Nichole Drummond
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Panthers Head To UIC Looking For Eighth-Straight Win
Milwaukee tied for first in Horizon League standings
Milwaukee Panthers (17-8, 12-2)
at UIC Flames (13-12, 9-5)
Game 26 // Thursday, Feb. 23 • 7 p.m.
UIC Pavilion (8,000) • Chicago, Ill.
Television: None • Radio: None
uwmpanthers.com: Live Stats, Video and Audio
Game Notes in PDF Format
MILWAUKEE, Wis. (Feb. 22, 2006) - The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee women's basketball team will go for its eighth-straight win, and 13th in 14 games since New Year's, when it travels to Chicago, Thursday, to take on UIC at 7 p.m. The Panthers are tied for first place in the Horizon League entering the final weekend of the league season. After Thursday, UWM returns to the Second City to take on Loyola Saturday. Milwaukee has defeated UIC once already this season and has won six of the last seven games in the series.
Time Adjustment
Thursday's game at UIC had originally been scheduled for 11:30 a.m., but was changed to its current 7 p.m. tip-off over the course of the season.
League Webcasting
Every Horizon League game will be broadcast live on the internet in streaming video as per the league's partnership with CSTV. All games are free and can be accessed on the schedule/results page of horizonleague.org. Each game can also be found on the website of the host school. Also, each Panther home league contest will be available on Time Warner Digital Cable's Wisconsin On Demand, channel 1111, after the game is played.
Scouting UIC
UIC has gone 6-2 since losing to the Panthers Jan. 21, with both losses coming against Wright State. Nevertheless, the Flames are poised for the third seed in next week's league tournament. At 9-5, they need one win in the final two games to clinch third place. UIC's guard duo of Chrissy Dizon and LaShonda Grant continue to pace the squad. Dizon is averaging 13.1 points, 4.8 rebounds, 5.1 assists and 2.6 steals per game. Meanwhile, Grant paces the team at 13.7 points per contest and is just under three assists a game.
Series History
Milwaukee has won six of the last seven games in its series with UIC, including at the Klotsche Center Jan. 21. The Panthers' one loss in that span, however, came at the UIC Pavilion last season, 64-55.
Last Meeting: Milwaukee 55, UIC 54
Turquoise McCain pounced on a UIC loose ball with two seconds remaining and the Panthers holding a one-point lead as UWM withstood a late UIC run and defeated the Flames, 55-54, Jan. 21 at the Klotsche Center.
Last Time Out:
• Milwaukee 67, Youngstown State 44
UWM allowed a season-low 44 points in cruising to its largest win of the season, 67-44, last Saturday at the Klotsche Center. On Senior Day, Nichole Drummond led the way with 16 points, while Molly O'Brien added 10 and Amanda Cook seven points in their final regular season home game.
Swept Away
Last season, Milwaukee succumbed to Youngstown State in a rare season sweep by an opponent. This season, UWM exacted revenge, as its 23-point win last Saturday completed a season sweep of the Penguins. Last year's sweep was just the seventh by a league team in nine-plus seasons under head coach Sandy Botham. That figure is in contrast to Milwaukee's 36 league season sweeps in that time, including sweeps of YSU, UW-Green Bay, Detroit and Cleveland State this season. Also, it was the first sweep by a team other than UWGB since 1998-99.
Happy New Year!
UWM ended 2005 on a sour note, losing to Butler in overtime after overcoming a large, late deficit. But, since the calendar switched to 2006, the Panthers have been all smiles. Milwaukee has won 12 of its 13 games this calendar year and are enjoying a seven-game winning streak, the fourth-longest win streak in the team's Division I history. The record is a nine-game stretch during the 2001-02 season.
Quest For A League Title
The Panthers control their own destiny in terms of this year's league regular season championship. With two games remaining, they are tied with UW-Green Bay for top honors, but own the tiebreaker. While the top spot is yet to be decided, both teams have clinched the top two seed in the league tourney. For Milwaukee, it is a seventh-straight second-place-or-better finish. The last time UWM won a league title was 2000-01, when the Panthers tied UWGB for first and won the tourney as the second seed.
Taking Things National
The Panthers are popping up in the national statistic rankings lately, sitting among the top 50 in four categories when the NCAA released its latest statistics Tuesday. Their best field has been rebounding, where the team's rebounding margin is 24th among the 324 Division I schools. UWM is also 29th in field goal percentage, 37th in assists and 50th with just 15.6 personal fouls per game.
Schultz Shoots, She Scores
Sophomore Dana Schultz entered last week with a career high of six points, achieved twice this season. Then, after not scoring against UW-Green Bay Monday, she went off for a new high of 11 points against Detroit last Thursday. Two days later, she scored 10 points in the Panthers' win over Youngstown State. She has averaged 10.5 ppg over her last two games on 10-of-12 shooting (.835).
Rebounding From Being Outrebounded
Youngstown State was the last team to outrebound the Panthers, as they have since outrebounded their next 11 foes by an average of 11.9 boards per game, including a +8 margin against the Penguins Saturday. Overall, UWM has outrebounded 14 of its last 15 opponents, posted 12 games with a +10-or-better margin and gone 16-3 when holding the edge on the boards. Incidentally, its first game with YSU was its only win when being outrebounded.
Keeping It Going
The Panthers have caught fire at the right time. Over its last six games, Milwaukee has been quite efficient, shooting 50.3 percent from the field, including 41.5 percent on three's, and posting a positive assist/turnover. Those figures include 60 percent shooting at Butler Feb. 11 and 19 assists compared to 14 turnovers at UW-Green Bay. The stretch has also resulted in six wins and UWM controlling its own destiny for a league title.
I'm Okay!
The Panthers have been fortunate this season in the area of injuries, as only a limited number of players have missed any time with various maladies. They dodged another bullet last Thursday when senior Molly O'Brien was involved in a collision with Detroit's Katie Solner. O'Brien did not return, but was back on the court Saturday, scoring 10 points against Youngstown State. The 17 minutes she played against UDM was her shortest outing since December of 2004.
In And Out
Nichole Drummond and Traci Edwards give the Panthers a formidable inside/outside punch that was on display at Butler Feb. 11. The duo combined for 45 points on 20-of-26 shooting. It was the third game this season they each topped 20 points. One of them has scored team-high points in 23-of-25 games and scored double digits in all but one game. Drummond and Edwards have also both scored at least 10 points in 17 contests. Currently, Edwards leads the team with 15.7 points per game, while Drummonds is averaging 12.8.
20/20 Vision
Traci Edwards has 12 double-doubles this season, but it was her ninth that proved to be the most impressive. At Wright State Jan. 26, she scored a team-high 21 points and pulled down a school-record 22 rebounds. The rookie center broke the school mark of 21 reached last by Maria Viall twice during the 2002-03 season. The game was also Milwaukee's first 20/20 game since the second of those games, Feb. 2, 2003. The 22 boards are also tied for second in history for a Horizon League game. Monday, Edwards nearly matched her record-setting rebound feat, pulling down 21 boards in her latest double-double effort, Feb. 13 vs. UW-Green Bay. Her two 20-board games are tied for the seventh and 14th-best performances in Division I this season. Meanwhile, she is 19th in the nation in rebounding and fourth among freshman.
Efficient Ain't She
Traci Edwards has been receiving a lot of attention this season for her gaudy scoring and rebounding totals, but what has been most impressive has been her efficiency from the field. Edwards is shooting a league-best 59.1 percent from the field, a figure that is 13th in the nation. Among fellow freshman, her shooting percentage ranked second nationally (Courtney Paris, Oklahoma - 62.2). The school record for field goal percentage in a season is 57.5 by Maria Viall in 2001-02.
Caught 1,000
With a lay-in just over midway through the first half against UW-Green Bay Feb. 4, Nichole Drummond became the 14th member of Milwaukee's 1,000 point club. She is also the sixth player to do it in UWM's Division I era. Maria Viall, in 2002-03, had been the last player to reach 1,000 and finished her career with a school-record 1,867 points. Drummond now has 1,093 career points and has jettisoned to No. 10 on the school's all-time scoring list, passing four members of the 1,000-point club in the last five games. At her current scoring pace, she could move as high as eighth (Rachel Mickelson, 1,152 pts) with a deep run by the Panthers in the league tourney.
Players Of The Week
Nichole Drummond was named Horizon League Player of the Week last week, marking her second-straight league honor. Overall, the Panthers garnered the award three-straight times and four times this season. Traci Edwards earned the award twice, Jan.30 and Jan. 9.
Quite The Effect
Edwards' 20-rebound games have her averaging over 10 per game. While posting double-doubles in half of her games, she is on pace to be just the fourth Panther to average a double-double for a season. Viall did it in each of her last two seasons, while Erica Young accomplished the feat in 1993-94.
On Their Best Behavior
The Panthers have been on their best behavior this season on the basketball court. In fact, when Molly O'Brien fouled out at Wright State Jan. 26, she was just the second UWM player to do so this season. That figure is second in the league (UW-Green Bay - 1), while no other team has less than three. That game, Milwaukee committed 19 fouls after a then-season-low 10 fouls against UIC and its previous best of 11 the game before that at Northwestern. Monday against UW-Green Bay, the Panthers were whistled for just nine. On the other side of things, opponents are averaging 3.4 fouls more than UWM and have had 12 players foul out this season.
Ain't No Such Thing As A Free Lunch
Milwaukee allowed Detroit to go to the free throw line just three times Feb. 16, while the Titans were unable to convert any of them. The last time an opponent failed to sink a free throw was Dec. 8, 2002, when Middle Tennessee State finished 0-for-2 from the line. Later that season, UWM sent Youngstown State to the line just once, but the Penguins hit their shot and finished the game perfect from the line (1-for-1). Combined with their Feb. 13 game against UW-Green Bay, the Panthers allowed opponents just 10 tries from the charity stripe over two games.
Change Of Pace
The 2004-05 Panthers established themselves as a guard-oriented squad and set school records for three-pointers made and attempted in a season. This season, UWM has gone inside, and is averaging more than six less three-point attempts per game (20.7-14.1). In fact, in back-to-back games against Wright State and Youngstown State, the Panthers attempted just 14 treys, including a season-low six at YSU. Milwaukee has eclipsed 20 three-point tries just twice this season after hitting the mark 19 times last year. Meanwhile, it has attempted 11 or fewer nine times, going 6-3 in those games and winning its last six.
But, There Are Exceptions
With added pressure of opponents in the paint on Traci Edwards, the Panthers have taken advantage of their outside chances. At Green Bay Feb. 4, UWM attempted a season-high 26 three-pointers, hitting on a season-high nine. It's next outing was more conservative, as Milwaukee hit 6-of-11 from behind the arc for a season-best 54.5 percent. The team is 7-0 this season when making at least six three's after shooting 8-for-16 from long distance against the Phoenix in their rematch Feb. 13.
And One!
Part of the team's increased inside game is its increased three-point play tries. Through 25 games, the Panthers have drawn contact on 48 baskets and converted the ensuing free throw 33 times. Against Wright State on Jan. 26, UWM was 4-for-4 in such cases. Traci Edwards leads the team in the category, going 21-for-26 (.808) from the free throw line in a three-point play situations.
Coaching Milestones
Sandy Botham became the second coach in league history with 100 wins when UWM topped Cleveland State Jan. 28. She joined Green Bay's Kevin Borseth in the club. He won his 100th league contest earlier this season. For Botham, it was the second notable milestone she reached this season, surpassing 150 wins at UWM Jan. 12 at Youngstown State. She is one of just two coaches in school history to reach the mark, joining M.A.Kelling (284).
Heck Of A Half
The Panthers headed into halftime of its game at Northwestern Jan. 18 trailing 28-26. UWM then came out of the break and posted one of the best offensive halves in school history. Milwaukee shot 66.7 percent (20-30) for the half on its way to 55 points. The shooting percentage is the team's best since posting the same percentage (18-27) Feb. 27, 2003, against Wright State, while the point total is tied for the second-most in a half in school history. Combined with their first-half efforts, the Panthers finished the game at 55.6 percent, its best showing since that same Wright State contest.
Other Notable Happenings
Milwaukee, which won its first game this seaon when trailing at halftime at Northwestern, also finished the game with 25 assists on 30 made field goals. It was the team's highest output since dishing out 25 at Cleveland State Feb. 8, 2003. In the first half, the team posted assists on all 10 field goals. The Panthers also committed just four second-half turnovers after 13 miscues in the first half.
Preseason Poll
The Panthers were picked to finish third in the Horizon League in the annual league preseason poll of coaches, SIDs and media. Milwaukee, which finished second or better in the league in each of the last six seasons, received 167 points to finish behind UW-Green Bay (221 points) and Wright State (178). The Phoenix received 23 first place votes with UWM collecting the other two. Seniors Nichole Drummond and Molly O'Brien were also named to preseason all-league teams, with Drummond getting a first-team nod and O'Brien being named to the second team.
League Success
UWM came into the season looking to build on a strong tradition of success in league play and so far it has yet to disappoint. The Panthers have finished second or better in the league in each of the last six seasons, including a co-regular season championship in 2001. Over that time, they have compiled a 80-24 (.767) league record, trailing only UW-Green Bay (91-12), while the next record is UIC at 56-50.
League Standings Since 1999-00
UW-Green Bay 94-12 (.887)
Milwaukee 82-24 (.774)
UIC 56-50 (.528)
Detroit 56-51 (.523)
Wright State 44-63 (.411)
Cleveland State 39-68 (.364)
Butler 38-68 (.362)
Loyola 34-72 (.321)
Youngstown State* 22-57 (.278)
* YSU joined the league in 2001-02
No Easy Task
Head coach Sandy Botham has traditionally scheduled a tough non-league slate to get her team ready for the Horizon League season. This year is no different, as the Panthers face a total of four teams that advanced to the post-season last year. After opening the season with an NCAA Tourney team in Oklahoma, UWM had a stretch of six-straight opponents that won 20-or-more games in 2004-05, including nationally-ranked DePaul. The Blue Demons advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament last season. Iowa (Nov. 20) and Marquette (Dec. 18) qualified for the WNIT after last season, with the Hawkeyes making it to the semifinals. In their six-game stretch against 20-win foes, Milwaukee posted a respectable 3-3 record.
Welcome Back
Junior Aubrey Hampton joins Nichole Drummond and Molly O'Brien as returning starters, while Milwaukee returns six of the top 10 players in their rotation from last season. Drummond was a first-team all-league honoree last season, while O'Brien was named to the all-league second and league all-defensive teams. Hampton made 19 starts, while five more players return with starting experience.
And To The New Faces...
The Panthers expect to receive a number of contributions from newcomers, with a pair of sophomore transfers and six freshmen. Meredith Onson (Boston U.) and Aubri Rote (Lakeland) will be eligible this year after sitting out 2004-05 due to NCAA transfer rules. Traci Edwards, Emily Markert and Turquoise McCain head the freshman class that also includes Kim Wypiszynski and Katie Fournier. Onson and Edwards will look to make their marks in the starting lineup, while each player could vie for time in the regular rotation this season.
New Faces On The Sidelines
The Milwaukee sideline will feature a few new faces in 2005-06, most notably with the addition of a pair of new assistant coaches. John Motherwell and Holly Spoo were named to the Panther staff over the summer, joining Jennifer Murphy, who is in her second season. Motherwell came to UWM from Minnesota State Moorhead, while Spoo spent last season at Wayne State College in Nebraska. Also new in 2005-06 are director of basketball operations LaTrisa Jackson and the team's athletic trainer Renee Manofsky.
On The Air
For the second-straight season, select Milwaukee women's basketball games can be heard throughout Milwaukee and Southeastern Wisconsin live on 1290 AM WMCS. All games, including the pregame and postgame shows and the weekly coaches' show, can also be heard on the officially-sanctioned website of UWM athletics - www.uwmpanthers.com. Bob Brainerd will serve as the voice of the Panthers for the remainer of season, calling a majority of the remaining games and and hosting the Sandy Botham Show.
Up Next
Milwaukee returns to Chicago Saturday to take on Loyola in its regular season finale. Tip-off is scheduled for 1 p.m. at the Gentile Center.
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