Maurika Hickman
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Panthers Return To Road At Cleveland State Thursday
League's top two scorers face off in Milwaukee's Edwards, Cleveland State's Klein
Game #21
Milwaukee @ Cleveland State
Thursday, Feb. 7 • 4 p.m.
Cleveland, Ohio (Goodman Arena/13,610)
Radio: WOKY - 920 AM (Scott Warras)
TV: None
uwmpanthers.com: Live Stats, Video, Audio
• Complete Release in PDF Format 
MILWAUKEE, Wis. (Feb. 6, 2007) - The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee women's basketball team hits the road this weekend for two games in northeast Ohio. The Panthers start their trip Thursday at Cleveland State. UWM and CSU tip off at 4 p.m. central time.
Panther Bites
Milwaukee has lost two of three to fall into third place in the league standings ... the Panthers dropped a 79-64 decision to Green Bay Saturday ... Cleveland State has won five-straight to supplant UWM in second place ... Milwaukee was picked to win the Horizon League in its preseason poll of league coaches, SIDs and media members ... Edwards was named the Horizon League Preseason Player of the Year.
Next Up
The Panthers play at Youngstown State Saturday. Tip-off is scheduled for 3:35 p.m. central time.
Catching Up With Cleveland State
The Vikings of won their last five games and come into action this week at 13-7 and 7-2 in league play. Cleveland State's last loss came to the Panthers Jan. 12 in Milwaukee, as part of an 0-2 trip to Wisconsin. Kailey Klein leads CSU and the league in scoring at 19.0 points per game. She is also chipping in 5.5 rebounds and 3.2 assists per contest. Cleveland State has balanced scoring, with two more starters averaging at least 9.6 points per game and the remaining two at more than 6.0 ppg.
Series History
Milwaukee leads its all-time series with Cleveland State, 19-13, including an 11-point win at the Klotsche Center last month. The Panthers had won six-straight in the series until a loss in Cleveland last season.
First Meeting This Season: UWM 63, CSU 52
UWM overcame an early 13-point deficit and ended the game on a 17-5 run to defeat Cleveland State Jan. 12 at the Klotsche Center. Traci Edwards scored a game-high 19 points for Milwaukee to go with six rebounds, three blocks and three steals. Maurika Hickman was the only other Panther in double-figures, scoring all 11 of her points in the second half. Three more players tallied at least eight points apiece.
Battle Of The Scoring Leaders
Cleveland State's Kailey Klein has averaged 29.0 points per game in her last three outings to garner back-to-back league player of the week honors. More importantly, she overtook Traci Edwards for the lead in the league scoring race. Klein is now averaging 19.0 points per game, with 379 points in 20 games. Edwards is just seven points back, with 372 points in 20 games. Edwards has averaged 20.4 points per game against CSU, including a school-record 42 in a game last season, while Klein has scored 11.7 ppg in three career games against Milwaukee.
Last Time Out: Green Bay 79, Milwaukee 64
Freshmen Maurika Hickman and Lindsay Laur each scored a career-high and game-high 20 points, but it was not enough as the Panthers fell to Green Bay, 79-64, Saturday afternoon at the Klotsche Center.Hickman and Laur combined for the 40 points off the bench on 16-of-24 shooting and with four 3-pointers apiece. Seventeen of Hickman's points came in the second half as UWM tried to climb out of a 20-point deficit, while Laur added 12 in the period.
Notes From The Green Bay Game
Milwaukee had a streak of 13-straight opponents held under 70 points snapped ... UWM had 43 points off the bench, a season high ... Laur more than tripled her career high of six points, which she had scored three times ... Hickman's career high had been 11 points, which she did twice ... the Panthers were outrebounded for just the fifth time this season and are now 0-5 in those games ... GB tied the third-best free throw percentage by a Panther opponent in school history (19-for-20, 95 percent).
Twenty Times Two
When Maurika Hickman and Lindsay Laur each scored 20 points off the bench Saturday, it was historic for a number of reasons. First, it was the first game in UWM's Division I history that two freshman scored 20 points in the same game. It was also the first where both scorers came off the bench. The last time any two players topped 20 points in the same game for Milwaukee was its 2007-08 season-opener when Traci Edwards tallied 30 points and Aubri Rote added 20. That was the first 30/20 game for the Panthers since Jan. 15, 1998, when Trina Rathke scored 30 and Daryl Schaffeld 20. Lastly, the last time Milwaukee had one 20-point scorer off the bench was Megan Rogers (21) Feb. 17, 2005. The last freshman to drop 20 for UWM was Edwards in the 2006 Horizon League Championship game (24 points).
Few More 20/20 Notes
Coincidentally, the Panthers have had multiple 20-point scorers at Cleveland State four times ... there have been 18 games with multiple 20-point scorers in the team's Division I history, including a pair of games Milwaukee had three 20-point scorers ... the Panthers had a six-game winning streak in such games that ended Saturday and are 12-6 when multiple players reach 20.
Botham's Figures
When head coach Sandy Botham puts her players on the floor Thursday, she will be going for her 125th career league coaching win. That would tie the league record set by Kevin Borseth, who coached at Green Bay before heading to Michigan this past off-season. She is 124-53 in league play in her career. She is also looking to get closer to her 200th win as coach of the Panthers. UWM needs to reach 20 wins this season for her to get to the milestone. Botham has a 191-144 career record on the Milwaukee sidelines.
Keeping It Going
Traci Edwards was limited to just 18 minutes against Green Bay last Saturday, scoring five points and pulling down just one rebound. The game ended her streak of 41-straight games scoring in double-figures and set a career-low for rebounds in a game (which had been two in her collegiate debut). She had started the season with a 22-game streak that had already established a school record and scored 30 points in the season opener. The 30-point outing was a school record for points in a season opener and the fourth 30-point outing of her career, another record (she now has five). It was also Edwards' fifth-straight 20-point game dating back to last season, tying a school record she had already shared. While the single-digit scoring game was just the sixth in 81 career games for Edwards, the playing time was even more rare. She played less than 20 minutes in a game for just the third time. Edwards has scored in double figures 75 times in her career, including 20-or-more points 35 times.
Pacing The Panthers
It's no surprise that Traci Edwards is the focal point of the UWM offense. But, this season, she has stepped up that team-leading production. In 81 career games, Edwards has led the team in scoring 64 times and rebounding 68 times. She has led the team in scoring in 17-of-20 games this season and had a streak of 27-straight games she played in where she led the team in scoring come to an end. She also had a smaller streak of 11-straight games leading in rebounding snapped. The scoring streak was a school record and three times longer than any such streak in the team's Division I history. After that streak ended, Edwards then led the team in scoring in 10-straight games, the second-longest streak in school history. Saturday vs. Green Bay was just the sixth time in her career that she did not lead the team in scoring or rebounding.
Injury Update
Senior Meredith Onson is the lone Panther out of the lineup due to injury. She has missed the last five games with mononucleosis and could be out up to four weeks total. Sophomore Danae Russell, who had missed the first 15 games of the season with an off-season injury, dressed for the first time at Valparaiso Jan. 17. Meanwhile, junior Jody Crumble is the only other UWM player to miss time this season, sitting out two games in December with a knee injury.
Road Warriors
Milwaukee has found comfort on the road this season, as evidenced by its 6-3 record away from home. The Panthers are shooting well on their opponents' rims, hitting on 38.9 percent from three-point range and 77.7 percent from the free throw line. UWM went 6-11 on the road last season after a 9-5 road mark in 2005-06.
Well, If They're `Free'...
Traci Edwards has been a force in the paint for the Panthers, so much so that opponents are fouling her at a feverish pace. She has made 119 free throws this season for an average of 6.0 per game. That figure puts her fourth in the nation according to Yahoo! Sports. Edwards has attempted 150 this season for an average of 7.5 per game--eighth in the country. The trend has been there throughout her career as she has passed Maria Viall's school records for both free throws made (390) and attempted (550) during her junior campaign. Edwards has now gone 430-for-586 (73.4 percent) from the free throw line in her career, including an 79.9 percent shooting clip (294-for-368) over her sophomore and junior seasons.
Then There Was That One Time
Jan. 19 at Butler, Edwards was a perfect 11-for-11 from the charity stripe, tying a school record for free throw percentage. She also had the second-most free throws made in a game without a miss, tying Corrin Von Wald's matching effort from the 1999-00 season. Later that season, Von Wald posted the best free throw shooting game, going 18-for-18. Eighteen made free throws is the minimum for inclusion in the NCAA Record Book.
Sometimes It's How You Start...
The Panthers have excelled when they have given themselves the early advantage, as evidenced by a 10-4 record when they win the tip off. UWM is also 7-0 when it scores first.
Sometimes... Not So Much
Milwaukee still has four wins this season when its opponent gets on the board first (4-9). But, the first possession for the team doesn't seem too crucial. The Panthers are 5-3 when their first possession yields points, while boasting a respectable 6-6 record when not scoring on that possession.
Double Or Nothing
At Detroit Jan. 5, Traci Edwards collected her 36th career double-double, tying a school record. She followed that up with school-record No. 37 Jan. 10 against Youngstown State. In fact, Edwards had 15 points and 11 boards at halftime of that game to push past the record. She has since pushed her career double-double total to 39, while she has since broken the school record for double-digit rebound games and now has 40. Edwards has wasted little time in racking up the double-doubles in her career, reaching 39 in her 79th game thanks to a school-record 15 as a freshman. She is threatening that record this season with a league-best 11 double-doubles in 20 games.
500 And Counting
Milwaukee's win at Valparaiso Jan. 17 was the 500th in its program history. The Panthers followed that up with a win at Butler Jan. 19, their 250th win at the Division I level. The program is now 502-427 all-time, including 251-245 since moving to Division I in 1990.
What It Takes To Win
Every team needs things to go right in order to win, but the keys for the Panthers this season have been rebounding and three-point shooting. All 11 of Milwaukee's wins have come in games it has outrebounded its opponent. Overall, the rebounding comparison is staggering, as UWM is outrebounding opponents by 12.1 per game in its 11 wins but concede a 1.7 rebounding edge in seven losses. From three-point range, Milwaukee is shooting 42.5 percent in wins compared to just 29.9 in losses.
Doing It With Defense
Green Bay was the first opponent to hang 70 points on UWM since Wisconsin on Dec. 4. The Panthers had held 13-straight opponents below 70 points, the team's longest stretch since a 15-game run at the end of the 2005-06 season. In that time, opponents are scoring just 59.5 points per game. The Panthers have also held their last seven opponents to 33.3 percent shooting or worse from three-point range. The effect of the stretch has lowered the team's scoring defense from 66.3 points per game to 61.6, including a league-best 57.9 points per game in league play.
League Success
The Panthers are looking to continue a strong tradition of success in the Horizon League in 2007-08. Milwaukee has finished second-or-better in the league standings in seven of the last eight seasons and is 99-33 in league games since 1999-2000. UWM has won league titles in 2001 and 2006.
Moving On Up
As just a junior, Traci Edwards is poised to hold a number of school records when her career comes to an end. The parade of records has already started with her previously-mentioned double-double and free throw marks. But, before you can get to No. 1, you have to get to No. 2. Edwards has done that on the school's Division I scoring list. With 22 points Jan. 26 against Loyola, she passed Jessica Wilhite for second behind Maria Viall (1,867) and now has 1,487. Previously this season, she surpassed Erica Young (751) for second in Division I rebounding with 783. Edwards trails only Viall in scoring, rebounding (971), double-digit scoring games with 75 (Viall has 98) and 20-point games with 35 (41).
Player Of The Week
Traci Edwards was named the Horizon League Player of the Week Jan. 14. She led UWM to a 2-0 record the previous week by averaging 24.5 points, 9.0 rebounds, 2.5 steals and 2.0 blocks per game. The award was the sixth of her career, one back of Maria Viall's school record of seven honors and three behind Nicole Soulis' (Green Bay) league record of nine.
The Comeback Kids Have Come Back
Milwaukee overcame a 13-point first-half deficit, and an eight-point hole at halftime, to defeat Cleveland State Jan. 12. While it was the first time this season the Panthers won after trailing at halftime, they do have a recent history of doing just that. UWM last overcame a halftime deficit to win in the league quarterfinals against Wright State last season (down five at half). Two games prior to that, the Panthers trailed by 13 at the break, but stormed back to win at UIC. Against the Raiders, Milwaukee trailed 23-4, while the Flames built a lead as high as 18 before UWM stormed back to win. The comebacks last season were the second (tied) and fourth-largest comebacks in the team's Division I history. History almost repeated itself Jan. 23, when Milwaukee whittled an 18-point UIC lead to three and had the ball with 10 seconds remaining.
Panthers Pace Pack In Poll
The Panthers were picked to win the 2007-08 Horizon League regular season title in the league's annual preseason poll. Milwaukee, who last topped the poll in 2001-02, received 13 first-place votes and 253 total point to edge last year's regular season and tourney champ Green Bay with nine first-place nods and 244 points. Butler, in third with 238 points, also received five first-place votes, while UIC received the last one and was picked fourth (178 points). Voting was conducted among the league's coaches, SIDs and media members.
Traci, Too
Two days after the release of the preseason poll, the league office announced its preseason all-league teams and junior Traci Edwards topped the list. She was named the Preseason Player of the Year with a near-unanimous 267 points. An all-league first-teamer as a freshman and sophomore, Edwards was player of the year on 24 ballots and listed second on the three others.
Home Sweet Home
The Klotsche Center remains a difficult place for visiting teams to succeed. In 11-plus years under Sandy Botham, the Panthers are 102-47 at home. The Panthers went 8-5 at home last season after a school-record 13-3 home campaign in 2005-06. In league play, those numbers are even better as Milwaukee boasts a 71-17 home league mark. The Panthers have won 56 of their last 66 home league games over the last eight seasons and posted three perfect home league years--going 8-0 in 2003-04 and 7-0 in both 1999-2000 and 2000-01.
Kicking It Up A Notch
All 29 Panther games will be carried live in the Milwaukee area on the radio, marking the most extensive radio package in the program's history. WOKY is in its second season as the radio home for UWM women's basketball after carrying half of the team's schedule last season. The station will also be the home of the Sandy Botham Radio Show, while both the show and every game will be available live at uwmpanthers.com.
Lights, Camera, Action
Also stepped up this season is the number of times Milwaukee will play on television. The Panthers will be televised live seven times this season after just three games were televised live last season. All seven will be televised live on Time Warner Sports Channel 32 in Milwaukee. Fans can also re-live the excitement, as each game will be replayed on TWS and available on Wisconsin On Demand Channel 1111. In addition, all league home games will also be available on Wisconsin On Demand and the Horizon League title game will also be televised on ESPNU. Every league game, home or road, with also be available via webcast on the Horizon League Network.
Building For The Future
Milwaukee signed a player to a National Letter of Intent during the early signing period when Amanda Viehauser of Minneapolis, Minn., committed to the Panthers. A varsity player since her eighth-grade year, Viehauser is coming off all-state honorable mention honors in her first year at Armstrong High School. She averaged 12.4 points per game and was named to the all-conference team. Prior to that, she played three years at Minneapolis Washburn High School.
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