Feb. 27, 2004

YOUNGSTOWN, OHIO - Regular Season Finale Set For Saturday

The long and winding road that is the regular season will come to an end Saturday (Feb. 28) for the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee women's basketball team. The Panthers, 15-11 overall and 11-4 in the Horizon League, will head to Youngstown, Ohio to face the Penguins of Youngstown State University. The game is set to begint at 4:00 p.m. CST at the Beeghly Center on the YSU campus. The game will mark the final regular season game for both teams before the Horizon League Tournament begins on Tuesday (Mar. 2). The game will mark the second of the season between the two schools as UWM defeated YSU, 62-56, in Milwaukee on Jan. 31.

Viall Shines On Senior Night

It was only fitting that Maria Viall outplayed everyone else on the court on Monday (Feb. 23). The UWM senior center, playing her last regular season home game at the Klotsche Center, scored a game-high 24 points to go with a game-high 13 rebounds to lead the Panthers to a 71-69 victory over longtime rival UW-Green Bay. Milwaukee shot 60.0% in the first half en route to a 35-31 cushion at the break. After the Phoenix raced back to take the lead midway through the second half, UWM went on a 13-0 run to grab a 65-55 lead with 4:09 to play. UWGB tried to rally late but free throws down the stretch helped Milwaukee clinch the two-point victory. Molly O'Brien added a season-high 14 points along with seven rebounds, five assists and three steals. Nichole Drummond scored 13 points while ripping down a season-best nine boards. Junior guard Abby Scharlow led UWGB with 19 points while Tricia Grassell added 17 markers. The victory pushed the Panthers to within one-game behind the league-leading Phoenix.

Scouting the Penguins

While the record may not show it, the Penguins of Youngstown State University are one of the most improved teams in the Horizon League. YSU enters Saturday's game with a 4-22 overall record and 2-13 Horizon League mark. However, the Penguins won at Wright State by 12 on Feb. 12 before taking league-leading UW-Green Bay to overtime last Saturday. Despite having no players averaging double-figures, the Penguins still feature a balanced offensive attack. Junior guard Cathy Hanek leads the way with 9.3 ppg while fellow backcourt mate Jessica Olmstead averages 8.4 points per contest. Junior Jen Perugini provides inside scoring punch, averaging 6.7 points and 5.1 rebounds per game. YSU has struggled to shoot the ball in 2003-04, as evidenced by 33.1% shooting from the floor and 29.7% marksmanship from three-point land. The Penguins are coached by first year mentor Tisha Hill, who came to the Youngstown, Ohio school from Ball State University.

League Title Hopes Still Remain

Sure a few things needs to break right, but the regular season Horizon League championship is still a possibility for the UWM women's basketball team. With Monday's 71-69 victory over UW-Green Bay, the Panthers moved to within one game of the Phoenix for the top spot in the league race. While UWGB has already clinched at least a share of the title, UWM can split the crown with a win over Youngstown State and a UIC win at UWGB on Saturday. The task is a tall one for UIC as the Phoenix have not lost to a Horizon League team at home during the tenure of current head coach Kevin Borseth. If both UWM and UIC win, the Panthers will win their second regular season title, joining the 2000-01 Midwestern Collegiate Conference champions.

Fantastic Finishes For UWM

Give the 2003-04 UWM women's hoops team this, it certainly has a flair for the dramatic. Following Monday's two-point win over UW-Green Bay, the Panthers have now played 12 games that have been decided by five or fewer points this season while owning a 7-5 mark in those contests. Furthermore, of those 12 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.

Home of Champions

As previously mention, the UWM women's basketball team 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 recently claimed the 2003-04 regular season Horizon League title, the first men's hoops title in 65 years. In all, the UWM Athletic Department has won 28 Horizon League regular season and tournament titles since the year 2000.

Dominating The Glass

There is absolutely no denying that the UWM women's hoops team does one thing better than any team in the Horizon League. That thing, rebounding. UWM owns a +7.0 rebound margin this season, good for 20th-best in the country. That margin, which improves to +10.9 in Horizon League play, has been cushioned by some impressive rebounding games. In the first meeting between UWM and UWGB, the Panthers outrebounded the Phoenix by 31 boards, the second biggest margin in school history. Milwaukee followed that up two weeks later with a +30 showing over IPFW, which included a school-record 63 total rebounds. UWM has outrebounded the opposition 18 times this season and is just 3-4 when getting outboarded in a game. Senior center Maria Viall leads the league with 10.6 rebounds per game which is also good for 14th nationally.

Panther Duo Dials Long-Distance

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 67 of UWM's 121 three-pointers on the season, while connecting on a combined 37.2% from beyond the arc. Witte, who has been extremely hot of late, has hit 25-of-54 from downtown in the last 17 games and currently sits third in the league with 42.0% three-point marksmanship. Meanwhile Johnson, a freshman, leads the team with 38 triples, while hitting on 34.2% from three-point land.

Movin' On Up

On the night of January 26, the UWM women's hoops team lost by 20 points at rival UW-Green Bay. The Panther record sat at 7-10 overall and just 3-3 in the Horizon League. However, something started to click from that day forward as the Panthers have won eight of their last nine games to improve to 15-11 overall, and 11-4 in the league. Defense has been the name of the game during the stretch as UWM has help opponents to 58.0 points per game and 38.2% shooting from the field. Meanwhile, UWM has averaged 63.3 ppg and a +10.0 rebound margin. Senior center Maria Viall is averaging 18.7 points and 10.1 boards during the streak while sophomore forward Nichole Drummond boasts 10.7 points, 4.7 rebounds and 2.1 assists.

Great Night With Molly O'Brien

Arguably one of the most complete players in the Horizon League, UWM sophomore Molly O'Brien played what is quite possibly the best overall game in her young career on Monday. The do-everything forward scored a season-high 14 points versus UW-Green Bay, while connecting on six-of-eight from the field and two-of-four from three-point line. The Columbus native added seven rebounds in the game to go with a game-high five assists and three steals. In Horizon League only games O'Brien ranks in the top ten in the league in rebounding (5.9 rpg), assists (2.9 apg) and steals (1.8 spg).

The Countdown Is On

The Maria Viall scoring watch is officially on. With one 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 1,810 points in her four-year career, needs just 21 points to eclipse Jaci Clark as the school's scoring champion. At her current pace of 18.2 points per game, Viall will break Clark's mark in the quarterfinal round of the 2004 Horizon League Tournament at the Klotsche Center 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 161 while her 931 career rebounds place her third all-time.

Handling With Care

Turnovers. Mention the word to Sandy Botham and she might cringe. While her Panther team has been plagued with the turnover bug most of the season, things have looked much better of late. The Panthers, who average 20.4 turnovers per game, have played four consecutive games without reaching the 20-turnover mark. Furthermore, while the miscues are down good teamwork is up, as UWM has notched 62 assists in the four games, good for 15.5 per game. Sophomore forward Molly O'Brien leads the team in the assist-to-turnover race thanks to a team-best 58 assists to go with just 52 turnovers. O'Brien is the only Panther on the roster to boast a postive assist-to-turnover ratio this season.

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. The Panthers, who have clinched no worse than the No. 2 seed, will host a 7:00 p.m. quarterfinal game at the Klotsche Center. If UWM can move into the top spot it will play the winner of the Wright State/Youngstown State play-in game or would play UIC or Loyola as the No. 2 seed.

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.