the nine-game ride came for the second year in a row. UWM broke the previous record of eight-straight wins last season, with the ninth win coming in the MCC Championship game against UW-Green Bay. Duke ended that streak by handing the Panthers a 96-63 loss in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament.

LEAGUE STREAK ENDED

Though UWM hasn't been beaten by a league foe at home through 21 consecutive games played at the Klotsche Center, the Panthers saw their 16-game win streak against league teams end on Jan. 26. Green Bay handed UWM its first league loss since Feb.8, 2001. UWM won its first seven games in the league this season after finishing last season having won the last nine meetings against league opponents. The Panthers were on a six-game winning streak entering the MCC Tournament last year and then swept all three opponents to claim the championship.

HELPING HAND

Senior guard Holly Tamm currently has 98 assists on the season, averaging 4.45 per game for fourth among league leaders. She has recorded more than four assists in 10 games, and has recorded fewer than three assists just four times. She should soon 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.

ROAD WARRIORS

UWM has won eight games on the road so far this season, resetting the Division I school record for most road wins in a season. The previous record was six wins on the road, which UWM accumulated in 2000-01, 1999-00 and 1997-98. UWM has three 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 91st in the latest release of the RPI according to collegerpi.com. The latest ranking is 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 78th in the RPI, with a 20-7 record.

PANTHER DEFENSE

UWM's tenacious defense forced 31 turnovers from Butler on Jan. 23, the highest amount an opponent has coughed up this season. In their last outing, UWM forced 27 turnovers from Loyola to record the 15th time this season it has forced more than 20 turnovers. UWM forces an average of 21.4 turnovers per contest and ranks second in the league with a +3.95 turnover margin.

FRESHMEN LEADERS

Point guard Malika Willoughby led the team in scoring against Wright State on Jan. 10, 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 at Bowling Green on Dec. 8.

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 DAY FOR VIALL

Maria Viall scored 33 points against Butler to eclipse her previous career high of 30 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.

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 after pouring in a career-high 33 points to lead UWM past Butler in their first match-up this season. In the week prior, 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 19.3 points and 7.1 rebounds through seven games.

CONSISTENT IN APPEARANCE

When Stefanie Kaufmann took the floor against Loyola, it was the 106th consecutive game she has appeared in. In her fourth year, Kaufmann has played in all 106 team games, while starting 35 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 (80), sophomore Maria Viall (52) and freshman Malika Willoughby (22) are the only other players on pace for the same feat.

SCORING STREAK

Maria 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 on Jan. 10. She has scored in single digits just three times on the season, 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 rattled off nine-straight wins, and hold a 13-1 record overall when she starts.

UP THE CHARTS

Also making news with career leaderboards is sophomore center Maria Viall. Viall has 34 blocks this season, giving her 66 career blocks and sole possession of seventh place in the records book. She needs a total of 68 to tie Jaci Clark for sixth place, and 70 to tie Apryl Rodman for fifth place. With 31 blocks through 20 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 16.5 points per game, while Wilhite is second with 12.9 ppg. Viall ranks third in the Horizon League in scoring, while Wilhite ranks 10th.

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. She has made at least one three pointer in every other game 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.

FIRST-HALF RINGER

2001-02 Horizon League Preseason Player of the Year Jessica Wilhite exploded against Loyola on Jan. 3, going off for a school-record 24 first-half points. She shot 8-of-12 in the first half, including 5-