Game #22
Milwaukee @ Detroit
Date: Feb. 6, 2010
Time: 1 p.m. Central
Location: Detroit, Mich.
Arena: Calihan Hall (8,295)
Radio: AM 920 WOKY
Talent: Scott Warras
TV: None
uwmpanthers.com: Gametracker, Live Blog, Webcast
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The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee women's basketball team continues its three-game road trip at first-place Detroit Saturday. The Panthers and Titans tip off at 1 p.m. central time at Calihan Hall.
Looking At The Detroit Titans
Detroit has ascended to first place in the Horizon League at 8-2 following a convincing win over nationally-ranked Green Bay Thursday. Brigid Mulroy paces the Titan offense with 14.1 points per game and is third in the nation, shooting 51.7 percent from three-point range.
Series History
UWM has lost back-to-back games in its all-time series with Detroit, but leads none-the-less, 21-17. Prior to their 59-50 loss at Calihan Hall last season, the Panthers had won seven-straight in the series.
Last Meeting - Detroit 59, Milwaukee 57
Lindsay Laur posted her second-straight double-double and intercepted an inbounds pass with 5.4 seconds remaining, but it was not enough as Milwaukee fell to Detroit, 59-57, at the Klotsche Center Jan. 7. The Panthers led for much of the second half, but fell behind on a three with 31 seconds remaining. Laur intercepted an inbounds pass to give UWM a final chance, but the team was unable get a shot as the horn sounded.
Up Next - Milwaukee/Green Bay On ESPNU
The Panthers close out a three-game road trip at Green Bay Feb. 13. The game will be televised on ESPNU.
Last Time Out - Wright State 64, Milwaukee 46
Milwaukee went nearly 10 minutes without a field goal late in the second half in falling to Wright State, 64-46, on the campus of Sinclair Community College Thursday night. The Panthers had led 34-32 on a jumper by junior Lindsay Laur with 10:47 remaining in the game before succumbing to the Raider defense. WSU then went on a decisive 34-7 run to win their third-straight game. Laur was UWM's only player in double-figures with 14 points to go with six rebounds.
Extra Notes From Thursday
The game was playing in Building 8 on the campus of Sinclair Community College due to a Rascal Flats concert at Wright State's Nutter Center ... The game was the 400th of Sandy Botham's UWM coaching career ... Jodie McClain was playing in her 100th career game ... Wright State's 22 turnovers were a season-high for a Panther opponent ... This was just the third time Milwaukee had just one player in double-figures this season ... Wright State swept the regular season series for the first time since 1995-96 ... The Panthers are now 8-2 this season when scoring first and 7-3 when outrebounding their opponent.
Three-Point Defense
The Horizon League boasts three of the top 25 three-pointer shooters in the nation in Detroit's Brigid Mulroy, Loyola's Maggie McCloskey and Valpo's Betsy Adams. Through the first half of the conference season, Milwaukee was able to keep the trio in check, allowing just three total 3-pointers on 13 attempts in the three games, while each entered the game averaging 3.0 made per game. In Saturday's game at Detroit, UWM will be facing Mulroy for the second time. Overall this season, Milwaukee is allowing opponents to shoot a league-low 29.3 percent from three-point range, including an 0-for-16 effort by Valpo Jan. 28. The last time the Panthers had held an opponent without a three-pointer was Nov. 25, 2001, at Montana State (0-for-6).
Helping Out Her Friends
Senior Jodie McClain is dishing out assists at a feverish pace and currently leads the Horizon League in the category with 5.1 per game, a figure that is 34th in the nation. With 108 assists through 21 games, she is on pace to become just the second player in the program's Division I history with 150 assists in a season or average 5.0 assists per game or better. Pam Bartnik holds the school record in both categories, having dished out 153 assists (5.7 per game) in 1993-94. No Panther has ever led a Divison I conference in assists. McClain has also moved into fifth place in school history with 277 career assists.
Stepping Up
Sophomore Danielle Jorgenson and freshman Sami Tucker have stepped up recently, taking their acts into the starting lineup. Jorgenson was thrust into a starting role when junior Jenilee Klomstad suffered a back injury. In six starts, Jorgenson is averaging 8.5 points and 6.3 rebounds per game, compared to just 3.7 points and 1.8 rebounds when coming off the bench. Tucker has also started the last six games and is averaging 9.3 points and 6.3 rebounds in that time. Her emergence came Dec. 4 at Dayton when she played 22 minutes, scoring 12 points and pulling down nine boards. She entered the game with 11 minutes, no points and three rebounds in four games. Over her last 15 games, she is averaging 6.9 points and 5.3 rebounds.
700 Club
Junior Lindsay Laur enters Saturday's game with 768 career points and 434 rebounds. She is poised to enter select company. While the 1,000-point club could be out of reach this season, she could become the 21st member of UWM's 500-rebound club soon. With 66 rebounds, she would be the 11th member of the club since the program moved to Division I. She is also on track to become Milwaukee's 16th 1,000-point scorer and eighth in Division I.
Road Warriors
The Panthers have excelled on the road this season, posting a 6-5 record away from the Klotsche Center. Milwaukee, which is 5-5 in true road games and 1-0 at a neutral site, is also off to a 3-2 road record in league play. Milwaukee went 8-11 away from home last season and is looking to post its first above-.500 road record since 2005-06 (9-6). The team record for most road wins in school history is 12 by the 2001-02 team.
Not A Lot Of Turnover
Milwaukee's game vs. Loyola Jan. 23 could go down as the cleanest game in UWM's program history. The Panthers set a school record by turning the ball over just eight times. The Ramblers matched that, also committing just eight miscues and giving Milwaukee another team record, this one for fewest combined turnovers in a game (16). UWM had previously committed nine turnovers in a game twice, last against Loyola March 2, 2006. The combined turnover record was 19 against Creighton (UWM 11, CU 8) Dec. 19, 1999. The team's opponent record for fewest turnovers is five by UMKC, Feb. 22, 1991.
Best Week Ever
Lindsay Laur had possibly her best week as a collegian Jan. 4-9. In three games, she averaged 19.0 points and 9.7 rebounds per contest. On Monday at Cleveland State, she set a career high with 22 points. Then, Thursday, Laur tied career bests with 14 rebounds, four assists and three steals. She posted back-to-back double-doubles for the first time and now has 11 in her career, tying her for fourth in school history. Her week came to a close Saturday with 14 points and another three steals. Laur had scored in double-figures in nine-straight games before Jan. 21 and has done so 18 times in 21 games this season. She leads the Panthers in scoring (14.2 ppg), three-point shooting (30 made, 40.5 percent), rebounding (8.0 rpg) and steals (24). In the league, she is tied for fifth in scoring, third in rebounding, third in free throw percentage, fifth in three-point percentage and third with 6.3 defensive boards per game.
Looking To Rebound - Figuratively And Literally
Before posting their recently-ended three-game winning streak, the Panthers had struggled to the tune of nine losses in their previous 11 games and four-straight league losses. The team hadn't lost four-straight league contests since Feb. 5-14, 1998, and avoided the first five-game losing streak of head coach Sandy Botham's career. In that 11-game stretch, Milwaukee was outrebounded nine times, including a streak of seven-straight games (that ended Jan. 21). The last time UWM had been outrebounded in seven-straight games was the first seven games of the 2004-05 season. In fact, in the 156 games between those streaks, Milwaukee had been outrebounded just 38 times total. This season, the Panthers have been outrebounded 11 times in 21 games, but still maintain a positive rebounding margin of +0.7.
Quiet Distraction
Milwaukee is quietly putting together a strong defensive effort this season. The Panthers are second in the league in field goal defense by allowing opponents to shoot just 38.9 percent from the field this season. Valparaiso shot just 29.9 percent Jan. 28, the sixth opponent the Panthers have held to 33.3 percent or worse in a game this season. Just 11 times in 21 games this season has an opponent shot better than 40 percent, while UWM has let just four opponents eclipse 70 points in a game.
Balancing Act
Four Panthers have scored in double-figures seven times this season, while three have reached double-digits four other times. Last season, Milwaukee went 8-0 when four players reached double-figures and it won the first four instances this season for a 15-game winning streak. UWM's loss to Detroit Jan. 7 was the team's first with four in double-figures since Dec. 20, 2007, against North Dakota State. UWM has had four players flirting with double-figure scoring averages throughout the season. Currently, Lindsay Laur leads the team at 14.2 points per game, while juniors Ashley Imperiale and Jenilee Klomstad are checking in at 10.2 and 9.9 points per game, respectively.
That 70's Show
Seventy points has become a key stat for Milwaukee is recent years, as it has posted a 26-4 record over the last two-plus seasons when reaching the 70-point mark. This season, the Panthers have done so in six of their nine wins.
Celebrating The 2000s
In honor of the decade that was, the Panther men's and women's basketball teams will be naming All-Decade Teams. The All-Decade Teams will be unveiled Feb. 18 at halftime of the men's game against Cleveland State. The women's team will be announced at halftime of its game with Loyola earlier that day at the U.S. Cellular Arena. At the Panther BlogZone, Kevin Conway (women's) and Kevin O'Connor (men's) will recap their 10 notable moments from the last decade of Panther Basketball.
Some Extra Notes
The Panthers are now 8-6 in Horizon League openers under Sandy Botham, 8-8 overall and 9-8 in Division I league openers ... Milwaukee's 2-0 start this season was its first since 2001-02 and just the third in Division I (also 1993-94) ... The Panthers' 21-point halftime lead at SIU Edwardsville was their largest since Dec. 31, 2007 (vs. La Salle, 44-23) ... They also led by 20 at halftime against Northern Illinois and have held 20-plus point leads in three games this season ... Their 25-point margin of victory in the SIUE game was their largest since a 77-51 win at Central Connecticut State Dec. 1, 2007 ... South Alabama's one made free throw and two attempted Nov. 28 were the fewest by a Milwaukee opponent since SMU did not attempt any, Nov. 26, 2006 ... Milwaukee's 11 second-half points vs. Illinois State tied a school record for fewest in a half ... The 89 total points in that game are the second-fewest in a game in the Panthers' team history ... UWM has hit a three-pointer in 230-straight games.
Double The Fun
Lindsay Laur has six double-doubles on the year. Her first double-double came in the season-opener and was a rare feat for a Panther. It was only the fifth double-double by a UWM player in a season-opener in the program's Division I history. As a team, the Panthers have eight double-doubles this season as Jenilee Klomstad (12 pts, 10 reb vs. Wisconsin) and Ashley Imperiale (16 pts, 10 reb vs. Chicago State) have each collected their first career double-doubles.
Preseason Prognosticators
Milwaukee was picked to finish fifth in the Horizon League standings this season, according to the league's preseason poll. The Panthers garnered a first-place vote and 155 total points in the poll, which is voted on by league head coaches, sports information directors and media. Defending league champion Green Bay topped the poll with 266 points and 19 first-place votes. UWM, which placed seventh a year ago, and GB faced off in the 2009 league championship game.
League Success
The Panthers are looking to continue a strong tradition of success in the Horizon League in 2009-10. Milwaukee has finished second-or-better in the league standings in eight of the last 10 seasons and are 109-47 in league games since 1999-2000. UWM has won league titles in 2001 and 2006.
Home Sweet Home
The Klotsche Center remains a difficult place for visiting teams to succeed. In 13-plus years under Sandy Botham, the Panthers are 116-63 at home. The Panthers went just 7-7 at home last season, but recently posted a school-record 13-3 home campaign in 2005-06. In league play, those numbers are even better as Milwaukee boasts a 79-28 home record. That number has gotten a boost lately, as the Panthers have won 64 of their last 85 home league games over the last nine-plus seasons. UWM has also posted three perfect home league years, going 8-0 in 2003-04 and 7-0 in both 1999-2000 and 2000-01.
It's Not How You Start, But How You Finish
Milwaukee may have had a down year in league play, going 7-11 and earning the seventh seed in the league tournament, but that didn't stop the team from advancing to the league title game for the third time in team history. The Panthers became the first team to advance to the title game after playing in the league's first round since the round was added in 2001. To get there, they had to win three games in five days in three cities. That week, Milwaukee beat No. 10 Youngstown State Monday at home. It then knocked off No. 2 Butler in Indianapolis Wednesday, before coming back Friday and eliminating No. 3 Cleveland State in Green Bay.
Panthers On The Air
For the third-straight season, every Panther game will be carried live on AM920 WOKY. The station is also be the home of the Sandy Botham Radio Show, while both the show and every game will be available live at uwmpanthers.com. Scott Warras returns for his fourth season as the voice of UWM women's basketball and the host of the Sandy Botham Radio show. He will also host the Sandy Botham television show, which will air of Time Warner Sports 32.
