Lindsay Laur
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Panthers Head To Chicago To Take On Loyola Thursday
Milwaukee sits tied for second in the Horizon League standings
Game #25
Milwaukee @ Loyola
Thursday, Feb. 21 • 7 p.m.
Chicago, Ill. (Gentile Center/5,500)
Radio: WOKY - 920 AM (Scott Warras)
TV: None
uwmpanthers.com: Live Stats, Video, Audio
• Complete Release in PDF Format 
MILWAUKEE, Wis. (Feb. 20, 2007) - The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee women's basketball team returns to the road Thursday, heading to Chicago, Ill., to take on Loyola. The Panthers and Ramblers tip off at 7 p.m.
Panther Bites
Head coach Sandy Botham set a league record with her 126th league coaching win last Saturday ... the Panthers are coming a 76-70 win over Valparaiso Saturday ... Loyola enters Thursday with a two-game winning streak after scoring a win over UIC Saturday ... 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
UWM returns to Chicago Saturday to take on UIC.
Reading Up On The Ramblers
Loyola is coming off wins over Butler and Loyola in its last two games to push its league mark to 4-8. Three Ramblers are averaging in double-digits, led by Maggie McCloskey's 11.7 points per game. McCloskey is sixth in the nation with 2.9 three-pointers per game. Elyse VanBogaert is chipping in 11.4 points per game, while Keisha Collins is scoring 10.8 points and dishing out 4.5 assists per contest.
Series History
Milwaukee has won its last eight meetings with Loyola and leads the all-time series, 27-8. The Panthers were victorious in the first meeting this season, 54-51, at the Klotsche Center.
First Meeting This Season: UWM 54, Loyola 51
Junior Traci Edwards scored 22 points and pulled down nine rebounds to lead the Panthers to a 54-51 win over Loyola Jan. 26 at the Klotsche Center. The Ramblers would not go away, despite trailing by as much as 10 midway through the first half. They tied the score for the sixth and final time at 47-47 with 2:23 remaining. Milwaukee then scored the next six points to put the game away.
Last Time Out: Milwaukee 76, Valparaiso 70
Traci Edwards scored 24 points and the Panthers shot 51.1 percent for the game as they defeated Valparaiso 76-70 last Saturday at the Klotsche Center. UWM's hot shooting canceled out 22 turnovers as head coach Sandy Botham collected her 126th career league coaching win, breaking the league mark of 125 she held with Green Bay's Kevin Borseth.
Notes From The Valpo Game
The Panthers shot 50 percent in both halves for the second time this season (Jan. 19 at Butler) ... Traci Edwards' 10 rebounds gave her a fourth-straight double-digit rebounding game, one off a school record ... UWM tied a season high with 24 free throws made ... Milwaukee converted eight offensive rebounds into 15 second-chance points ... Saturday's game was the Panthers' "Think Pink" game ... they are 2-0 in "Think Pink" games this season (Feb. 9 at Youngstown State).
Botham's Figures
Saturday's win over Valparaiso was career league victory No. 126 for head coach Sandy Botham. She broke the league record for league wins, which she had held with Kevin Borseth, who coached at Green Bay through last season. She has led UWM to a 126-55 record in league play in her career. Botham is also looking to get closer to her 200th win as coach of the Panthers. Milwaukee needs to reach 20 wins this season for her to get to the milestone. Botham has a 193-146 career record on the UWM sidelines.
Injury Update
Senior Meredith Onson is the lone Panther out of the lineup due to injury. She has missed the last nine games with mononucleosis and could return to action as early as next week at Green Bay.
Double Or Nothing
Jan. 10 against Youngstown State, Traci Edwards broke the school record for career double-doubles. Now she has collected double-doubles in her last three games, while collecting at least 10 rebounds in four-straight games. Those streaks are nearing the school record set during the 1993-94 season when Erica Young had five-straight double-doubles. Edwards has wasted little time in racking up the double-doubles in her career, tallying 42 in her 85 career games thanks to a school-record 15 as a freshman. She is threatening that record this season with a league-best 14 double-doubles in 24 games. As for double-digit rebounding games, she also holds that career mark with 44 and has 15 this season, one back of her own school record of 16 from that freshman campaign.
Team Treys
With an inside-outside game like the one the Panthers feature, there are bound to be three-pointers aplenty. Milwaukee is no exception to that, as it has averaged 7.21 three-pointers per game, good for 13th in the nation. UWM is also knocking down 37.5 percent of its chances, which is 18th in the nation. The Panthers are on pace for 216 threes through one league tournament game, which would better the school-record 202 the team hit last season, and are hovering just below the school record of 37.8 percent set during the 1996-97 season. Seven times the Panthers have hit on 10-or-more three-pointers this season, including in three of the last five games. They have also built up a modest streak of 169-straight games with a three-pointer. While that is far less than halfway to any NCAA records, it is just four off the school record of 173-straight games. Milwaukee could break that figure in the regular season finale March 8.
For Us, Not Them
While the Panthers do hit more than their fair share of three-pointers, they are not inclined to get into a three-point shootout. In fact, opponents are hitting from outside the arc at just a 32.1 percent clip--third-best in the league. Opponents are making just 5.25 threes per game and have made at least seven in a game just six times. Over its last 11 games, UWM has allowed just two opponents to shoot better than 33.3 percent on threes and have limited them to a 28.6 percent shooting clip.
Tracking The League Leaders
Traci Edwards is making a push for her second-straight league scoring title and third-straight rebounding crown. While she holds a commanding lead of 2.4 rebounds per game, she has been vying with Cleveland State's Kailey Klein for the scoring lead and currently holds the top spot at 19.1 points per game. Klein, who is averaging 19.0 ppg, had pulled ahead by 35 points in the race with 18 points in an early game Feb. 9, but then Edwards matched that with her 35-point outing at Youngstown State. Edwards took the lead in the race last Thursday with 19 points, compared to seven from Klein. Then, Saturday, Klein went off for 33, but Edwards countered with 24 to maintain a 458-to-455 advantage.
What That Means..
There has been just one player to lead the Horizon League in scoring in back-to-back seasons and that was Loyola's Sheryl Porter back in the 1988-89 and 1989-90 seasons. Meanwhile, there have been two more players to lead the league twice in their careers. Edwards also could be just the third player to lead the circuit in rebounding three-straight times. No player has ever done it four times. Lastly, Edwards' 2006-07 season was just the third in league history that a player finished atop both the scoring and rebounding charts, while she could become the first to do so in back-to-back seasons.
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 is averaging 6.2 free throws made and 7.9 attempts per game. According to Yahoo! Sports, both are second in the nation behind Western Kentucky's Crystal Kelly (7.8-for-9.6). With 148 free throws made, she is on pace to break her own school record of 175 free throws made in a season she set last year. Also within her sights is the league mark of 179. 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) this season. Edwards has now gone 458-for-626 from the free throw line in her career, putting her fourth in league history in free throws made, 84 back of the league mark set by Green Bay's Chari Nordgaard (1996-99).
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 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.
Rookie Starters
For the first time in almost three years, three freshmen were in the starting lineup for Milwaukee at Cleveland State Feb. 7. Maurika Hickman, Lindsay Laur and Jineen Williams started together for the first time this season and were the first trio of freshmen in the same starting five since Feb. 12, 2005, also at CSU. In that game, Elisha Hudson, Meghan Klein and Emily Huss got the start. Hickman, Laur and Williams have now started the last four games, marking the first time in UWM's Division I history that three freshmen have cracked the starting lineup together for multiple games.
Sometimes It's How You Start...
The Panthers have excelled when they have given themselves the early advantage, as evidenced by a 12-4 record when they win the tip off. UWM is also 8-0 when it scores first.
Sometimes... Not So Much
Milwaukee has five wins this season when its opponent gets on the board first (5-11). But, the first possession for the team doesn't seem too crucial. The Panthers are 6-4 when their first possession yields points, while boasting a respectable 7-7 record when not scoring on that possession.
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 13 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 11.7 per game in its 13 wins but concede a 1.2 rebounding edge in 11 losses. From three-point range, Milwaukee is shooting 41.7 percent in wins compared to just 32.4 in losses.
Freshman Firepower
Maurika Hickman and Lindsay Laur have been key for the Panthers of late, with both reaching double-digits in scoring in four of the last five games. Hickman posted back-to-back 20-point efforts vs. Green Bay (20) Feb. 2 and at Cleveland State (22) Feb. 7. She was joined by Laur at the 20-point mark against GB. Over the last five games, Hickman is averaging 14.4 points per game and Laur 13.6 ppg.
For Three!
Hickman is doing her scoring in chunks, hitting 17 three-pointers over her last five games. She is 17-for-32 in that span (53.1 percent), which has raised her season three-point clip to 47.7 percent--fifth-best in the league. Laur has also gotten into the act with a 10-for-24 performance (41.7 percent) from beyond the arc in the last five games.
Twenty Times Two
When Maurika Hickman and Lindsay Laur each scored 20 points off the bench Feb. 2, it was historic for a number of reasons. First, it was the first game in UWM's Division I history that two freshmen 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, before Hickman and Laur, to drop 20 for UWM was Edwards in the 2006 Horizon League title game (24 points).
Big Half When They Needed It Most
In attempting the largest comeback in school history vs. Butler Feb. 14, Milwaukee put together its best half of basketball this season. The Panthers cut a 22-point halftime deficit to one late by shooting a season-best 61.3 percent from the field in the second half and were 7-of-11 on three-point attempts. UWM used efficient shooting to put 51 points on the board, its second 50-point half of the season. The other second half of note came at Central Connecticut State Dec. 1, when the Panthers shot 60.7 percent from the field and made 8-of-12 second-half three-point attempts.
The Comeback Kids Have Come Back
Milwaukee's near comeback against Butler was just the latest surge by the Panthers, who don't seem to know when to quit. UWM has overcome double-digit deficits against Cleveland State twice this season to mixed results. Milwaukee overcame a 13-point first-half deficit, and an eight-point hole at halftime, to defeat the Vikings Jan. 12. Then, Feb. 7 on the road, UWM trailed by 14 in the first half and fought back to take a two-point lead late before falling. The Panthers 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 the Panthers 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. The Panthers had six wins last season in games they had trailed at halftime.
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 101-35 in league games since 1999-2000. UWM has won league titles in 2001 and 2006.
Keeping It Going
Traci Edwards was limited to just 18 minutes against Green Bay Feb. 2, 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 six). 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 one of six in 85 career games for Edwards, she followed that up with just eight points at Cleveland State Feb. 7. It was the first time that she failed to reach 10 points in back-to-back games. Overall, she has scored in double figures 78 times in her career, including 20-or-more points 37 times and 30-plus points six 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 85 career games, Edwards has led the team in scoring 67 times and rebounding 72 times. She has led the team in scoring in 20-of-24 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. Feb. 2 vs. Green Bay was just the sixth time in her career that she did not lead the team in scoring or rebounding.
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 504-429 all-time, including 253-247 since moving to Division I in 1990.
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 1,573 points. Previously this season, she surpassed Erica Young (751) for second in Division I rebounding with 833. Edwards trails only Viall in scoring, rebounding (971), double-digit scoring games with 78 (Viall has 98) and 20-point games with 37 (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.
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 103-48 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 72-18 home league mark. The Panthers have won 57 of their last 68 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 1999-00 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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