Game #29 • March 11, 2009 • 6 p.m.
Milwaukee (13-17) @ Butler (19-10)
Hinkle Fieldhouse (10,000) • Indianapolis, Ind.
uwmpanthers.com: Live Stats, Listen, Watch
Radio: AM 920 The Wolf (Scott Warras)
TV: N/A
• Complete Release in PDF Format 
MILWAUKEE, Wis. (March 10, 2009) - The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee women's basketball team's season continues Wednesday when it travels to Indianapolis to take on Butler in the quarterfinals of the 2009 Speedway Horizon League Championship. The No. 7 Panthers and No. 2 Bulldogs tip off at 6 p.m. central time.
How's It Going?
Milwaukee snapped a three-game losing streak at the best possible time, knocking off Youngstown State in the Horizon League First Round, 70-49. The Panthers are now 13-17 on the season and looking for back-to-back wins for the first time since November.
Award Season
Traci Edwards repeated as Horizon League Player of the Year and was named to the all-league first team for the fourth time when the league announced its all-league honors Sunday. She shared the POY award with Cleveland State's Kailey Klein. She is the Panthers' second two-time POY (Maria Viall, 2002 & 2004) also became just the second player in league history to earn first-team honors four times. Meanwhile, Milwaukee also had a representative on the all-newcomer team in sophomore Ashley Imperiale, its first newcomer team honoree since 2005-06.
Up Next
The winner of the UWM/Butler match-up advances to the semifinals to play the winner of the No. 3 Cleveland State and No. 6 UIC. That game will take place Friday at the site of the highest remaining seed.
About The Bulldogs
Butler finished league play at 14-4 and locked up the second seed in the league tourney. The Bulldogs have balance on offense with four players averaging between 10.1 and 10.8 points per game. Brittany Bowen leads the attack with 10.8 ppg. Lade Akande is scoring 10.5 points to go with 5.7 rebounds per game, while Susan Lester is checking in at 10.1 and 6.0 and Melanie Thornton is contributing 10.1 and a team-best 7.3 rpg. The BU defense has also been key all season, with opponents shooting just 38.6 percent from the field and scoring just 56.1 points per game.
Series History
Milwaukee and Butler split the regular season series, with the home team winning each game, but the Panthers lead the all-time series, 17-15. These teams have met just once in the league tournament, with UWM scoring a 58-57 win in the 2006 semifinals.
League Tournament History
After its first round win, UWM is now 11-11 all-time in Horizon League Tournament play, including a 11-10 record under head coach Sandy Botham. The Panthers played in the first round for the first time since the league added a first round to its tournament. Their seventh seed is their lowest since playing as the No. 12 seed in 1995. Milwaukee is also now 7-2 at home in tournament play and has won at least one game in the tournament in each of the last four seasons.
Last Time Out: UWM 70, Youngstown State 49
Milwaukee jumped out to a 20-6 lead and never looked back in moving past Youngstown State, 70-49, in the league tournament First Round. Traci Edwards led UWM with 17 points and eight rebounds in just 20 minutes. Senior Turquoise McCain had a double-double of 13 points and 10 rebounds, while sophomore Lindsay Laur also reached double-figures with 13 points to go with seven boards.
Cleaning The Glass
The Panthers dominated the glass against Youngstown State, pulling down 59 boards--or 29 more than the Penguins. It was UWM's fourth game of 50 rebounds or more and tied for the fourth-most in school history. Also, the team's +29 rebounding margin actually was not its best of the season. That honor goes to the +31 Milwaukee posted against SIU Edwardsville. Currently, the Panthers are five rebounds from tying the school record for rebounds in a season (1,182) and are 33rd in the nation in rebounding margin (+5.6).
With A Little Help FOR My Friends
Junior Jodie McClain and senior Markita Barnes are handling the point guard duties for the Panthers, which means the team is in good hands. McClain is currently sixth in the league, and 10th in school history, with a 1.26 ratio (82 assists/65 turnovers) this season. Meanwhile, both players are in the top five in school history for career assist-to-turnover ratio (min. 100 assists). McClain's career clip is fourth at 1.114 (166/149), while Barnes is fifth at 1.075 (114/106). Also, this season, the duo have combined for two of the top single-game performances. Barnes set a school record with 10 assists and no turnovers against Detroit Jan. 17. McClain is second with eight helpers and no turnovers Feb. 19 against Loyola.
Doubling The Fun
Traci Edwards and Lindsay Laur each posted double-doubles Feb. 28 at Valparaiso. It was the third time UWM had two players with double-doubles in the same game this season. That is tied with 1993-94 as the most such games in a season. Edwards currently has 12 double-doubles, while Laur is second on the team with five. Senior Turquoise McCain and sophomore Jineen Williams have the team's other two double-doubles.
Pacing The Field
Traci Edwards' 30-point, 14-rebound effort Feb. 21 did wonders for her bid to lead the league in a number of familiar categories, including scoring, rebounding, field goal percentage and blocks. Edwards now leads the scoring race by 0.8 points over second place (17.9-17.1) and holds a 1.2 advantage in rebounding (9.0-7.8). She has led the circuit in both categories in each of the last two seasons and was the top rebounder as a freshman. She could also become the second to lead in field goal percentage or blocks three times, both areas where she is either second and third. Edwards is already the first player in league history to pace the league in scoring and rebounding in two different seasons and is the second to top the charts in rebounding three times.
Keys To Winning
Milwaukee had four players reach double-figures in a winning effort Feb. 21 and finished with 70 points. Those two figures, as you can imagine, have added up to a victory for the team this season. The Panthers are 8-0 when four or more players score at least 10 points, while going 12-5 when three players do. UWM's record is 10-1 this season when scoring at least 70 points after going 10-2 in such games last season.
Where She Stands
Edwards is the third-leading career active scorer in the nation, trailing only Oklahoma's Courtney Paris and Louisville's Angel McCoughtery. In state history, Edwards has ascended to second all-time, even if you include men's players. She could become the highest-scoring college basketball player in state history. She needs just 22 points to surpass Jolene Anderson's career total of 2,312, which she amassed from 2004-08 at Wisconsin.
Witnessing History...
These days, the odds are that if you come to a UWM basketball game, you'll witness history. Traci Edwards has moved to the top of various scoring charts and now stands as Milwaukee's and the Horizon League's all-time leading scorer. She was also the first woman in school, league or state history with 2,000 points and 1,000 rebounds in her career. In fact, research has turned up only one man to the milestone in state history, while Megan Scheele of Edgewood joined the club Feb. 12. Edwards is also only one of six active Division I players to have reached the milestone, while 114 players had done so entering 2008-09.
Timing Is Everything
Edwards became UWM's all-time leading scorer at Wisconsin Dec. 2, when she scored 30 points to give her 1,882 points for her career. That eclipsed the 1,867 scored by Maria Viall (2000-04). Edwards then hit 2,000 on the head at Youngstown State Jan. 8 with a 21-point effort. On the glass, she needed five boards for 1,000 heading into that game. She finished with eight, giving her both 2,000 points and 1,000 rebounds for her career in the same game. Then, just two days later, it was a 23-point performance that slid Edwards past Butler's Julie VanDielingen (2,018) as the league's all-time leading scorer. She now has 2,291 career points.
You Win Some, You Lose Some
UWM's recently-ended streak of 13-straight games alternating wins and losses was the longest in its Division I history. UWM last alternated wins and losses in nine-straight games to start the 2005-06 season. It also had nine-game streaks spanning the end of one season and the start of the next two times, including 1998-2000 and 1990-92. The streak came to an end Feb. 28 in the less-favorable manner--a second-straight loss.
S-A-T-U-R-D-A-Y Night! (Or Afternoon)
Despite losses on the last two Saturdays, the Panthers boast a strong 9-4 record on Saturdays this season. Milwaukee has found more success on the day, shooting 42.5 percent from the field and 38.8 percent on three's on Saturdays, compared to 40.1 and 30.3 percent the other six days of the week. The team is also averaging just 17.8 turnovers on Saturday and 23.1 other days, while its +6.0 Saturday rebounding margin is just +5.4 every other day. Lindsay Laur and Jodie McClain are enjoying the day especially. Laur is averaging 10.2 points and 7.5 rebounds with four double-doubles, while McClain is also averaging 10.4 points.
30-Something
Traci Edwards posted her 10th career 30-point game Feb. 19 and her third of the season. No other player in school history has more than three in their career. This was her first 30-point game in a non-starting role, while the Panthers have had just one other non-starter crack 30 points when Andrea Filipek scored a then-school record 38 at Green Bay Jan. 23, 1999.
Welcome To The Block Party
Over a four-game stretch ending Feb. 5 against Youngstown State, Traci Edwards feasted on opponent's shots to the tune of 19 blocked shots. Her 19 blocks are eight more than any Panther had ever had in a four-game span, while she capped the stretch with a school-record seven blocks against Youngstown State Feb. 7. The streak also included a five-block game, one with four and another with three. She now has 41 blocked shots this season, which are second in the league.
Player Of The Week
Traci Edwards was named the Horizon League Player of the Week Feb. 2 for a league-record 10th time in her career and the third time this season. She averaged 23.0 points, 14.0 rebounds and 4.0 blocks in two games the week before. Against Valpo, she had 30 points, 16 boards and three blocks. Then, in UWM's win over second-place Butler, she had 16/12/5. She had previously earned the award this season Jan. 12 and Dec. 15. Her 10 awards surpassed the record she shared with Green Bay's Nicole Soulis (9).
Keep Shooting...
Traci Edwards missed her first two field goal attempts against Wright State Feb. 14, but proceeded to make her next 10 attempts. She finished 10-for-12 from the field, with her 83.3 percent tying the third-best single-game performance in school history. She led the Panthers to one of their best shooting performances of the season. As a team, UWM shot a season-best 55.8 percent from the field, its second game shooting over 50 percent this season.
Doing The Time
Traci Edwards has broken a copious amount of school records in her career. She has played more basketball in a Panther uniform than any other player in the team's Division I history. In recent games, she has broken school records for minutes played (3,863), games played (122) and games started (117).
Hitting The Freebies
Jan. 24 at Loyola, the Panthers tied an NCAA Division I record by going 26-for-26 from the free throw line. The record, which requires a minimum of 26 made, is also held by Kansas (31-31/Feb. 11, 1996), IUPUI (29-29/Jan. 20, 2001) and Chattanooga (26-26/Nov. 24, 1990). The Horizon League record for most free throws in a game without a miss was 16, while the school mark was 12.
15x3=Record
Milwaukee knocked down a school-record 15 three-pointers against Detroit Jan. 17, besting its 14 made three's against Youngstown State Feb. 2, 2002. Jodie McClain led the charge with a career-best six made three-pointers, while sophomore Stephanie Schell knocked down three. McClain's six treys were the most by a Panther since Aubri Rote hit six in the 2007-08 season-opener and tied for sixth-most in school history. In all, six different players hit threes, while seven players accounted for UWM's 32 three-point attempts, which is second in school history. Also, the 15 made threes are tied for fifth-most in the nation so far this season.
You Get To Records With Big Numbers
Traci Edwards picked up her first double-double of the season with 20 points and 12 rebounds against SIU Edwardsville Nov. 26. Though it took four games, you knew it wouldn't take too long for her to get her first of the season. She has added 11 more since and now has 56 in her career, 20 more than any other player in school history. She also had three-straight 20-plus scoring efforts and has pushed her school-record total to 55 career 20-point games. She has also broken a school record with 115 double-digit scoring games in 122 career games played, including a school-record streak of 41 games and the second-longest streak in school history of 23 (current). Edwards now holds school record for 10-plus point games as well as 20-plus, 30-plus (10) and 40-plus (2) scoring games. Lastly, her latest double-double at Valparaiso gave her 59 double-digit rebounding games, another school record.
It's Not How You Start...
Four times in six games in the month of December, the Panthers fought back from tough deficits to bring an exciting conclusion to the games. Dec. 2 at Wisconsin, the Panthers overcame a 16-point deficit with just over 11 minutes remaining to take the lead in a game that eventually went into two overtimes. Then, Dec. 10, Milwaukee fought back from a 49-29 deficit to tie Illinois at 55-55 in the final minutes of regulation. UWM scored the final eight points of regulation to tie its game with Evansville and force overtime on Dec. 22, before dropping a one-point decision. Dec. 20, sophomore Maurika Hickman hit a lay-up at the buzzer to send the Panthers past Central Michigan, 78-77. It was the team's first game-winning shot in the final five seconds since Dec. 28, 2006, when Megan Rogers hit a three with 4.2 seconds remaining in regulation to give UWM a 73-72 win over Loyola. Then, Dec. 31, sophomore Ashley Imperiale made two free throws with 3.6 seconds left to win the game at Marquette. Milwaukee had trailed by 13 points in the first half of that contest.
Heart-Stoppers
Milwaukee had played three-straight one-point games before Jan. 4, four-straight games separated by two points or less and five of its last six games had been decided by one or two point. The streak of tight games is unprecedented in the program's history. In fact, in the team's Division I history dating back to the 1990-91 season, the only time UWM played back-to-back one or two-point games was Feb. 23 and March 1 of last season. There were three instances of consecutive such games in the 1980's, but the only time Milwaukee ever played three-straight one-point games before this season was Jan. 12-16, 1976.
The Panthers Know Drama
Milwaukee has provided some of the most dramatic television this season, as each of its first three TV games this season were far from boring. The team's first two TV games, which pitted UWM against Wisconsin and Illinois, featured the aforementioned theatrics and a combined three game-tying or winning baskets in the final eight seconds of regulation or overtime. Then, against Marquette, free throws with 3.6 seconds remaining proved to be the difference.
League Success
The Panthers are looking to continue a strong tradition of success in the Horizon League in 2008-09. Milwaukee finished second-or-better in the league standings in eight of the last nine seasons and are 111-49 in league games since 1999-2000. UWM has won league titles in 2001 and 2006.
Botham Gets No. 200
Sandy Botham picked up her 200th coaching win with Milwaukee Nov. 29 at Northern Illinois. In 12-plus seasons at the helm of the Panther program, she has boasted a 210-165 record. The milestone is her latest, as she surpassed the 200-win mark for her career last season, while also becoming the winningest coach in league games in Horizon League history. Overall, Botham is 232-169 as a head coach.
All-Tournament Honors
Traci Edwards finished the season-opening Wolfpack Invitational averaging 19.5 points and 5.0 rebounds per game and was named to the all-tournament team. She was previously named the tournament MVP at the only other in-season tournament of her career, the SMU Hoops for the Cure Classic in 2006.
