Feb. 14, 2003

The Sandy Botham File A 1988 Notre Dame graduate, Sandy Botham is in her seventh season at the helm of the UWM women's hoops program. The two-time MCC/Horizon League Coach of the Year owns a 131-86 career mark, good for a .601 winning percentage. The second-winningest coach in school history and the all-time leader in Division I victories, Botham is 109-82 in her six-plus seasons in Milwaukee. Last season, Botham led UWM to its first 20-win season in the school's ten-year Division I history. Botham's teams have posted a 60-28 record in Horizon League play over the years, including regular season and tournament titles in 2000-01. Assisting Botham on the sidelines are first year assistants Joe Conroy, Lea Robinson, and Nicole Luchsinger with 1997 Midwestern Collegiate Conference Player of the Year Jen Greger serving as Director of Basketball Operations.

Scouting The Penguins With longtime mentor Ed DiGregorio at the helm, the Penguins of Youngstown State University enter today's game with a 5-16 overall record and 2-8 mark in Horizon League play. YSU boasts a young lineup featured with long range shooters and talented offensive players. The Penguins have four players averaging double figures, led by 2002 Horizon League Newcomer of the Year Jen Perugini. The 6-2 sophomore paces YSU with 11.6 points and 7.3 rebounds per game while guards Devin Novak, Jessica Olmstead, and Maggie Johnston all average between 11.6 and 10.0 points per contest. The Penguins have connected on 130 three-pointers on the seson with Novak leading he way with 55. However, YSU struggles defensively, giving up an average of 75.6 ppg while getting outrebounded by 5.4 boards per game. UWM claimed the first meeting this season thanks to a 79-59 victory in Youngstown on Jan. 11.

Defense ... Defeense ... Defense UWM turned in easily its best defensive performance of the season in Wednesday's 61-49 win over UIC at the Klotsche Center. The Panthers held the high-flying Flames to their lowest point total of the season (49) and lowest field goal percentage of the season (25.0%). The two numbers also equal season-best defensive outputs for Milwaukee while the 25.0% field goal percentage defense ranks as the third lowest total in UWM women's hoops history. UIC connected on just eight shots in each half, missing on 25 in the first half and 23 in the second.

Streaking Panthers Continue On Unlike the Nike commercial, the streak involving the UWM women's basketball team includes more than just tennis shoes and a scarf. With Wednesday's victory over Illinois-Chicago, UWM improved its season-best winning streak to four games. The streak is the longest current streak in the Horizon League and the longest since UWM won seven consecutive games from Jan. 31 through Feb. 21 of last year.

Right Time To Heat Up While the current three-game overall winning streak is notable, the way the Panthers have been controlling Horizon League opponents is what's impressive. Thanks to Wednesday's win, Milwaukee will enter today's game riding a six-game league winning streak. After starting conference play 2-4, the Panthers have reeled off six consecutive league tilts to move from seventh place into to standing all alone in second place.

Balance Is Key To Success It should come as no surprise that the emergence of a balanced Panther attack has come at the same time as the Panther's current improvement on the offensive end of the court. While Maria Viall and Jessica Wilhite are still the two "go-to" players for coach Botham, its the recent play of the supporting cast that has made UWM so dangerous. During the current six-game Horizon win streak, Milwaukee has four different players averaging in double-figures. In addition to Viall's 19.7 ppg and Wilhite's 13.0 ppg, sophomore Kimberly Becker is adding 11.5 points per contest while freshman Nichole Drummond is adding 10.3 during the stretch. The fifth starter, freshman Anne Witte, is averaging 65.7 points per game during the run while leading the team in assists (20) and steals (8).

Doubling Up On the Double-Doubles The Panthers got two double-doubles in Wednesday's game versus Illinois-Chicago, and no, neither of them came from Maria Viall. For the first time in three seasons, UWM had two different players post a point-rebound "double-double" in the same game as Jessica Wilhite scored 15 points and added 11 rebounds while freshman Nichole Drummond contributed 10 points and added 12 boards, also a career-high. The double-double was the second for the senior Wilhite and the first in the short career of the rookie Drummond. Wednesday marks the first time all season two Horizon League players from the same team posted a double-double in the same game.

Repeat Performance If 16.7 points, 6.4 rebounds, and 1.6 blocks per game for a second-place team were good enough for Horizon League Player of the Year honors last season, what exactly is in store for UWM junior center Maria Viall this season. The reigning League POY is enjoying an even better season in 2002-03 and is the odds on favorite to win the award again. Viall, who boasts averages of 17.7 points, 10.0 boards, and 1.95 blocks per game, has really dominated the opposition of late. Over the last seven games, No. 24 is averaging 19.3 points, and 13.1 rebounds while connecting on 58.6% of her shots from the floor. If Viall repeats as Horizon League POY she will join Notre Dame's Karen Robinson (1989-92) as the only players to repeat as league MVP.

Great Night With Molly O'Brien Anne Witte has had her share of big games. Nichole Drummond has emerged as a Newcomer of the Year candidate. Now, the third member of UWM's outstanding freshmen class has made her mark on the program thanks to an impressive weekend. Forward Molly O'Brien had a bit of a coming out party last weekend, scoring 23 points in the two road victories. The 5-10 O'Brien started things off with seven points in Thursday's victory over Detroit, before erupting for a career-high 16 tallies versus CSU. O'Brien, who became the first UWM player since Angie Wenzel last season to score more than 15 points off the bench, connected on 8-of-12 shots from the field to go along with four assists in the win.

Rookie Honors On The Horizon For Drummond?? A relative unknown when Horizon League play began back in December, UWM's Nichole Drummond has made a strong push for not only Horizon League All-Newcomer team honors, but for the league Newcomer of the Year award as well. The 5-10 forward currently leads all Horizon newcomers with 9.8 points and 5.6 rebounds per game in league only contests. Furthermore, No. 22 has added 2.5 assists per game in league play while ranking second on the squad with 16 steals in 12 games.

Record Breaker--Kind Of With a free throw in the last minute at Cleveland State, senior guard Jessica Wilhite became UWM's all-time leading scorer on the Division I level. Wilhite, who now has 1,386 points, surpassed 1997 MCC Player of the Year and current Director of Operations Jen Greger as the school's all-time Division I scoring leader. Wilhite currently sits in fourth place on the school's all-time scoring list, just 96 points away from third place all-time. Meanwhile, teammate Maria Viall is creeping up the all-time scoring list as she stands at seventh place all time with 1,238 career markers.