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Feb. 18, 2004

MILWAUKEE -

Chicago Road Trip: Part One

Come Saturday night, the Southbound section of Interstate 94 will look very familiar to the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee women's basketball team. On Thursday (Feb. 19), UWM will play the first of two games in the city of Chicago, beginning with a showdown at the University of Illinois-Chicago. Milwaukee will then return to the Windy City on Saturday (Feb. 21) for a Horizon League matchup at Loyola. Putting first things first, UWM will face UIC for the second time this season on Saturday with the game set to begin at 7:00 p.m. at the UIC Pavilion. The game can be heard live on WMCS 1290-AM or by visiting UWM's Official Athletic Website, www.uwmpanthers.com. Dan Pfeifer will call the play-by-play with Assistant Sports Information Director Bret Seymour adding color commentary.

Viall's Heroics Cap Huge League Win

Talk about a senior stepping up. UWM's Maria Viall did just that on Saturday (Feb. 14) when her fadeaway, ten-foot hook shot banked home as time expired giving her squad a dramatic and much-needed 52-51 win over Cleveland State University. Viall, who finished the game with a team-high 17 points and nine rebounds, hit the first collegiate game-winner of her career. The senior's heroics were setup when CSU's Ashley Schrock missed the back half of a one-and-one opportunity with 14 seconds left. Without calling a timeout UWM set up its offense and found Viall for the eventual game-winner. The Panthers, who led by five points at the half, won on a last possession shot for the second time this season while winning their sixth consecutive game. In addition to Viall's big night Nichole Drummond also reached double figures with 10 points. Schrock led Cleveland State with 20 points but went just 2-4 from the free throw line in the final minute. With the win, UWM split the regular season series with the Vikings.

Scouting the Flames

The Flames of the University of Illinois-Chicago have turned to a young lineup late in the 2003-04 season and it appears to have paid off. UIC is currently 11-13 overall on the season but 4-2 in its last six games. The Flames will come into Thursday's contest with a 5-8 Horizon League record, good for sixth-place in the current league standings. UIC boasts two freshman, a sophomore and two juniors in the lineup with just two seniors on the entire roster. Sophomore point guard Chrissy Dizon paces the Flame attack thanks to a team-high 14.6 points per game and 3.7 assists per contest. Junior center Dejeanette Flournoy is averaging 11.9 ppg but she has not played since January due to a knee injury. The Flames average 66.2 points per game this season, the second-highest scoring offense in the league. One area in which UIC struggles, turnovers, as the Flames have turned the ball over an average of 20.9 times per game. The Flames are coached by second-year mentor Lisa Ryckbosch who boasts a 28-24 career record. UWM won the first meeting between the teams 74-58 in Milwaukee on Jan. 3.

Maria Adds Another Honor

When it came to voting for this week's Horizon League Player of the Week there probably wasn't much debate. UWM's Maria Viall earned the award for the second time this season and sixth time in her career. Viall began the week with an impressive 23-point, 18-rebound performance in an 87-67 win over IPFW on Thursday before her late-game heroics propelled the Panthers to a 52-51 win over Cleveland State on Saturday. For the week, Viall averaged 20.0 points, 13.5 rebounds and 3.5 steals while shooting 50.0% from the field and 75.0% from the free throw line. The 18-rebound showing versus IPFW was a season-high for Viall where her five steals against the Vikings marked a career-high.

And The Beat Goes On

What a difference three weeks can make. On January 27th the UWM women's hoops team had hit a crossroads. Not only had it just dropped a 20-point league game to rival UW-Green Bay, it also owned a season-worst 7-10 overall record and 4-3 mark in league play. But then, the light went on. Since the UWGB game Milwaukee has won six consecutive games en route to a season-best 13-10 record and a 9-3 Horizon League mark. The six-game winning streak is not only the longest this season but the longest by a UWM team since the 2001-02 squad won seven in a row from Jan. 31 through Feb. 21. The six-game streak is tied for the longest active winning streak in the league as UWGB has also gone six consecutive games without a defeat. The longest winning streak in school history is 11 games, set by the 1983-84 team and equalled again in 1984-85. However, the longest DI winning streak is nine games, accomplished by both the 2000-01 and 2001-02 teams.

Reserves Provide Long-Range Punch

If you are looking for three-point scoring from the UWM starting lineup you probably wont find it. However, that doesn't mean the team is void of quality long-distance shooters. The duo of Anne Witte and Kiley Johnson have come off the bench as a major part of Sandy Botham's nine-player rotation and have established themselves as two of the better three-point shooters in the Horizon League. The two have combined for 55 of UWM's 100 three-pointers on the season, while connecting on a combined 36.9% from beyond the arc. Witte, who has been extremely hot of late, has hit 20-of-42 from downtown in the last 14 games and currently sits third in the league with 42.9% three-point marksmanship. Meanwhile Johnson, a freshman, leads the team with 31 trifectas, ten of which have come in the last eight games. The sophomore Witte has nailed at least one three-pointer in 13 of the last 14 games after starting the season just 4-for-14 after the teams first nine contests.

League Race Heats Up

With four teams still in the hunt for the 2003-04 Horizon League regular season title, it appears as if the next five days will a long ways in determining who will wear the crown. UW-Green Bay still sits in the driver's seat with a 10-2 record and one-game lead over UWM and Cleveland State. However, the Phoenix travel to Cleveland to face the Vikings on Thursday before coming to Milwaukee for a showdown on Monday. UWM only plays one of the top four teams the remainder of the way, but it must go on the road for three of its final four games while sporting just a 2-3 league road mark this year. Cleveland State, at 9-3, not only hosts UWGB on Thursday, but it also will play hosts to the league's fourth place team, Detroit on Saturday. The Titans, who play Wright State on Thursday, currently own a 9-4 league mark and are two games back of the league-leading Phoenix.

Drummond Turns It Up

If there ever was a question as to who would emerge as UWM's No. 2 scoring threat it most definitely has been answered. And that player's name: Nichole Drummond. The 5-10 sophomore from Kenosha has turned into one of the tougher players to guard in the Horizon League. Drummond scored 10 points versus Cleveland State on Saturday, giving her four double-digit scoring games in the last five contests. Beginning with the game versus Marquette on Jan. 6, Drummond has reached double figures eight times in twelve games. During that time, the Kenosha-native is averaging 11.4 points per game and 4.3 rebounds per contest. One major reason for her increased scoring output, free throws. Drummond has been living at the line of late and has shot 60 free throws in the last 12 games after shooting just 15 in the seasons first 11 games. Drummond, who is averaging 9.4 ppg overall and 10.5 ppg in league-only contests, has drilled 76.6% of her free throws in the last 12 games.

Cardiac Kids Do It Again

Give the 2003-04 UWM women's hoops team this, it certainly has a flair for the dramatic. Following Saturday's one-point win over Cleveland State, the Panthers have now played 11 games that have been decided by five or fewer points this season while owning a 6-5 mark in those contests. Furthermore, of those 11 games many of those have come down to the final possession. In addition to Maria Viall's game winner versus CSU here are a few other "nailbiting finishes": Nichole Drummond hits a game-winning three-pointer with 19 seconds left versus Detroit on Jan. 29. Viall hits two free throws with no time remaining to send the Loyola game to overtime on Jan. 10. Kiley Johnson misses a potential game-tying three-pointer versus Marquette on Jan. 6. UWM hits four free throws in the final minute and sees a last gasp three-ball fall short at Detroit on Feb. 7.

And The Countdown Is On

The Maria Viall scoring watch is officially on. With four regular season games remaining and at least one postseason contest, the senior is on pace to become UWM's all-time scoring leader. Viall, who has scored 1,747 points in her four-year career, needs just 84 points to eclipse Jaci Clark as the school's scoring champion. At her current pace of 17.8 points per game, Viall will break Clark's mark in the quarterfinal round of the 2004 Horizon League Tournament on Thursday, March 4. In addition to the school's scoring record, Viall is quickly climbing the Horizon League scoring list where she sits third on the all-time chart. Viall is currently Milwaukee's all-time blocked shots leader with 156 while her 888 career rebounds place her third all-time.

Home of Champions

With a pair of home games versus the league's top two teams remaining, UWM still has a shot at winning the 2003-04 Horizon League regular season championship. The women's hoops squad would then join Milwaukee's three fall teams which won regular season titles (volleyball, men's soccer, and women's soccer). Furthermore, the UWM men's basketball team is on the verge of adding another regular season trophy to the Klotsche Center trophy case as it owns a one-game lead in the race with just two games to play. The Panthers women's team is looking for just its second regular season title ever, joining the 2000-01 squad that shared the title.

Freshman Floor General Out For The Year

Reality sure can bite. Just ask UWM point guard Aubrey Hampton. The freshman floor general had been playing some of the best basketball of her young career before a knee injury more than likely ended her rookie season in the Horizon League. Hampton, who leads the Panthers in assists (3.5 per game) and free throw shooting (80.8), was averaging 10.0 points and 2.5 rebounds per game in Horizon League play before being hurt. The fearless Hampton injured her right knee on a drive to the basket versus Cleveland State and will miss the rest of the year with a torn Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) in the knee.

League Tourney Comes To Milwaukee

On the heels of the hugely successful 2003 Horizon League Men's Basketball Tournament, the 2004 Horizon League Women's Tournament will look for similar excitement when it comes to Milwaukee in March. The tourney, which is scheduled for March 2-8 at the Klotsche Center, has changed formats from the previous years. The four quarterfinal games on March 4 will be held at the campuses of the top four seeds. If UWM is a top four seed and it wins it's quarterfinal game then the two semifinal battles and championship match will move to Milwaukee on Sunday, March 7 and Monday, March 8.

Dear Diary

For those that really want to get to know UWM All-America Candidate Maria Viall, nows your chance. The Horizon League Preseason Player of the Year has been selected by ESPN.com to keep a diary throughout the 2003-04 season. Viall will share her thoughts on the team, classes, life on the road, and what its like as a Division I women's basketball player. The Waukesha-native will report twice a month to the women's basketball section of the national sports website. Viall's fifth diary entry, which will highlight UWM's recent road trips and recent success, is currently online. Fans can read each diary by clicking on the Women's College Basketball Link from the ESPN.com homepage.