Feb. 12, 2002

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MILWAUKEE -- The UWM women's basketball team (17-6, 11-1 Horizon) hits the road this week, traveling to Cleveland, Ohio and Detroit, Mich. The Panthers will take on Cleveland State Thursday (11-12, 5-7 Horizon) at 7 p.m. cst before playing Detroit (13-11, 8-5 Horizon) Saturday at 2 p.m. cst.

UWM is coming off its fourth straight victory this season and 23rd straight at home against the league. The Panthers pulled out a 65-47 victory over Wright State Saturday to remain just one game behind first place in the league. The second half saw UWM shoot a dismal 28.6 percent from the field and allow WSU to outscore it by two points. The Panthers shot 31.9 percent and tallied 18 turnovers on the game.

Cleveland State bounced back from its 82-74 loss to Youngstown State on Thursday to beat Detroit at home, 75-63, on Saturday. The Vikings are currently sixth in the standings, but aren't far away from fifth or fourth place.

Detroit took over sole possession of third place in the league after beating Youngstown State, 82-69, Monday night. The Titans were tied for third with the Penguins and are now off of competition until Saturday.

LAST TIME OUT AGAINST CLEVELAND STATE UWM defeated the Vikings, 80-67, on Jan. 17 on the strength of four players scoring in double digits. Maria Viall led with 22 points, while Angela Wenzel scored a career-high 17 points off the bench. Holly Tamm added 13 points, six assists and Malika Willoughby pitched in 12 points. The Panthers shot 44 percent from the field, while CSU shot 42 percent. UWM made 17-of-23 at the line while Cleveland made 7-of-9 trips. The Vikings also recorded 26 turnovers and were outrebounded by two, and were led by Erika Roudebush's 18 points.

LAST UP AGAINST DETROIT UWM made a statement against the Titans when it won, 102-71, on Jan. 19th. The Panthers shot 51 percent from the field and recorded 23 assists and 13 turnovers. They made a huge impact at the line, sinking a season-high 30-of-34 free throws. Viall led UWM with 25 points, while four others scored in double figures: Holly Tamm (16), Jessica Wilhite (12), Kimberly Becker (12) and Angela Wenzel (11). Randee Henry scored 23 points to lead Detroit, which shot 41 percent and committed 21 turnovers.

SERIES HISTORY Milwaukee trails in the series against both teams. Cleveland State has the 10-9 edge all-time against UWM, though the Panthers have swept the past five meetings. Detroit boasts a 12-8 all-time record against UWM though the Panthers beat the Titans at home this season. The home team has won each of the last seven meetings.

SCOUTING THE VIKINGS The Vikings shot 42 percent from the field against the Titans on Saturday and recorded 31 turnovers. They pounded Detroit on the boards, grabbing the 59-40 advantage. Erika Roudebush scored a game-high 30 points, while teammate Shannon Sword added 10. Roudebush was named the Horizon League Player of the Week for the second time this season following that performance. She leads the league in scoring with 18.3 ppg and in three pointers made with 79. Ashley Schrock is the other CSU player averaging in double digits with 10 ppg. The Vikings rank second in the league in both three-point field goals made (6.70/game) and blocked shots (3.87/game).

SCOUTING THE TITANS The Titans hit 34-of-75 shots from the field to help capture the 13-point margin of victory over Youngstown State. Randee Henry recorded a double-double with 27 points, 13 rebounds while sinking 13-of-20 field goals. But even more impressive was Michelle James' double-double, recorded scoring 13 points and making 13 assists. She played every minute for the Titans, who outrebounded YSU, 48-32, and made 21 assists with 15 turnovers overall. On the season, Detroit is led in scoring by a trio of talent: Randee Henry (15.2 ppg), Molly Peterman (14.2 ppg) and Michelle James (13.2 ppg). Around the league, Henry ranks fifth in scoring followed by Peterman in sixth place. James ranks ninth in front of Jessica Wilhite, but ranks first in assists (5.46 per game) and in steals with (3.46). Detroit leads the league in steals (11.12), field goal pct. defense (.378) and 3-point field goal pct. defense (.285). The Titans ranks second in field goal pct. (.427) and third in rebounding margin (+2.5).

DEJA VU ROAD TRIP Milwaukee still has a hold on second place after picking up a win over Wright State. The Panthers trail league-leader Green Bay by one game and need to win out their remaining schedule, including a rematch of the Phoenix at home in their last regular-season game. The Panthers were in an identical situation last year when they entered the same road swing, having lost just one conference game while Green Bay was undefeated. Green Bay lost to Cleveland State the same night the Panthers lost to Detroit. If both teams win the rest of their games this season prior to the rematch on Feb. 23 and UWM then beats the Phoenix at home, they'll share the regular-season crown for the second straight year.

INSIDE UWM'S WIN OVER WRIGHT STATE After a 20-point lead at halftime, UWM survived poor shooting in the second half to still pull out the 18-point victory over the Raiders. Milwaukee connected on just 28 percent of their shots in the second half and finished with 32 percent overall from the field.

The Raider's zone gave the Panthers fits all night, collapsing on Maria Viall to take away the inside game. Though Viall had trouble receiving the ball, Jessica Wilhite and company were left open on the perimeter. The Panthers attempted 37 shots from three-point range to set a school record, and connected on 13 of them.

Wilhite led with a game-high 18 points, all coming from beyond the arc. Stefanie Kaufmann, Holly Tamm and Malika Willoughby also tallied two three pointers each.

UWM led, 42-22, four minutes into the second half , but the Raiders scored 13 consecutive points to cut their deficit to seven. Milwaukee's drought came from eight straight misses from the field.

Tamm broke the Panthers' silence when she scored on a reverse layup with 10:37 to play. Wilhite then sank her fifth three-pointer on the night to bring UWM's lead back into double digits. Kaufmann hit a three to give Milwaukee the 15-point lead and, after Wright State made a three to answer, she nailed another from long range for the 53-38 lead with 7:37 remaining in the game.

Tamm finished with 12 points, while Viall ended up scoring 10. Though the Panthers missed a lot of shots from the field, they got points off the offensive boards. UWM outrebounded Wright State, 44-31.

RECORD ATTEMPTS The Panthers connected on 13 threes against Wright State on Feb. 7, just one shy of tying the school record already set this season. But the Panthers attempted the three a school-record 37 times, beating the previous record of 30 attempts set last season against Green Bay.

CONSISTENT IN APPEARANCE Stefanie Kaufmann tied the school record for most consecutive games played when she took the floor at home against Wright State. That game came as the 108th consecutive game the senior has appeared in at UWM. Kaufmann tied Trina Rathke (1995-98) and Apryl Rodman (1994-98) for the school record of most games in a career, without missing one, since UWM moved to Div. I. Both Rathke and Rodman played all 108 team games in their careers. If Kaufmann stays healthy, she will break the record against Cleveland State Thursday. Junior Jessica Wilhite (81), sophomore Maria Viall (53) and freshman Malika Willoughby (23) are the only other current players on pace for the same feat.

BEST ACT YET THIS SEASON Jessica Wilhite's 18 points against Wright State all came from behind the arc on Feb. 7. The junior guard made 6-of-12 three pointers to record a season high, beating the previous of five established against Loyola on Jan. 1. Wilhite's career record is 10 three pointers made last season against Green Bay, which also is a league and school record. This season she averages 2.4 treys a game, down from 3.1/game last season when she tallied 93 threes in 30 games.

HUNDRED HELPING HANDS Senior guard Holly Tamm tallied her 100th assist of the season against Wright State after dishing out two on the game. She is tied for 10th in the records book for most assists in a single season, and has the potential of reaching third if she keeps up with her current pace of 4.34 per game. The last time a Panther averaged at least four assists per game was during the 1996-97 season (Jen Greger). Pam Bartnik claims first and second place in single season assists, recording 153 for the record (1993-94) and also 135 (1991-92). Jen Greger holds third place in the records book with 129 assists (1994-95).

SPARK PLUG AGAINST CLEVELAND STATE In UWM's last match-up against the Vikings on Jan. 17, reserve forward Angela Wenzel came off the bench to score 17 points. That came on 7-of-8 shooting from the field and 3-of-4 at the line. Wenzel has come off the bench in every game this season and has helped UWM with double-digit scoring on five occasions.

POURING IN THE POINTS The Panthers' 25-point league victory against Loyola Feb. 4th marked the eighth time this season the Panthers have won by 20 or more points to set 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 Wright State, UWM extended its home league winning streak to 23 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.

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 entering this week's road swing, with a potential of one more if they play host Loyola at the Horizon League Tournament.

UWM'S RPI Milwaukee is currently ranked 89th 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.

DOUBLE VISION Maria Viall grabbed her fifth double-double of the season against Loyola on Feb. 4. it came as the second time this year Viall has posted a double-double 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 matchup against Loyola, she tallied 22 points and 10 rebounds. Her other double-doubles 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 47 points, recorded on Jan. 22, 1991 in a 104-57 win over Northeastern Illinois at home. That win still holds the school record of most points scored by UWM, though the Panthers came close to the 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. 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 has 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 three times in a four-game span. She averages 58 percent from the field to lead the team, and also averages 40 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 1,057 career points and ranks ninth 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 will be ranked eighth entering the league tournament on the all-time career leaderboard.

HANDCUFFED Only once this season has UWM assist leader Holly Tamm failed to dish out at an assist. That day came against UIC on Jan. 31, when Tamm recorded 10 points and two steals, but no assists. On the season, she averages 4.34/game, good for fifth in the league. In 15 games, she has recorded at least four assists and has dished out at least five in 10 games. Tamm also takes care of the ball as she is ranked second in the league in assist/turnover ratio with a 2.22 ratio.

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. After consecutive games recording more assists than turnovers, the Panthers got a little careless against Wright State with 18 turnovers and 14 assists. However, Milwaukee has recorded more assists than turnovers in 12 matches this season.

LEAGUE STREAK ENDED Though UWM hasn't been beaten by a league foe at home through 23 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.

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. On the season, the Panthers have recorded single digits at the line just five times.

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.

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.

HALF A RECORD Though it didn't set the school record for most points in a game, 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 53 points scored in the first half against Northeastern Illinois in the 1990-91 season.

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 its last outing, UWM forced 24 turnovers from Wright State to record the 16th time this season it has forced more than 20 turnovers. UWM forces an average of 21.5 turnovers per contest and ranks second in the league with a +4.04 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.

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. Overall, she has scored in single digits just four times on the season. 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 36 blocks this season, giving her 68 career blocks to tie Jaci Clark for sixth place in the school records book. She needs just two more to tie Apryl Rodman for fifth place with 70. With 36 blocks through 23 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.

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 16.2 points per game, while Wilhite is second with 13.1 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-of-6 three pointers, and made 3-of-5 free throws.

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 12th 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 94 wins, giving her 116 for her career.

CARING FOR THE BALL Against No. 3 Vanderbilt, the Panthers kept care of the ball by recording 16 assists and turning over the ball a season-low nine times. Through 23 games, Holly Tamm leads the squad with 100 assists and boasts a team-best assist-to-turnover ratio of 2.22. As a team, UWM averages 16.4 assists and 17.4 turnovers. The Panthers have forced an average of 21.5 turnovers per contest, for a turnover margin of +4.04.

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.

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 another player only played one minute. The Panthers lost at Dayton, 79-70, in that game.

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.