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Feb. 20, 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 132-86 career mark, good for a .606 winning percentage. The second-winningest coach in school history and the all-time leader in Division I victories, Botham is 110-82 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 Phoenix The current resume of the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay is well documented. No. 21 national ranking. 21-3 record. First place in the Horizon League. Clearly the class of the league, No. 21 UW-Green Bay features both the league's best offense and stingiest defense. The Phoenix average 77.4 points per game while allowing just 59.4 ppg. In league play, where UWGB has a 12-1 record, those numbers improve to 82.0 on the offensive end and 57.3 on the defensive end. Three Phoenix players average in double figures, led by do-everything guard Kristy Loiselle. Loiselle, one of four seniors in the starting lineup, leads the squad in scoring (13.8), rebounding (5.6), assists (109), three-point shooting (51.5%), and free throw shooting (87.9%). Senior center Chandra Johnson and senior guard Sara Boyer also average double figures with 12.8 and 11.9 ppg outputs, respectively.

Putting The Chill On The Penguins From 14-0 lead to 20-point win, UWM was never really challenged in its last game out, a 74-54 defeat of Youngstown State University on Saturday (Feb. 15). The Panthers, who led 37-25 at the break, scored 37 points in each half in winning their fifth straight game and seventh straight Horizon League game. For the game, Milwaukee shot 48.3% from the field, 36.8% from three-point land, and 78.6% from the free throw line in cruising to the win. Maria Viall paced all players with 23 points and 14 rebounds, her tenth "double-double" of the season. Jessica Wilhite added 14 points with five rebounds and four assists while freshman Anne Witte added 13 points and two assists while connecting on three-of-five from three-point land.

Rollin ... Rollin ... Rollin Unlike the Nike commercial, the streak involving the UWM women's basketball team includes more than just tennis shoes and a scarf. Thanks to Wednesday's 20-point win over Youngstown State, the Panthers have now won five consecutive games, the longest streak of the season and the longest current winning streak in the Horizon League. Milwaukee's last loss came Jan. 29 when Chicago State claimed a 66-60 win at the Klotsche Center.

Streaking Through The Horizon League While winning five straight games overall is impressive, UWM's current seven-game Horizon League winning streak holds even more importance. Since starting the league slate 2-4, the Panthers have run off seven consecutive league wins, dating back to a heartbreaking 61-60 home loss to UW-Green Bay on Jan. 18. During the stretch, UWM has won four games on the road and three at the Klotsche Center. Milwaukee has outscored the opposition 73.3 to 61.1 during the streak while shooting 46.3% to the opponents 34.0%.

Panthers Get Defensive If defense wins championships, UWM head coach Sandy Botham certainly has to like the direction her women's basketball team is heading. After struggling through the non-conference portion of the season with a 4-7 record in which the Panthers major turnaround in conference play can be directly attributed to an increased focus on the defensive end. In non-league games, UWM gave up an average of 70.8 ppg while allowing the opposition to shoot 45.2% from the floor and 39.4% from three-point land. However, during the 9-4 run through the Horizon League, Milwaukee's defensive numbers stand at 64.4 ppg allowed to go with 38.0% shooting and just 31.0% marksmanship from downtown.

But Don't Forget The Offense When your defense improves by 6.4 points per game and your offense improves by nearly 10 points a game, you have to like your chances. Such is the case for the UWM women's hoops squad since conference play began. The Panthers struggled to the tone of 42.5% shooting and 61.7 ppg in the non-conference season only to see those totals jump to 44.1% and 71.4 ppg in league play. On the year, UWM is 9-2 when shooting at least 45.0% from the floor and 13-1 when connecting on more shots than the opposition.

From Problem To Positive For much of the season, the three-point shot was not much of a weapon for the UWM women's basketball team. However, over the last few games the three-ball has become a major weapon for the Panthers and the numbers seem to prove it. Over the last four games, all wins, UWM has connected on 24-of-62 from beyond the arc, good for 38.7%. The 24 made tri-lighters equals out to six per game, up from the normal 3.7 per game before the stretch while the percentage bumps the Panther marksmanship over the 30% clip for the first time all year.

Freshmen Deliver From Downtown Looking for a major reason for the Panthers' increased production from three-land? Look no further than the two freshmen currently in the UWM lineup. Over the last four games point guard Anne Witte and small forward Nichole Drummond have combined to hit 13 treys in just 26 attempts, good for 50.0%. In the four wins Witte connected on eight-of-15, good for 53.5% while Drummond hit five-of-11 from downtown, for 45.4%.

On The Horizon -- Rookie Accolades 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 is among the leaders of Horizon League newcomers in both points (9.4) and rebounds (5.5) in league only contests. Furthermore, the Kenosha native has added 29 assists, good for third on the squad and a team-high 17 steals in 13 league games. Milwaukee is currently 9-3 in Horizon League games in which Drummond starts.

No Sophomore Slump For Becker While she possibly entered the 2002-03 campaign as the "other" post player in the Maria Viall show, sophomore Kimberly Becker has turned into a headlining performer for the UWM women's hoops team of late. The 6-2 forward has become a legitimate low post threat opposite Viall and has created numerous matchup problems for the opposition. Over the last 11 games, Becker has averaged 12.3 points and 6.0 rebounds while shooting a remarkalbe 64.7% from the floor. An 18-point, 11-board performance seemed to be her calling out party while her 28-point showing at Cleveland State seemed to seal her arrival. For the season, Becker is averaging 10.0 points and 5.8 boards per game.

Miss "Double-Double" Does It Again With a game-high 23 points and 14 rebounds versus Youngstown State on Saturday (Feb. 15), junior center Maria Viall posted her 10th "double double" of the season and seventh in 13 Horizon League contests. Viall, who averages a "double double" on the year with 17.9 points and 10.2 boards, now has 20 career "double doubles", including two "20 point, 20 rebound" games this season.

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 17.9 points, 10.2 boards, and 1.95 blocks per game, has really dominated the opposition of late. During the Panthers current seven-game Horizon League win streak, No. 24 is averaging 20.1 points, 13.7 rebounds, and 2.0 blocks while shooting 60.2% from the floor and 73.3% from the free throw line. 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 Most Valuable Player.

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 1,415 points, surpassing 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 1,261 career markers.

Sizing Up The Horizon League -- Its Getting Late With five teams within two games of each other in the Horizon League women's hoops race, here is what we know. Let's start at the top. With Wednesday's win over Youngstown State UW-Green Bay (12-1) has claimed at least a share of the regular season crown. With one more win, UWM can finish no worse than third and more than likely second. With identical 3-9 records, it appears a foregone conclusion that Butler and Youngstown State will finish 8th and 9th, and will play the dreaded "play in" game to the league tourney. However, its spots 3 through 7 that get tricky. UIC sits in third with a 7-5 mark with Wright State next at 6-6. However, three more teams, Loyola (6-7), Cleveland State (6-7), and Detroit (5-7) can move up or down as much as three places the final week of the season.

Botham Inks Four In The Fall While losing just two seniors in Jessica Wilhite and Antoinette Gregory, next season should be bright for the UWM women's hoops program. And in November head coach Sandy Botham bolstered the future of the program with the signing of four players to National Letters of Intent. UWM added two players from Wisconsin in 6-4 Nicole Almberg of Oshkosh, Wis. and Oshkosh West High School and 5-9 Beth Reckelberg of Luxemburg-Casco High School. Botham's last two recruits, 5-9 Jessica Altieri and 5-6 Aubrey Hampton, both come from the Land of Lincoln. Altieri preps at Stevenson High School in suburban Lincolnshire while Hampton plays for Oak Park-River Forest High School in Oak Park.