Lindsay Laur
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Panthers Return Home For Season-Ending Homestand
Milwaukee hosts Detroit Thursday at Klotsche before regular season finale Saturday
Game #28
Detroit @ Milwaukee
Thursday, March 6 • 7 p.m.
Milwaukee, Wis. (Klotsche Center/5,000)
Radio: WOKY - 920 AM (Scott Warras)
TV: Time Warner Sports (Bob Brainerd/Maria Viall)
uwmpanthers.com: Live Stats, Video, Audio
• Complete Release in PDF Format 
MILWAUKEE, Wis. (March 7, 2007) - The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee women's basketball team returns home to host Detroit in its penultimate regular season game Thursday at the Klotsche Center. The Panthers and Titans tip off at 7 p.m. in a game that will be televised live on Time Warner Sports.
Panther Bites
The Panthers are vying for second place in the Horizon League standings ... they are currently tied for third in the standings, two games back of Wright State and tied with Cleveland State ... Traci Edwards has averaged 28.3 points per game over her last six contests and has topped 20 points in four-straight games ... Milwaukee suffered a heart-breaking loss at Green Bay Saturday in its only game last week ... Detroit is playing its best basketball of the season and has won back-to-back games for the first time this season.
Next Up
Milwaukee wraps up the regular season Saturday, hosting Wright State at the Klotsche Center.
Talking About The Titans
Detroit won both of its games last week in Chicago to win back-to-back games for the first time this season. The Titans are now 3-14 in league play, with all three wins coming in their last five games. Sandi Brown leads UDM with 10.6 points and 5.5 rebounds per game.
Series History
The Panthers own a 19-15 advantage in their series with Detroit, having won the last five meetings, including a 70-63 win in Detroit earlier this season. Milwaukee has also won the last 10 regular season contests.
First Meeting This Season: UWM 70, Detroit 63
Traci Edwards scored 28 points and pulled down 12 boards to tie a school record with her 36th career double-double and lead UWM to a 70-63 victory over Detroit Jan. 5 at Calihan Hall. Edwards added three steals and assists while tying Maria Viall's (2000-04) school mark in just 74 games. Jodie McClain and Aubri Rote also got into double-figures with 12 points apiece.
Last Time Out: Green Bay 66, Milwaukee 65
Traci Edwards scored 27 points and had nine rebounds, but it was not enough as Panthers dropped a 66-65 decision to Green Bay Saturday afternoon at the Kress Events Center. Milwaukee fought back from a 13-point first-half deficit to take a nine-point lead in the second half. The Phoenix scored the final six points of the game on back-to-back threes from Rachel Porath with a minute remaining to squeeze out the win.
Notes From The Green Bay Game
Traci Edwards broke the school and league record for free throws in a season by pushing her season total to 180. She had held the school mark of 175 and the league record had been 179 ... Edwards also tallied 20 points in game for the 40th time in her career, one back of the school record ... Markita Barnes had a career-high seven assists compared to no turnovers ... Eight of the Panthers' 13 losses this season have been by three points or less and a combined 15 points ... Turquoise McCain did not dress because of a foot injury. It marked the first game she did start this season ... Milwaukee had a season-low three points off the bench.
Look At The League Tourney
UWM still has its sites set on the second seed in the upcoming league tournament, but could still be seeded anywhere from second to fifth. With a win, Milwaukee will secure a home quarterfinal game. These are the scenarios that could play out and determine the Panthers' seed:
No. 2 - Milwaukee defeats Detroit and Wright State ... WSU loses at Green Bay Thursday ... Youngstown State defeats UIC and Loyola (a feat the Penguins accomplished earlier this season) ... Valparaiso defeats Butler Saturday (Valpo won the first meeting).
No. 3 - UWM wins its two remaining games.
No. 4 - The Panthers defeat Detroit or Wright State.
No. 5 - Milwaukee can finish no lower than fifth, so if it loses both remaining games, it will be the fifth seed and be on the road in the quarterfinals.
Close, But No Cigar
Saturday's one-point loss at Green Bay was the Panthers' eighth loss this season by three points are less. The eight losses have come by a combined 15 points. Milwaukee is 2-8 in games decided by five points or less.
Lordy, Lordy, Look Who Scored Forty (Five)
Traci Edwards went off for 45 points at Loyola Feb. 21, breaking her own school record of 42 points she set last season. Her point total is tied for the second-highest point total in NCAA Division I this season and is the third-highest in league history. She did it in an efficient manner, as well, making 12-of-14 shots for the second-best field goal percentage in school history. Edwards also went 20-for-22 from the free throw line, setting a school record for free throws made in a game. Corrin Von Wald had held that mark with 18 made Jan. 19, 2000.
Player Of The Week
Traci Edwards was named the Horizon League Player of the Week for the second time this season Feb. 25. She averaged 32.5 points and 11 rebounds per game last week, including her school-record 45-point performance at Loyola. The award was the seventh of her career, tying Maria Viall's school record and two behind Nicole Soulis' (Green Bay) league record of nine.
Now THAT Is Rebounding
Since being held to double-digit points in back to back games vs. Green Bay and at Cleveland State, Traci Edwards has averaged 28.3 points per game. In the six games since, she has topped 20 points five times and 35 points twice.
Streak Of 20's
While Edwards has scored 20-or-more points in five of her last six games, and 19 in the other, she has eclipsed 20 in her last four games. It is the fourth streak of four-or-more 20-point games of her career and one game off the school record of five. She tallied five-straight 20-point games twice in her career and shares the mark with Maria Viall.
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 2.6 rebounds per game, she has been vying with Cleveland State's Kailey Klein for the scoring lead and currently holds the top spot at 20.4 points per game. Edwards has extended her advantage over Klein, who checks in this week at 19.2 ppg, to 1.2 ppg. Edwards currently maintains a 550-to-518 advantage in total points.
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. Thanks to her 20-for-22 outburst at Loyola Feb. 21 and a 9-for-9 effort at Green Bay Saturday, she is averaging 6.7 free throws made and 8.6 attempts per game. According to Yahoo! Sports, both are second in the nation behind Western Kentucky's Crystal Kelly (8.0-for-9.6). With 180 free throws made, she broke her own school record of 175 free throws made in a season she set last year and the league record of 179. Edwards has already eclipsed the school record for attempts that she set in each of her first two seasons (212) with 232. 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 491-for-668 from the free throw line in her career, putting her fourth in league history in free throws made, 51 back of the league mark set by Green Bay's Chari Nordgaard (1996-99).
Then There Was That One Time
The Feb. 21 game at Loyola was not the only memorable free throw display by Edwards this season. Jan. 19 at Butler, she 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.
Double Or Nothing
Jan. 10 against Youngstown State, Traci Edwards broke the school record for career double-doubles. Edwards has wasted little time in racking up the double-doubles in her career, tallying 43 in 88 career games thanks to a school-record 15 as a freshman. She equaled that record Feb. 23 with 20 points and 14 rebounds. As for double-digit rebounding games, she also holds that career mark with 45 and has tied her own school standard with 16 this season.
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 88 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 81 times in her career, including 20-or-more points 40 times and 30-plus points eight 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 88 career games, Edwards has led the team in scoring 70 times and rebounding 75 times. She has led the team in scoring in 23-of-27 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.
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 6.89 three-pointers per game, good for 21st in the nation. UWM is also knocking down 37.1 percent of its chances, which is 22nd in the nation. The Panthers are on pace for 206 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. They have also built up a modest streak of 172-straight games with a three-pointer. While that is far less than halfway to any NCAA records, it is just two off the school record of 173-straight games. Milwaukee could break that figure in the regular season finale March 8.
Botham's Figures
UWM's Feb. 16 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 now led UWM to a 127-57 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 194-148 career record on the UWM sidelines.
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 started five games together, 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 12-5 record when they win the tip off. UWM is also 9-1 when it scores first.
Sometimes... Not So Much
Milwaukee has five wins this season when its opponent gets on the board first (5-12). But, the first possession for the team doesn't seem too crucial. The Panthers are 7-5 when their first possession yields points, while boasting a respectable 7-8 record when not scoring on that possession.
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 102-37 in league games since 1999-2000. UWM has won league titles in 2001 and 2006.
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 14 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 11.4 per game in its 14 wins but concede a 0.3 rebounding edge in 13 losses. From three-point range, Milwaukee is shooting 41.7 percent in wins compared to just 31.8 in losses.
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 one of its best halves of basketball this season. The Panthers cut a 22-point halftime deficit to one late by shooting 61.3 percent from the field in the second half and making 7-of-11 three-point attempts. UWM used efficient shooting to put 51 points on the board, its second 50-point half of the season. Milwaukee also scored 51 points in a half 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 in after halftime.
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 came back from 13 down at Green Bay Saturday and overcame a 12-point halftime deficit at UIC to take late leads before dropping one-point decisions. Milwaukee has also overcome double-digit deficits against Cleveland State twice this season to mixed results. The Panthers 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.
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 505-431 all-time, including 254-249 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 1,665 points. Previously this season, she surpassed Erica Young (751) for second in Division I rebounding with 864. Edwards trails only Viall in scoring, rebounding (971), double-digit scoring games with 81 (Viall has 98) and 20-point games with 40 (41).
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.
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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