Friday, December 31, 2010

Post-Game Wrap-Up: Milwaukee vs. Wright State

Post-Game Wrap-Up: Milwaukee vs. Wright State
Game #12 – Wright State 77, Milwaukee 73

Full game recap and stats here

Player of the Game - Lindsay Laur. Career-high 26 points. Career-high-tying 17 rebounds. Career-best 6 threes. What else is there to say?

Turning Point - 15:05 to go in the first half. Laur had just hit back-to-back three-pointers to give UWM a 17-13 lead. Milwaukee had made five-straight threes. The streak would end and Wright State took charge of the game with a 22-6 run to take charge of the game for good.

Stat That Mattered - 12-for-40 (.300) shooting inside the arc. Milwaukee could not get anything going inside until it was too late. The Panthers made just 3 two-point field goals in the first half.

The Notebook - Laur is the third Panther to hit 6 threes in a game this season (A. Rodriguez, A. Breland) … she posted her third-straight double-double, the third-longest streak in school history … Laur surpassed Cammie Nonhoff for 13th in school history on the career scoring list ... she also passed the 600-rebound plateau and moved past Molly O'Brien for fourth on the school's Division I rebounding list ... Milwaukee’s 15 threes tied a school record … its 34 attempts were the second-most in school history … UWM tied a school record for fewest turnovers (8) and fewest combined turnovers (16) … the Panthers 74 field goal attempts are the most in a game this season … they also tied season lows for free throws made (4) and attempted (5).

Up Next - Milwaukee rings in the new year with the second half of its Horizon League weekend. Detroit visits the Klotsche Center Sunday for a 2 p.m. contest.

Live Blog: Women's Basketball vs. Wright State

Thursday, December 30, 2010

Postgame Extra – Milwaukee at Wright State

Game #14 – Wright State 68, Milwaukee 44

Player of the Game - Tony Meier was really the only Panther to get going on the offensive end Thursday night. He had 15 points, making 6-of-10 from the field overall and 3-of-6 from three-point range. His run of eight-straight points in the first half gave Milwaukee a 20-19 lead, but the Panthers would never lead again.

Turning Point - UWM had crawled back to within 33-29 on a Ja’Rob McCallum basket with 2:38 to play in the half. But, Wright State then scored the next seven points to take a 40-29 halftime lead and control of the game. The run eventually hit 29-8 early in the second half.

Stat That Mattered - Many of them were key tonight. Wright State’s 56.5 percent overall shooting and 11 threes were big ones, as was UWM’s 34.6 percent shooting. But, as noted by coach Rob Jeter in the postgame press conference, so was the fact Milwaukee shot 27 threes but just five free throws.

The Notebook - Ja’Rob McCallum left the game briefly late in the first half with what appeared to be a leg injury, but he returned to start the second half. McCallum said after the game he was in pain after hitting his knee on the floor, but did not feel any ill-effects in the second 20 minutes … Wright State is the third Panther opponent to make 10 or more threes in a game. Portland made 10 and Cleveland State 14 … the Raiders are also the third opponent to shoot better than 50 percent from the field against the Panthers. Cleveland State shot 63.8 percent while Marquette shot 51.9 percent … UWM has not won in Dayton since the 2004-05 season … Milwaukee used 12 players in the game … Tony Meier has been in double figures offensively in six of the last eight games … Anthony Hill returned to the starting lineup after sitting out the game with Bowling Green. He had six points and eight rebounds.

Up Next - Milwaukee continues its weekend road trip with a New Year’s Day contest at Detroit. Saturday’s game tips off at 1 p.m. EST/12 p.m. CST.

Live Men's Basketball Blog - Milwaukee @ Wright State

Join Kevin O'Connor courtside tonight at the Nutter Center for a Horizon League battle between Milwaukee and Wright State.

Tuesday, December 28, 2010

Post-Game Wrap-Up: Milwaukee @ Illinois State

Post-Game Wrap-Up: Milwaukee @ Illinois State
Game #11 –Illinois State 76, Milwaukee 69

Full game recap and stats here

Player of the Game - Amanda Viehauser. It’s hard to overlook Lindsay Laur’s 20 points and 12 rebounds, but Viehauser took the floor for the first time and was the team’s biggest post presence. She scored 13 points in 22 minutes, getting to the free throw line 7 times and converting each time. She added 5 rebounds, 1 block and 2 steals.

Turning Point - 59-55 with 7:44 to play. The Panthers had an extended stretch without a field goal and could not recover as Illinois State went on a 15-4 run to pull away.

Stat That Mattered - 6-for-27 on three’s. Milwaukee did not play bad and was in position to win this game. It was a matter of getting its outside shots to fall. The Panthers attempted a season-high 27 three’s, but converted just 22.2 percent.

The Notebook - Laur now has 1,062 points, surpassing two former Panthers for 13th in school history … she posted her third double-double and fifth 20-point game of the season … Milwaukee has now lost six-straight games for the first time under Sandy Botham … It is also the team’s first six-game losing streak since Jan. 10-27, 1996 … the 1995-96 season was also the last time UWM was 3-8 or worse after 11 games (1-10) … Anne Breland made her first start as a Panther and scored 14 points … she is averaging 17.7 points over her last three games with 13 three’s … Milwaukee topped 60 points for the first time since Dec. 1 vs. Bradley (L, 72-70).


Up Next - Milwaukee returns home to kick of Horizon League play, welcoming Wright State to the Klotsche Center on New Year’s Eve.

Live Blog: Milwaukee @ Illinois State

Monday, December 27, 2010

Basketball Features - Evan Richard and Joe Allen

The holidays are a time where there is space in the newspaper. Many times that space can be filled by feature stories - ones that are done in advance of the holidays but make for nice holiday reading.

Two from this weekend involved UWM basketball, and both appeared in the Dubuque (Iowa) Telegraph-Herald. The first is about Evan Richard, who is redshirting this season after a stellar career at Cuba City High School in southwest Wisconsin.

Evan Richard feature

The other is about Joe Allen, who spent time in the UWM basketball program after returning from Iraq. Thanks to the help of Rob Jeter and the basketball staff, Joe has found a home on and off the court at UW-Platteville.

Joe Allen feature

On tap, look for a feature on James Haarsma in the Journal Sentinel this week, prior to the restart of the Panthers' season.

Tuesday, December 21, 2010

Final Volleyball Stats And RPI

With the conclusion of the NCAA Division I Volleyball Championship this past weekend, the NCAA now has final statistics and RPI lists for the 2010 season.

The final RPI numbers show UWM was probably two or three wins away from claiming an at-large berth to the NCAA Tournament. The Panthers were upset by Valparaiso in the semifinals of the league tournament, finishing the year at 20-9. But even with that loss, Milwaukee finished 59th in the RPI – about 20 spots out of reasonable at-large consideration. UWM’s RPI was in the mid-40’s in 2007, when the Panthers were kept out of the tournament despite 26 wins. In that case, the general thought was they may have been one more win away.

The Panthers had a lot going for them, though, with what was expected to be and turned out to be an incredibly strong non-league schedule. Milwaukee wound up 5-6 against teams in the top 100, with wins over #23 Tulsa, #58 Saint Louis, #96 Butler (2) and #100 Toledo. If there were two contests the Panthers would love to have back, it would be the five-set losses to North Dakota State (#87) and North Dakota (#89) in early September. Those two victories and a win over Wisconsin (#69) just might have been enough to put the Panthers over the top, especially if you throw in two wins over Valpo (#101) and two wins over Cleveland State (#102).

It’s all speculation, of course, but it’s also easy to forget what a high level the Panthers played at in 2010.

Meanwhile, in the final statistics, UWM wound up 14th nationally in blocks, averaging 2.71 per set. The Panthers were also 27th nationally in digs, averaging 17.20 per frame.

Individually, Natalie Schmitting was 57th in blocks (1.16 per set) while Rachel Neuberger was 97th (1.08). Morgan Potter was 78th in digs (4.67).

Now that these final numbers are in, I’ll have a full season in review posted on the main site in the next couple of days.

Sunday, December 19, 2010

Post-Game Wrap-Up: Milwaukee @ Toledo

Post-Game Wrap-Up: Milwaukee @ Toledo
Game #10 – Toledo 63, Milwaukee 59

Full game recap and stats here

Player of the Game - Anne Breland. The senior guard reset her career-high by leading a second-half charge for the second-straight game. She scored 22 points, knocking down 6-of-7 from three-point range, to help the Panthers overcome an 18-point deficit. She scored 19 of her points during a decisive 33-14 run.

Turning Point - 19.4 seconds remaining. Naama Shafir drew a foul and sunk a pair of decisive free throws. UWM was unable to get a shot off on the next position and had to foul. It was a tough ending to a dramatic half of basketball.

Stat That Mattered - 21 turnovers. Eventually the shooting came around for Milwaukee, but its valiant comeback efforts was thwarted by its 20th turnover in the final seconds. No. 21 was a long inbounds pass intercepted at halfcourt after the game was decided.

The Notebook - Breland’s 85.7 percent from three-point range is tied for the fourth-best single-game percentage in school history … her 6 three’s are tied for sixth-most and is the team’s second 6-three-pointer game of the season (A. Rodriguez, 6 Dec. 1 vs. Bradley) … Breland is the fourth different Panther to score 20 points in a game this season … UWM shot better than 80 percent from the free throw line for the fifth-straight game and the seventh time this season … at 42.9 percent shooting for the game, the Panthers snapped a streak of four-straight games shooting below 40 percent … Lindsay Laur moved into sixth on UWM’s Division I career rebounding list (586), passing Kimberly Becker.

Up Next - Milwaukee takes a break for the holidays, but returns to the court Dec. 28 at Illinois State. The Panthers and Redbirds tip off at 7 p.m. in Normal, Ill., in the final non-league game of the regular season for UWM.

Live Blog: Milwaukee @ Toledo

Saturday, December 18, 2010

Postgame Extra – Bowling Green at Milwaukee

Game #13 – Milwaukee 72, Bowling Green 69

Player of the Game - Kudos to Tone Boyle for finding his shooting touch and knocking in seven 3-pointers. But Tony Meier needs to be recognized again tonight. The junior scored 20 points and added five assists, but just as importantly provided an inside presence for the Panthers in the absence of Anthony Hill. Meier made four of his five field goals from inside the arc while also getting to the line 10 times. His 20 points equaled a collegiate-high. Meier also played basically all of the final 11 minutes with four fouls.

Turning Point A technical foul on a Bowling Green assistant coach with 13:27 remaining gave Milwaukee a four-point possession that cut an 11-point lead to seven. The Falcons actually got the lead back up to 11 shortly thereafter, but the stretch breathed some life into the Panthers. UWM wound up outscoring Bowling Green, 32-18 after the technical foul.

Stat That Mattered - The Panthers knew they would face a ton of zone defense from Bowling Green, making outside shooting and good ball-movement two keys. Milwaukee wound up making 10 three-pointers and had assists on 18 of 21 made field goals.

The Notebook - True freshman Kyle Kelm made his first collegiate start, scoring seven points while grabbing two rebounds in 22 minutes … Tone Boyle’s seven made three-pointers marked a collegiate high … the seven makes are the most by a Panther since Avery Smith made eight at Oakland in December of 2006 … Tony Meier’s 20 points tied a season and collegiate high he had set two weeks ago against Cleveland State … this was the first time this season the Panthers had two players score 20 or more points in the same game … Ryan Haggerty played a season-high 15 minutes … the Panthers won a game after trailing at halftime for the first time this season … Bowling Green had a huge 44-16 edge on points in the paint but converted on just six of their 15 free throw attempts.

Up Next - Milwaukee will get an extended break over the Christmas holiday before returning to action Dec. 30 at Wright State. That contest begins a stretch of three games in five days, including a New Year’s Day contest at Detroit and a Jan. 3 home game with Butler.

Live Men's Basketball Blog - Milwaukee vs. Bowling Green

Join Kevin O'Connor courtside at the U.S. Cellular Arena tonight as the Milwaukee Panthers square off with the Bowling Green Falcons.

Wednesday, December 15, 2010

Postgame Extra – Milwaukee at DePaul

Game #12 – DePaul 61, Milwaukee 47

Player of the Game - After the first eight minutes, there wasn’t much that got going for the Panthers. Tony Meier’s seven rebounds and pretty solid ball-handling in breaking the full-court pressure was noteworthy, as were the six assists from Kaylon Williams considering the Panthers had just 18 made baskets overall.

Turning Point - The 10-plus minute stretch where UWM made just one basket changed the entire game. The Panthers were up 20-11 with 11:53 to play and then down 29-23 with less than two minutes remaining. While Milwaukee would get within three in the second half, the Panthers never truly found their stride after the opening burst.

Stat That Mattered - Twenty turnovers were a few too many for the Panthers to overcome, but 39.1 percent shooting certainly compounded matters.

The Notebook - UWM has never beaten DePaul in 10 all-time meetings … the Panthers fell to 0-2 against teams from the Big East … the 20 UWM turnovers were a season-high … Milwaukee reached double figures in offensive rebounds for the ninth time in 12 games … the Panthers shot below 40 percent for the fifth time this season … Ja’Rob McCallum reached double figures for the third-straight game.

Up Next - Milwaukee returns home and plays its final game before the Christmas holiday, hosting Bowling Green Saturday night at 7 p.m. at the U.S. Cellular Arena.

Tuesday, December 14, 2010

Live Men's Basketball Blog - Milwaukee @ DePaul

Join Kevin O'Connor courtside at Allstate Arena as the Milwaukee Panthers square off with the DePaul Blue Demons.

Sunday, December 12, 2010

Post-Game Wrap-Up: Milwaukee @ Wisconsin

Post-Game Wrap-Up: Milwaukee @ Wisconsin
Game #9 – Wisconsin 68, Milwaukee 53

Full game recap and stats here

Player of the Game - Anne Breland. Breland knocked down 5 three’s on her way to a career-high 17 points. She also added three steals. The senior hit a three-pointer to end UWM’s 9:43 drought in the second half and proceeded to score nine-straight points and rattle off an 11-2 run on her own to make it a three-point game.

Turning Point - 2:53 remaining in the first half. Angela Rodriguez had just given the Panthers a 24-23 lead. They then did not hit another field goal for 9:43 of game play, allowing the Badgers to take the lead for good and take a double-digit lead.

Stat That Mattered - 27.6 percent shooting on 2-point field goals. Milwaukee could not get inside to score the entire game. Of its 8 two-point field goals, just four were in the paint. Wisconsin forged a 34-8 advantage in paint scoring.

The Notebook - Positives were the Panthers’ season-high 11 three-pointers and season-low 13 turnovers … Wisconsin won for the 14th-straight time in the series and leads 21-3 … This was UWM’s first loss on Dec. 12 under head coach Sandy Botham (3-1), her birthday … Milwaukee got to the free throw line a season-low 5 times … Lindsay Laur (7 points) scored in single-digits for the first time this season.

Up Next - Milwaukee gets a week off before heading to Toledo next Sunday to play the Rockets. It’s the last game before a holiday break for the Panthers and tips off at 1 p.m.

Live Blog: Milwaukee @ Wisconsin

Saturday, December 11, 2010

Postgame Extra – Milwaukee at South Dakota State

Game #11 – Milwaukee 82, South Dakota State 70

Player of the Game - There’s plenty of competition for this nod tonight, but the overall winner might well have to be Kaylon Williams. The point guard had what was likely his best game as a Panther, scoring 14 points to go with seven assists and six rebounds. Plus, he ran the offense to the tune of 62.8 percent shooting. It is hard to overlook Tony Meier, though, who had 19 points plus seven rebounds.

Turning Point - South Dakota State had closed to within two at 47-45 when Tony Meier and Ja’Rob McCallum combined to put the game away. Eight points from McCallum and six from Meier sparked an 18-4 run that put the game away.

Stat That Mattered - You sure do look a lot better when the shots are going in. Milwaukee made 14-of-23 from three-point range en route to a season-best 62.8 percent overall shooting clip.

The Notebook - This was the 13th time UWM has made 14 three-pointers in a game. The most recent was Nov. 14, 2008, against Loyola Marymount … the 14-of-23 (60.9 percent) performance from beyond the arc is the fifth-best in school history … the 62.8 percent overall shooting is third-best since 1990 … the overall rebounding numbers wound up even at 28 apiece, though SDSU had a 12-4 lead on the offensive glass … Milwaukee is now 5-0 all-time against South Dakota State … the Panthers are now 5-0 when leading at halftime.

Up Next - Milwaukee wraps up its stretch of three-straight games on the road with a Tuesday night contest at DePaul. The game tips off at 8 p.m. and can be seen live in Milwaukee on Time Warner Cable’s Sports 32. The broadcast with Daron Sutton and Adrian Tigert will also be shows in Chicago and New York along with national coverage on ESPN Full Court and ESPN3.com.

Live Men's Basketball Blog - Milwaukee @ South Dakota State

Join Kevin O'Connor courtside at Frost Arena in Brookings, SD, as the Panthers square off with South Dakota State.

Wednesday, December 8, 2010

Postgame Extra – Milwaukee at Wisconsin

Game #10 – Wisconsin 61, Milwaukee 40

Player of the Game - Ja’Rob McCallum was able to get himself into some good spots on the floor offensively, and it helped him lead the Panthers with 12 points. McCallum had struggled in his last two outings after moving into the starting lineup, but the sophomore looked much more comfortable tonight. The only real blemish was his 0-for-3 from the free throw line.

Turning Point - The Panthers hit their first two shots and then led 6-5 after a free throw from Kaylon Williams. But Wisconsin scored the next 13 points to build a double-digit advantage and Milwaukee was never really in the game after that.

Stat That Mattered - Shooting told the story again, with Wisconsin shooting 46 percent and Milwaukee just 30.8. You could also look at the rebounds, where the Badgers collected a 37-19 edge.

The Notebook - Wisconsin now leads the all-time series 27-1 … the Badgers have won 18-straight over the Panthers since UWM’s only win in the series in 1992 … the 40 points UWM scored marks the third time UWM has scored 40 or less against Wisconsin since 1990 ... UWM's 12 made field goals tied an all-time Division I low ... Wisconsin plays Milwaukee at the U.S. Cellular Arena next season … Christian Wolf played a season-high 11 minutes, scoring two points.

Up Next - Milwaukee continues its stretch of three-straight games on the road with a Saturday night contest at South Dakota State. The Jackrabbits own wins over Iowa and Nevada and have lost just once this season.

Post-Game Wrap-Up: Milwaukee @ #15 Michigan State

Post-Game Wrap-Up: Milwaukee @ #20/15 Michigan State
Game #8 – Michigan State 55, Milwaukee 48

Full game recap and stats here

Player of the Game - Lindsay Laur. I would love to pick someone else once and a while, but she was one of the most consistent players on the floor tonight, period. She scored UWM’s first 7 points and finished with 20. She also had 9 rebounds and 3 steals.

Turning Point - Keane’s field goal. Michigan State’s leading scorer at 19.9 ppg coming in, Kalisha Keane hit one field goal all night. After the Panthers made it 42-40 at 3:09, her three-pointer made it 45-40 and kick-started a 9-0 MSU run that kept Milwaukee from pulling the upset.

Stat That Mattered - 22 turnovers. The Panthers committed just 3 more turnovers than the Spartans, but in a game this close, they just shot themselves in the foot at times.

The Notebook - Laur’s 20 points give her 1,025 in her career, moving her past Darla Wack for 15th in school history … she is also up to 99 career three-pointers, one back of becoming the sixth Panther with 100 for her career … UWM has made at least one 3-pointer in 247-straight games … Angela Rodriguez played 38 minutes, the sixth time this season she has played at least that many minutes and the fifth-straight game. She has not played less than 34 minutes in a game this season.

Up Next - Milwaukee continues its four-game road trip, but won’t leave the state of Wisconsin or Big Ten to do so. The Panthers play at Wisconsin Sunday. Tip-off is at 1 p.m. and the game will be televised live on the Big Ten Network.

Live Men's Basketball Blog - Milwaukee @ Wisconsin

Join Kevin O'Connor courtside at the Kohl Center for tonight's game between the Panthers and Wisconsin.

Live Blog: Milwaukee @ #15 Michigan State

Monday, December 6, 2010

Final Women's Soccer Stats Rankings...

With the completion of the 2010 NCAA Tournament, the NCAA released the final 2010 statistics. Sarah Hagen, named a semifinalist for the M.A.C. Hermann Trophy and First-Team All-American last week, figured prominently in the nation in goals and points:
• 4th in points per game (44 points/21 games, 2.10)
• 3rd in goals per game (19 goals/21 games, 0.905)
• t-2nd in total goals
• 5th in total points

Here is a look at Hagen's rankings in each of her first two seasons:
• 2008: 6th in points per game (2.35), 3rd in goals per game (1.043)
• 2009: 2nd in points per game (2.52), 1st in goals per game (1.143)

She has more goals in the last three seasons than any other player (67). Stanford's Christen Press is second with 63. Press is also the only player with more points in that time than Hagen (161-151).

Other Notes
• The Panthers played their first two games of 2010 against teams that advanced to the Final Four in the NCAA Tournament (Ohio State, national champion Notre Dame). UND topped OSU in the national semifinals.

• Milwaukee was one of six teams to play two Final Four opponents in non-league play during the 2010 regular season. The Panthers played Notre Dame (lost 3-0) and Ohio State (won 2-1). Other teams were Boston University, Duke, Florida State, North Carolina and Santa Clara.

• Seven opponents from the Panthers' 10-team non-league schedule made the tournament and went a combined 11-5-3.

Saturday, December 4, 2010

Postgame Extra: Cleveland State at Milwaukee

Game #9 – Cleveland State 82, Milwaukee 59

Player of the Game - There wasn’t much to write home about for the Panthers Saturday, but Tony Meier did have a solid outing. He collected a collegiate-best 20 points in just 21 minutes of action. He also added five rebounds.

Turning Point - Take your pick on what exact time period you want to specify over the first 10 minutes. CSU scored 12 of the first 14 points of the game, eventually led 23-7 and finally went up 33-14. The lead only grew from there.

Stat That Mattered - The Vikings shot 63.8 percent from the field and made 14 three-pointers. Both numbers are just outside of the top three for best efforts by an opponent.

The Notebook - This was Cleveland State’s first win in Milwaukee since a memorable overtime victory in 2000 … UWM shot just 29.6 percent, the second time this season Milwaukee has shot less than 30 percent … the Panthers have led at the half of every win and trailed at the half of every loss … the 23-point margin of defeat is the biggest in a league home game since Butler claimed a 28-point win in Milwaukee in 1997 … the halftime deficit of 25 points was the largest since 1997-98 against CSU … Milwaukee is now 2-3 at home … Kyle Kelm had eight points … Patrick Souter played 13 minutes, scoring five points

Up Next - Milwaukee heads back to the road and back into non-league play, playing at Wisconsin Wednesday night.

Post-Game Wrap-Up: Milwaukee vs. Northern Iowa

Post-Game Wrap-Up: Milwaukee vs. Northern Iowa
Game #7 – Northern Iowa 72, Milwaukee 58

Full game recap and stats here

Audio Game Highlights

Player of the Game - Lindsay Laur. In addition to getting her 1,000th career point, Laur was the team’s most consistent threat on offense today. She added 8 rebounds and 3 steals.

Turning Point - 56-51. Milwaukee pulled within five after trailing by as many as 19, but, after a timeout, was outscored 16-6 down the stretch.

Stat That Mattered - UNI: 7-for-16 on first-half three-point attempts. The visiting Panthers jumped out to what became an insurmountable lead by draining 7 first-half 3’s.

The Notebook - Despite hitting just 2 three’s, Milwaukee converted four 3-point plays with free throws … Laur is the eighth Panther to score 1,000 points solely in the Division I era (since 1990) … she is also just the ninth person to have 1,000 career points and 500 rebounds (third in Division I) … the Panthers hit a three-pointer in their 246th-straight game.

Laur to 1,000 - Lindsay Laur had 19 points to push her career total to 1,005. She is the 16th player in school history with 1,000 career points. She did in her 99th career game, the 10th fastest to 1,000 points in school history.

Up Next - Milwaukee hits the road for four-straight games to close out the non-league slate. The Panthers kick off the trip at #25 Michigan State Wednesday. The teams tip off at 6 p.m. central time.

Live Men's Basketball Blog - Milwaukee vs. Cleveland State

Join Kevin O'Connor courtside at the U.S. Cellular Arena tonight as the Panthers take on the unbeaten Cleveland State Vikings.

Live Blog: Milwaukee vs. Northern Iowa

Thursday, December 2, 2010

Postgame Extra - Youngstown State at Milwaukee

Game #7 – Milwaukee 76, Youngstown State 67

Player of the Game - How about Anthony Hill? The senior has been stellar all season but he’s never been better than he was Thursday night. He scored a collegiate-best 30 points, making 14-of-20 from the field. He also added a career-high 12 rebounds. What is still amazing is that it wasn’t until he had attempted 17 shots from the field that he finally got to try a free throw. Hill is the 11th player in NCAA Division I play this season to have at least 30 points and at least 10 rebounds in a game. It is also the first time a Panther has done it since Michael Hughes had 37 and 12 against Youngstown State (yes, also YSU) in 1994. Finally, Hill's 30 points are the most by a Panther since Torre Johnson scored 30 against UIC in December of 2007.

Turning Point - We’ll stick with the theme and talk Anthony Hill here, too. With the game tied at 48, Hill scored 12 of Milwaukee’s 14 points in a 14-4 run that restored a double-digit lead.

Stat That Mattered - It was starting to look like the big threat of YSU’s three-point shooting was going to send the Penguins to a road victory, as they hit 8 of their first 14 from long range. But, the Panthers tightened up the defense considerably from there, as YSU missed its final 10 from distance and wound up a pedestrian 33.3 percent from beyond the arc.

The Notebook - UWM has now won three-straight Horizon League openers … the Panthers have now won 15 of 19 meetings with the Penguins since YSU joined the league in the 2001-02 season … overall, UWM has a 23-5 edge in the series … Kaylon Williams has been in double figures in points in two-straight games … freshman Kyle Kelm had eight points and six rebounds, with the eight points marking a collegiate-best … Ja’Rob McCallum made his first start of the season and second of his career. He replaced Lonnie Boga, who had started the previous six games … UWM had a 42-22 edge on points in the paint … the Panthers made just 12 of their first 26 free throws but went 6-for-6 in the final minute.

Up Next - Milwaukee welcomes unbeaten Cleveland State to the U.S. Cellular Arena Saturday night for Pounce The Panther Bobblehead Night.

Live Men's Basketball Blog - Milwaukee vs. Youngstown State

Join Kevin O'Connor courtside for coverage of tonight's Horizon League opener between the Milwaukee Panthers and the Youngstown State Penguins.

Wednesday, December 1, 2010

Post-Game Wrap-Up: Milwaukee vs. Bradley

Post-Game Wrap-Up: Milwaukee vs. Bradley
Game #6 –Bradley 72, Milwaukee 70 - ot

Full game recap and stats here

Player of the Game - Angela Rodriguez. Rodriguez finished with 25 points, knocked down 6 three-pointers and had 3 steals in 44 minutes. Sammy Theut (7 pts, 9 ast, 7 stl) had another great game, but cannot overcome some clutch shooting by Rodriguez.

Turning Point - 1:04 remaining in OT. Panthers were clinging to a 70-68 lead when Raisa Taylor came away with a steal. Kelly Friggs would end the possession at the free throw line, making a pair of free throws to tie the game. A defensive team rebound on the Panthers’ end gave BU the ball with the chance to win.

Stat That Mattered - -14 rebounding. Bradley controlled the boards. To start the game, the “one-and-dones” hurt Milwaukee’s momentum, but 17 offensive boards for the Braves gave them a host of lengthy offensive possessions and scoring chances.

The Notebook - Theut’s 7 steals are tied for the fifth-most in a game in school history … her 9 assists were a career high by three … Rodriguez’s 44 minutes are tied for seventh in school history for a game … her 6 three’s are tied for sixth … Lindsay Laur’s three-game 20-point streak is tied for the sixth-longest in school history … Milwaukee is now 12-16 in overtime games, having lost its last five forays into extra periods … the last time UWM had two 20-point scorers in a game was March 13, 2009, in the league semifinals against Cleveland State (T. Edwards 24, A. Imperiale 24) … Milwaukee’s 16 steals are its most since Dec. 12, 2004, against Northwestern (16) … Bradley’s 23 turnovers are the most by a Panther opponent since Jan. 15, 2009, (Wright State, 28).

Laur to 1,000 - Lindsay Laur had 21 points to push her career total to 986. Needs 14 points.

Up Next - The Panthers return to action Saturday, hosting their second-straight Missouri Valley Conference opponent in Northern Iowa. The Panthers and Panthers tip off at 2 p.m. at the Klotsche Center.

Live Blog: Women's Basketball vs. Bradley

Sunday, November 28, 2010

Postgame Extra – Marquette at Milwaukee

Game #7 – Marquette 75, Milwaukee 72

Player of the Game - Darius Johnson-Odom certainly gets the nod if you look at both sides, as his 22-point first half in essence won the game for Marquette. Johnson-Odom had 16 of MU’s first 27 points as the Golden Eagles jumped out to a 27-11 advantage. But, for Milwaukee, tonight’s honors should go to Ja’Rob McCallum, who provided just the spark the Panthers were looking for. He led the way with 19 points and scored five in a row at one point to bring Milwaukee within six. McCallum wound up making 8-of-13 from the field. Honorable mention honors go to Anthony Hill, who is getting to the point where you can count on 14-18 points and 7-10 rebounds. He had 18 and 8 Saturday.

Turning Point - It’s hard to pick one in this game. UWM dug a pair of big holes, and each time it was Tony Meier helping get the Panthers out of it. He had a pair of three-pointers in the first half run that took the deficit from 16 to 5. He then hit a three to help spark a run that trimmed an 18-point second-half deficit all the way down to 2.

Stat That Mattered - Really it’s the first-half stats that mattered. MU shot 18-of-27 in the first 20 minutes and had 14 fast-break points and 15 points off turnovers. Plus, there’s the first-half line from Johnson-Odom, who made 8-of-9 from the floor and scored 22 points in the first 20 minutes.

The Notebook - Marquette has now won all 38 meetings between the two teams … this was easily the closest margin in the modern-era series between the two teams. If you toss out the early meetings when the final scores were in the 20’s, the closest was a 10-point margin (90-80) in 1967 … Ja’Rob McCallum’s 19 points were one off his career high of 20, set against Valparaiso last year … Anthony Hill has now been in double figures offensively in six of seven games while collecting eight or more rebounds four times … Tony Meier reached double figures for the second time this season.

Up Next - Milwaukee opens Horizon League play Thursday night against Youngstown State.

Saturday, November 27, 2010

Live Blog: Milwaukee vs. Marquette

Post-Game Wrap-Up: Milwaukee vs. Western Illinois

Post-Game Wrap-Up: Milwaukee vs. Western Illinois
Game #5 –Milwaukee 70, Western Illinois 55

Full game recap and stats here

Player of the Game - Lindsay Laur. I wanted to go with Sammy Theut, who had a career-high 12 points, but Laur had 20 points and 17 rebounds. After a career-best 24 points Sunday, she reset her career high for rebounds with 17. She was a rock on offense and a rock on the boards.

Hear Sammy Theut in her post-game interview with Scott Warras on AM 920 WOKY here.

Turning Point - Tip-off. The Panthers hit 7-of-10 to start the game and built a 26-8 lead midway through the first half. While WIU would fight back to make it a one-possession game, this run was the mightiest of the few Milwaukee used to get the win.

Stat That Mattered - 50 percent shooting. After winning a game with 22 percent shooting last Sunday, the Panthers got it done by hitting half of their shot attempts.

The Notebook - UWM leads the all-time series with WIU, 4-3. This was the first time a team has won 2-straight in the series … Theut’s previous career-best was 7 points, scored twice last season … Laur three times had a career-best 14 rebounds last season … Jenilee Klomstad played her first game of the season after an appendectomy in October. She had 11 points, 4 rebounds and 3 blocks … Courtney Lindfors (concussion) and Allie Pfeffer (toe) did not dress for the game … Laur’s 17 rebounds are the most by a Panther since Traci Edwards had 19 Feb. 9, 2008 at Youngstown State.

Laur to 1,000 - Lindsay Laur had 20 points to push her career total to 965. Needs 35 points.

Up Next - Milwaukee continues its three-game homestand with Bradley on Wednesday. The Panthers and Braves tip off at 7 p.m.

Live Blog: Milwaukee vs. Western Illinois

Wednesday, November 24, 2010

Postgame Extra – Western Michigan at Milwaukee

Game #6 – Western Michigan 67, Milwaukee 55

Player of the Game - Anthony Hill gets the nod with his double-double of 15 points and 10 rebounds. The Broncos made it very difficult to get him the ball, as he attempted just seven shots and 10 free throws for the game. Hill also had three assists in 32 minutes.

Turning Point - The Panthers looked like they might have found their stride by scoring the final four points of the first half and the first basket of the second half to pull within a point at 23-22. But, Western Michigan countered with the next 10 points to build a double-digit lead and take complete control of the game.

Stat That Mattered - You need to look no further than the shooting numbers from the Panthers. UWM shot just 29 percent from the floor overall, including 6-of-29 from three-point range.

The Notebook - Former Loyola coach Larry Farmer is an assistant coach for Western Michigan … this game was very similar to the 2001-02 contest the two teams played here in the Klotsche Center. In that Panther loss, UWM went just 19-of-63 from the field, including 0-of-21 from three-point range, and just 13-of-26 from the line … Anthony Hill collected his second career double-double … Tony Meier’s 11 rebounds marked his fourth double-figure rebounding night … the 29 percent shooting was the worst since a 24-percent outing at Butler in 2009.

Up Next - Milwaukee continues its five-game homestand with a home game against Marquette at the U.S. Cellular Arena. The contest tips off at 8 p.m.

Tuesday, November 23, 2010

Live Men's Basketball Blog - Milwaukee vs. Western Michigan

Join Kevin Conway courtside at the Klotsche Center (yes, I said Klotsche Center) for tonight's contest between Milwaukee and Western Michigan. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. CST.

Sunday, November 21, 2010

Post-Game Wrap-Up: Milwaukee vs. South Dakota

Post-Game Wrap-Up: Milwaukee vs. South Dakota
Game #4 –Milwaukee 58, South Dakota 53

Full game recap and stats here

Player of the Game - Lindsay Laur. For the second game in a row, Laur led the Panther offense. She was 15-of-15 from the free throw line, including 10-for-10 after UWM made its last field goal.

Hear Laur in her post-game interview with Scott Warras on AM 920 WOKY here.

Turning Point - A 12-2 run in the first half turned a 23-16 USD lead into a 28-25 lead. The Panthers then scored the final eight points of the second half to take the lead for good at 36-30.

Stat That Mattered - 28-for-31 at the free throw line. Milwaukee made just 3 field goals in the second half and 13 in the game, but got to the free throw line 31 times, including 26 times in the second half.

The Notebook - Laur now has 200 career free throw attempts, qualifying her for UWM's career percentage chart. She is now the school record holder at 83 percent (166-for-200) ... the Panthers’ 22 percent shooting is the third-worst shooting performance in school history, but the worst in a game they won … Milwaukee has reduced its turnovers from the game before each time out … Angela Rodriguez has scored in double-figures in each of her first four collegiate games … Jodie Boss (USD) tied a UWM opponent record with 7 blocked shots.

Laur to 1,000 - Lindsay Laur had 24 points to push her career total to 945. Needs 55 points.

Up Next - Milwaukee returns home to host Western Illinois just after Thanksgiving. The Panthers and Leathernecks take the court at the Klotsche Center Saturday at 2 p.m.

Postgame Extra – Northern Iowa @ Milwaukee

Game #4 – Milwaukee 65, Northern Iowa 63

Player of the Game - Northern Iowa did a solid job on senior Tone Boyle much of the game, but he came through when it counted. His 17-footer with 2.4 seconds left gave the Panthers the victory. He wound up a solid 5-of-10 from the field for the night. Anthony Hill deserves solid consideration as well, of course, with his 17 points and eight boards leading the way.

Turning Point - Boyle’s shot decided the game, but there were many key plays before then. Had things not turned out well for UWM, you might have looked at the 4:02 mark when Hill fouled out or the late moments when a Lonnie Boga foul allowed UNI to tie the contest. On the plus side, there was the charge Kyle Kelm drew in the final minute that, at the time, looked like it would seal the victory.

Stat That Mattered - The Panthers had a 40-29 edge on the backboards, leading to a 14-6 edge in second-chance points. Combine that with a 30-20 edge on points in the paint, and Milwaukee controlled the interior much of the night.

The Notebook - Lonnie Boga wasn’t far off of his second double-double of the season, collecting 10 points and eight rebounds … the win is Milwaukee second in its last three tries against a team from the Missouri Valley Conference … UWM has never lost a home opener under Rob Jeter … Kaylon Williams was limited to 22 minutes because of foul trouble but still had six points and five rebounds … Milwaukee was a very solid 16-of-21 from the free throw line.

Up Next - Milwaukee continues its five-game homestand with “Retro Night” at the Klotsche Center. The Tuesday contest with Western Michigan starts at 7 p.m.

Live Blog: Milwaukee vs. South Dakota

Saturday, November 20, 2010

Post-Game Wrap-Up: Milwaukee @ Minnesota

Post-Game Wrap-Up: Milwaukee @ Minnesota
Game #3 – Minnesota 76, Milwaukee 53

Full game recap and stats here

Player of the Game - Lindsay Laur. Playing her first collegiate game in her home state, Laur led the Panthers with 14 points and 7 rebounds. She also had 3 assists. She scored the team's last 6 points of the first half.

Turning Point - After Angela Rodriguez made it 9-8 Minnesota early in the first half, UWM did not make another field goal for over seven minutes and just one more over an eight-minute span. The Gophers used that to build a 32-14 lead.

Stat That Mattered - 21.9 percent. The Panthers shot just 21.9 percent in the first half and never recovered.

The Notebook - Angela Rodriguez has now scored in double-figures in each of her first three collegiate games ... UWM's 15 turnovers were a season low ... Kimee Chandler had a career-best 4 assists and no turnovers ... the Panthers have 4 players on the roster from the Minneapolis area, all three healthy players played and were actually on the court at the same time in the second half.

Laur to 1,000 - Lindsay Laur had 14 points to push her career total to 921. Needs 79 points.

Up Next - Milwaukee plays in the Subway Classic consolation game Sunday. The Panthers take on the loser of the Dayton/South Dakota game at 1 p.m.

Live Blog: Milwaukee @ Minnesota

PROGRAMMING NOTE: Today's game is available at BigTenNetwork.com. It costs money, but there is an option to buy a conference month-long subscription for $14.95. That will cover the Panthers' Dec. 8 game at Michigan State (2 games for $15 and you may be able to share a subscription with other people). I don't know if Milwaukee's game at Wisconsin, which will be carried live on the Big Ten Network Dec. 12, is also available online. If you are unable to make it out to today's game, that is an option to catch. - conway

Wednesday, November 17, 2010

Postgame Extra – Milwaukee at Niagara

Game #4 – Milwaukee 90, Niagara 73

Player of the Game - Tone Boyle was hitting shots early and never really stop. He wound up with a collegiate-best 27 points, making five 3-pointers. Honorable mention goes to Tony Meier, who scored 17 to go with six rebounds. The 17 tied his collegiate-high.

Turning Point - Milwaukee’s seniors took control quickly in the second half, as Tone Boyle and Anthony Hill combined to score the first 10 points of the second half and give UWM a 58-45 lead. The Panthers were never really threatened after that.

Stat That Mattered - After scoring 45 points and shooting 53.1 percent in the first half, the Panthers limited Niagara to 28 points and 27.9 percent shooting in the second half.

The Notebook - The 90 points are an early-season high for the Panthers. Milwaukee scored 90 or more twice last season … UWM collected 17 offensive rebounds … the Panthers had just 12 turnovers … Ryan Allen scored 15 points off the bench.

Up Next - Milwaukee finally returns home, starting a five-game homestand with a Saturday contest against Sweet 16 participant Northern Iowa.

Live Men's Basketball Blog - Milwaukee @ Niagara

Join Kevin O'Connor courtside at the Gallagher Center for tonight's contest between Milwaukee and Niagara. Tipoff is set for 6 p.m. CST.

Tuesday, November 16, 2010

Post-Game Wrap-Up: Milwaukee @ Chicago State

Post-Game Wrap-Up: Milwaukee @ Chicago State
Game #2 – Milwaukee 82, Chicago State 69

Full game recap and stats here

Player of the Game - Who else... Courtney Lindfors. In just her second collegiate game, the rookie center scored a school freshman record 35 points, pulled down 13 rebounds and blocked 3 shots. No other Panther freshman had ever topped the 30-point mark.

Hear Lindfors in her post-game interview with Scott Warras on AM 920 WOKY here.

Turning Point - Anne Breland and Angela Rodriguez sparked a 10-0 run with back-to-back three's to turn a 61-59 Panther lead into a 71-59 lead and effectively ice the game.

Stat That Mattered - 8 second half turnovers. The Panthers turned the ball over just 8 times in the second half, while shooting 54.1 percent from the field. They scored 53 points in the half after just 29 in the first half.

The Notebook - Lindfor's double-double in her second collegiate game is the fastest in school history. Traci Edwards had one in her 3rd career game in 2005-06 ... Her 35 points are tied for the 6th most in a game in school history ... UWM is now 16-3 all-time against Chicago State, including 7-straight wins at CSU.

Laur to 1,000 - Lindsay Laur had 10 points to push her career total to 907. Needs 93 points.

Up Next - Milwaukee plays in the Subway Classic, hosted by the University of Minnesota. The Panthers play the host Gophers in the tourney's first game, Saturday at 1 p.m.

Live Blog: Milwaukee @ Chicago State

Sunday, November 14, 2010

Postgame Extra – Milwaukee vs. UC Davis

Game #2 – Milwaukee 73, UC Davis 62

Player of the Game - Lonnie Boga was the player of the game by halftime, when he had 12 points and 12 rebounds. He wound up with 16 points and 13 rebounds, a new collegiate-high for rebounds and one off of his collegiate-high for points. He certainly showed no signs of giving up his newfound starting position any time soon.

Turning Point - Let’s go with two. In the first half, Boga scored five points as part of a 9-0 run that allowed UWM to take a lead it would never give back. Then, late in the game with the margin down to six, Anthony Hill converted a set-play into a three-point play and the Panthers hung on for the win.

Stat That Mattered - Good shooting from the field almost always wins, and today the Panthers were exactly 50 percent from the field.

The Notebook - Jerard Ajami returned to the rotation after missing Saturday’s game win a sinus infection. He played 15 minutes and scored one point … Kaylon Williams always finds a way to pile up numbers in a variety of categories. He had nine points, five rebounds and three assists Sunday … Sunday was not only UWM’s first win, but it was the first time it even had a lead all season … You can’t say the Panthers are trying to put some dunks on the board, but they haven’t succeeded yet. After Mitchell Carter missed one earlier in the weekend, Ryan Allen missed one Sunday … the Panthers wore their white jerseys Sunday after wearing gold Friday and black Saturday.

Up Next - Milwaukee heads across the country for a Wednesday night game against Niagara. That contest starts at 7 p.m. EST/6 p.m. CST.

Live Men's Basketball Blog - Milwaukee vs. UC Davis

Join Kevin O'Connor courtside at the Chiles Center as the Panthers look to break through with their first victory against UC Davis.

Saturday, November 13, 2010

Postgame Extra – Milwaukee vs. Florida Atlantic

Game #2 – Florida Atlantic 85, Milwaukee 76

Player of the Game - Tone Boyle sure looked like he was back and comfortable for the most part Saturday night. He made four 3-pointers, two in the first half to keep Milwaukee close and two in the second half in its attempt to come back. He also had five rebounds in 26 minutes.

Turning Point - You could probably point to the stretch of 1:33 in the second half where the score stayed stuck on 53-50. Milwaukee had a turnover, missed a three, missed a layup and missed two free throws in the stretch. FAU finally scored and eventually restored a double digit lead before hanging on for the win.

Stat That Mattered - Free throws, of course. FAU was 33-of-46, while Milwaukee was 15-of-34.

The Notebook - Jerard Ajami didn’t dress for the game as he is battling what appears to be a sinus infection. Lonnie Boga earned the start in his place and played 19 minutes … Anthony Hill scored 11 of his 15 points in the second half … Kaylon Williams had five of his six assists in the second half … Greg Gantt and Raymond Taylor combined for 30 points for FAU. Gantt was ejected after four minutes Friday while Taylor did not play for unspecified reasons in the Owls’ win over UC Davis.

Up Next - Milwaukee finishes its stay at the Athletes In Action Classic with a Sunday contest against UC Davis. The game starts at 5 p.m. CST/3 p.m. PST.

Post-Game Wrap-Up: Milwaukee vs. #9 Oklahoma

Post-Game Wrap-Up: Milwaukee vs. #9 Oklahoma
Game #2 – #9 Oklahoma 76, Milwaukee 59

Full game recap and stats here.

Player of the Game - The future is bright for Panther women's basketball, so a freshman is fitting for this game. Angela Rodriguez had 16 points and 7 rebounds in her collegiate debut, both team-leading figures. Courtney Lindfors and Kimee Chandler also played pivotal roles for UWM in their debuts as well.

Turning Point - Lindfors was the second Milwaukee starter to foul out, leaving the game with 4:07 remaining and the Panthers trailing just 64-57. Oklahoma continued a run that ended at 14-0.

Stat That Mattered - 33 turnovers. The Panthers shot 46.9 percent from the field and 82.8 percent on 29 free throw tries, but tied a school record for fewest field goal attempts in a game with 32.

The Notebook - UWM's 32 fields goals tied the school record reached twice before, in 1995 and 1998 ... Rodriguez and Lindfors are the first freshman duo to start a season-opener for the Panthers in their Division I history ... Rodriguez's 16 points are the most by a UWM freshman in a season-opener since Daryl Schaffeld had 17 in 1996-97.

Laur to 1,000 - Lindsay Laur had 11 points to push her career total to 897. Needs 103 points.

Up Next - Milwaukee heads to Chicago Tuesday to take on Chicago State. Tip-off is slated for 7 p.m.

Live Men's Basketball Blog - Milwaukee vs. Florida Atlantic

Join Kevin O'Connor courtside at the Chiles Center in Portland as the Panthers take on Florida Atlantic today. The game starts at 6:30 p.m. CST/4:30 p.m. PST.

Live Blog: Milwaukee vs. Oklahoma

Friday, November 12, 2010

Postgame Extra - Milwaukee @ Portland

Game #1 – Portland 80, Milwaukee 60

Full game recap and postgame Rob Jeter video here.

Player of the Game - Hard to pick one today, but how about a shout-out for the spark Lonnie Boga provided. When the Panthers did cut the margin down to nine, he was right in the middle most of it. In 19 minutes, he wound up with five points, four rebounds, three steals and two assists.

Turning Point - Falling down 11-0 and 19-2 was far too much to overcome. But, if there was one moment the Panthers could have really gotten back in it, it was when they consistently cut the deficit to nine early in the second half. The final time came at 52-43 on a Boga basket, but Jared Stohl hit a three on the other end to spark a 7-0 run and put the game away.

Stat That Mattered - Portland shot 48.2 percent; Milwaukee shot just 34.4 percent. There aren’t too many cases where you’ll be able to make up that kind of deficit.

The Notebook - A number of newcomers made their official Panther debuts in the game … Kaylon Williams was in the starting lineup and point guard and had six points and four assists in 29 minutes … Ryan Allen played 22 minutes as a reserve in the backcourt and had nine points … true freshman Kyle Kelm scored three points and added seven rebounds and three assists in 24 minutes of action along the front line … Mitchell Carter also played five minutes and Christian Wolf one minute.

Up Next - Milwaukee takes on Florida Atlantic Saturday at 6:30 p.m. CST/4:30 p.m. PST.

Dekoning Named All-League For Sheboygan A's

Senior Doug Dekoning was recently named to the All-Northeastern Wisconsin League First Team when the honors were announced at the end of October.

Check out the team's release HERE.

Dekoning, who will be entering his senior season for UWM in 2011, batted .331 this past summer and drove in 30 runs in 42 games. He recorded 51 hits, including 10 doubles, scored 29 runs and was an impressive 12 of 13 in stolen bases.



He will look to become just the second Panther to bat .300 or better in all four seasons (Jesse Hart was the first) when the 2011 campaign starts in February.

Live Blog: Milwaukee v. Wisconsin (NCAA Tournament)

Follow the action from Valley Fields in Milwaukee as the Panthers take on in-state rival Wisconsin in the First Round of the NCAA Tournament.

Live Men's Basketball Blog - Milwaukee @ Portland

Join Kevin O'Connor courtside at the Chiles Center in Portland as the Panthers open the 2010-11 season against the host Pilots. Tipoff is set for 3:30 p.m. CST/1:30 p.m. PST.

Thursday, November 11, 2010

A Lengthy Road Trip

As the Panthers have settled into Portland, one leg of this very lengthy road trip is complete.

I put it in my games notes, but to bring a little more attention to it, the Panthers will be traveling more than 5,000 miles in this coast-to-coast journey.

Last night, the Panthers traveled from Milwaukee to Portland via Minneapolis. Monday, we'll go from Portland to Buffalo via Atlanta. Then Wednesday, we'll head home from Buffalo to Milwaukee right after the game. In all, that is 5,070 air miles.

Not including the unknown trip for BracketBusters, UWM's other 11 road games will cause them to travel just 3,650 miles in all between airplanes and buses. The longest remaining flight will be the 910-mile round trip journey to Brookings, SD, for the game with South Dakota State, while the Panthers have three trips to Chicago and one trip to Madison among the bus journeys.

But, all of this does pale in comparison to the summer trip to Italy, when UWM flew a total of 9,964 miles in addition to the more than 700 miles of bus travel during the 10-day journey.

Tuesday, November 9, 2010

Live Blog: Men's Soccer at Loyola

Join assistant SID Chris Zills for the live blog of the men's soccer game at Loyola.

Kick-off is scheduled for 7 p.m. Tuesday!

Sunday, November 7, 2010

Live Blog: Milwaukee @ Butler (League Championship)

Saturday, November 6, 2010

Live Blog - Basketball Exhibition Doubleheader

Join Kevin O'Connor courtside at the Klotsche Center as the Panther women and men play exhibition games Saturday evening. Action starts at 5 p.m.

Live Blog: Milwaukee @ Butler

Follow along as the Panthers take on Butler with a chance to claim the Horizon League regular season championship Saturday afternoon in Indianapolis. With a win, Milwaukee will claim hosting rights for the league tournament.

Friday, November 5, 2010

2010 WBB Preview in 3 Parts...

Continuing our series of videos previewing the 2010 Milwaukee Women's Basketball season, here are three video previews. These come from Scott Warras' interviews with the staff. Check out the final video in the series tomorrow before the Panthers host UW-La Crosse in their exhibition game.





A Few More Season Previews

A couple of weeks ago I posted a synopsis of the Horizon League, according to some of the preseason magazines. Now, a few other pieces have been posted online - all with more recent and updated information.

One of Andy Glockner's preseason pieces on CNNSI is here. Glockner ranks the Horizon League 10th among leagues nationally, and he has the Panthers as one of the teams that could knock Butler from its perch and/or be in line for an NCAA Tournament berth.

The Blue Ribbon Yearbook preview, via ESPN, is here. Mike Strange writes this one and is always quite diligent in putting his information together. Unlike some of the other previews, which typically include only a few pieces of information, Blue Ribbon goes in-depth. Mike typically spends a good amount of time on the phone and e-mail with me, and then has a lengthy conversation with Rob to get insights from the head coach's perspective.

Finally, The Sports Network's preview of the Horizon League is here. It picks the Panthers third. This particular link actually comes from Canada, but this feature is likely popping up on websites around this country, too.

Live Blog: Milwaukee v. Wright State

Follow along as Milwaukee women's soccer takes on Wright State in the semifinals of the Horizon League Championship. Kick-off is scheduled for just after noon central time.

Wednesday, November 3, 2010

Defense ... Defense

Defense has been a common theme for the Panthers during the run up to the 2010-11 season men's basketball season.

The defense did the trick Monday night in the exhibition opener against MSOE. The Panthers limiting the Raiders to a 25.9 percent shooting clip for the game. In fact, MSOE made just 5-of-33 shots from the floor in the second half.

Indeed, it was just an exhibition game against a Division III foe, but make no mistake – defense is an area of great focus for the Panthers this season.

“We’re just trying to make sure we’re getting better in those areas where we know we can take even bigger steps forward,” Rob Jeter told me when practice opened a couple of weeks ago. “We’re scoring the basketball and averaging around 70 points per game. That’s not bad and should be good enough to win. Defensively is where we want to shore a few more things up and really be able to get some stops, especially in the last five minutes of games. We can be better at closing things out, or maybe even getting a bigger gap in there earlier in the game so that the last five minutes aren’t quite as close. We feel good about that.”

Offensively, the Panthers have gotten better in each of the last four seasons. In 2006-07, UWM averaged 64.7 points per game, a number that went all the way up to 69.7 points per game last season. If the Panthers go up by even another point per game this season, they’ll be above the 70 point per game mark, a scoring total which has led to wins more than 75 percent of the time under Jeter.

UWM’s shooting percentages have also gotten better, with the Panthers shooting 43 percent overall last season after a few years under 40 percent. It hasn’t even taken great shooting for Milwaukee to claim victory, as the Panthers are 32-4 under Jeter when shooting 45 percent or better.

On the defensive end, UWM allowed 71.5 points per game in the 2006-07 season and have had that down below 69 points per game since then. Last season, Milwaukee allowed 68.1 points per contest. The 2005-06 squad was always looked it for its offensive talents, but that squad allowed just 66.5 points per contest and went 22-9.

So, even another minor improvement of defense – shaving one or two points off the board for the other team – would likely seem to be enough to again increase the Panther win total this season.

The Panthers have added some difference-makers on defense. While many are eager to see Kaylon Williams run the offense, and jumped out of their season when Williams and Ryan Allen hooked up for an alley-oop Monday night, those two players may have an even great impact on the defensive end.

“The big plus with those two players is on the defensive end,” Jeter said. “We’re trying to take points off of the board for the other team. Last year we were able to take that scoring average down, which allowed us to be a little more successful. Our win total went up because we were better defensively. Those two guys give us yet another dimension on the defensive end and can help us continue to take points off the board for the other team.”

As was clear Monday night, both of those junior college transfers will play a big role for the Panthers this season.

“Kaylon’s leadership ability is vital in stepping in to replace Ricky Franklin at that point guard position,” Jeter said. “He can come in and lead the team and get guys better shots. He is going to really set things up at that position, and he’ll be getting other guys chances to score rather than being someone who looks to score first. And, defensively he is very strong.

“With Ryan, his athleticism and his ability to really sit down and be disruptive on the defensive end is going to be huge for this team. I truly believe we can put him on a player and tell him to make it difficult for that guy touch the basketball. If he can do that most nights, he is going to give us a better chance to win.”

Tuesday, November 2, 2010

Getting to Know: Heather Morris

Milwaukee women's basketball radio announcer Scott Warras sat down with one of the Panthers' newest assistants: Heather Morris.



The Panther women tip off the 2010-11 season Saturday in an exhibition game with UW-La Crosse. Check back at the Verizon Wireless Panther Blogzone for more videos previewing the 2010-11 season.

Monday, November 1, 2010

Getting to Know: Kevin McManaman

Milwaukee women's basketball radio announcer Scott Warras sat down with one of the Panthers' newest assistants: Kevin McManaman.



The Panther women tip off the 2010-11 season Saturday in an exhibition game with UW-La Crosse. Check back at the Verizon Wireless Panther Blogzone for more videos previewing the 2010-11 season.

Live Men's Basketball Blog - MSOE @ Milwaukee

Join Associate AD Kevin O'Connor Assistant Sports Information Director Kevin Conway courtside at the Klotsche Center as the Panthers take on MSOE tonight in the exhibition opener.

Saturday, October 30, 2010

Live Volleyball Blog - Milwaukee @ Valparaiso

Join Associate AD Kevin O'Connor courtside at the ARC for Saturday's volleyball match at Valparaiso. Action begins at 5 p.m.

Friday, October 29, 2010

Live Volleyball Blog - Milwaukee @ Loyola

Join Associate AD-Communications Kevin O'Connor courtside at Alumni Gym as the Panthers take on Loyola tonight. The match starts at 7 p.m.

Thursday, October 28, 2010

Cross Country Preview: Part 3

Sophomore Elise Sigg sits down and discusses her season so far and the Panthers' chances at this weekend's Horizon League Cross Country Championship in Chicago.



This is the third and final interview in a three-part series in the week leading up to the league championship meet. We sat down with sophomore Bobby Glotfelty on Wednesday and head coach Pete Corfeld Wednesday.

Wednesday, October 27, 2010

Live Blog: Milwaukee at Wisconsin

Join assistant SID Chris Zills for the live blog of the men's soccer game at Wisconsin.

Kick-off is scheduled for 7 p.m. Wednesday!

Cross Country Preview: Part 2

Head coach Pete Corfeld sits down and discusses the season so far and the Panthers' chances at this weekend's Horizon League Cross Country Championship in Chicago.



This is the second of a three-part preview. We sat down with sophomore Bobby Glotfelty on Wednesday. Check back as we talk to sophomore Elise Sigg Thursday.

Tuesday, October 26, 2010

Cross Country Preview: Part 1

Sophomore Bobby Glotfelty discusses the Panthers' chances at this weekend's Horizon League Cross Country Championship in Chicago.



This is the first of a three-part preview. Check back as we sit down with head coach Pete Corfeld on Wednesday and sophomore Elise Sigg Thursday.

Checking The Preseason Magazines

It is always fun this time of year to begin collecting up the wide range of predictions out there for the upcoming college basketball season.

Of course, the official Horizon League poll came out last week, and UWM was picked for fifth. Needless to say - and some reports in the media have confirmed this - that seems to be indicative of the split that exists among the voting public on the Panthers. There are plenty of people out there who look at them as a title contender, while others have a spot in the lower half of the league reserved for UWM.

So just what are others saying in the various magazines?

USA Today’s College Basketball Special Edition has the Panthers picked for second behind Butler. Tone Boyle is placed on the all-league first team, while Anthony Hill has a spot on the all-league second team. Three UWM games make the list of games to watch in the league this season, with contests at Detroit and Cleveland State along with the home game against Butler highlighted.

And, if you are giving this publication the credibility and knowledge test, it gets points for taking note of James Haarsma. It added a small item about the impact the transfer from Evansville could have in the league next year, something that may or may not fly under the radar in the months to come when people start looking beyond this season.

Lindy’s College Basketball picks the Panthers for third, with Tone on the all-league second team. In essence, the magazine says that if Tone is healthy, the Panthers can make a run at the title. Again on the credibility front, the magazine takes note of the arrival of Kaylon Williams. Panther fans already know his addition is the biggest of the off-season for UWM.

Then there are two publications that have lower expectations for the Panthers. The Sporting News has UWM fifth (and Cleveland State sixth), while Athlon picks the Panthers sixth. The short write-ups in each case still talk about UWM being a possible contender or “in the mix,” but one can conclude those publications find the depth of the league something to brag about this season.

Let’s also not forget that predictions of mid-major leagues can often be after-thoughts. I can tell you for sure many of them are completed in June or July, which is hardly time to consider much in the way of new people (or people returning from injury) and how they will fit into the mix.

And, not unlike the national polls, it is often easy to lean on the BCS leagues for lists, charts and top player features. For example, Athlon did a list of the top players back from injury this season. While I’ve been around long enough to know Tone Boyle wasn’t going to make that list, it is notable that the list included nothing but BCS-team players. One that jumped out at me was Matt Roth of Indiana. He’s a key returnee for the Hoosiers if they want to move up in the Big Ten, for sure. But a strong argument can be made that bringing back Tone’s 13-plus points per game is more important than the return of Roth’s 6.7 points per contest.

Now, if you want to start studying up on some of UWM’s non-league opponents, the overall scouting report would be solid. While there are a few outlier predictions, it is hard to find a team on Milwaukee’s schedule that wasn’t picked to finish in the top half of their respective league. Florida Atlantic seems to have the best upside, with Lindy’s looking at the Owls as an NIT team. FAU plays in the same division of the Sun Belt with Western Kentucky and South Alabama, with all three teams expected to be strong this year.

Northern Iowa, UC Davis and Western Michigan all got a lot of fourth-place picks, while Portland was a consensus fifth-place pick in the West Coast Conference.

And, in the end, the predictions mean next to nothing when the ball goes in the air Nov. 12.

Panthers Moving Up In National Rankings

UWM’s defensive numbers continue to get better, according to the latest NCAA volleyball statistics report.

The Panthers are up to 13th in the nation in blocking, averaging 2.74 blocks per set. Nebraska leads the nation in blocking at 3.19 per set.

Milwaukee has also moved up in digs, sitting 52nd this week at 16.41 per frame.

Individually, Natalie Schmitting is 52nd in the country, averaging 1.20 blocks per set. Kerri Schuh (103rd) and Rachel Neuberger (161st) are also in the top 200 nationally in blocks. Those three players rank in the top six in blocks in the Horizon League.

Morgan Potter is 106th in the country in digs, averaging 4.44 per set.

Meanwhile, the latest RPI report has UWM up to 71st. The Panthers are now the top team in the rankings, with Cleveland State having tumbled to 98th and Butler sitting at 107th.

Iowa State (14th) is the highest-ranked Panther opponent, while Tulsa is now up 38th. The Golden Hurricanes, whom the Panthers beat the first weekend of the season, have also moved up to 27th in the latest AVCA poll. Plus, Saint Louis is 67th, with the Billikens another team UWM owns a non-league win over.

Sunday, October 17, 2010

Live Blog: Milwaukee @ Loyola

The Panthers are in a battle for first Sunday at Loyola. Follow along with the action here. You can also watch the contest here.

Saturday, October 16, 2010

Live Blog: Men's Soccer at Loyola

Join assistant SID Chris Zills for the live blog of the men's soccer game at Loyola.

Kick-off is scheduled for 7 p.m. Saturday!

Tuesday, October 12, 2010

Chancellor Lovell At The Hill



UWM Interim Chancellor Michael Lovell took time out of his Monday to join the Panthers at "The Hill."

Lovell is an avid runner who is a regular at the Pavilion and Klotsche Center. This time, he added "The Hill" to his daily regimen.

In fact, the chancellor ran from campus to "The Hill," then completed the 20 trips up and down "The Hill" with the team. For good measure, he ran back to campus when the workout was complete.

This was the final preseason conditioning workout for the Panthers before practice officially begins Friday.

Friday, October 8, 2010

Coach Botham learns about Pink Out...

Milwaukee women's basketball Sandy Botham took a camera around campus to talk about this weekend's Pink Out activities.



The Panther women's soccer team takes on Valparaiso tonight at 7 p.m. and Volleyball hosts Butler Saturday at 2 p.m.

Tuesday, October 5, 2010

Live Volleyball Blog - Milwaukee @ UIC

Associate AD Kevin O'Connor will be courtside in Chicago tonight as the first-place Panthers take on UIC. The match starts at 7 p.m.

Women's Soccer RPI Release Today...

Just like with Volleyball on Tuesday, the NCAA Women's Soccer RPI released today showed Milwaukee's penchant for tough opponents. In fact, the Panthers are 32nd in the country in the rankings and has not played a team lower than 94.

In fact, the team's four non-league wins are against teams ranked 19 (Ohio State), 63 (Missouri), 75 (Michigan State) and 94 (Kansas). Of those teams, only MSU was played in Milwaukee.

The Panthers' ties are notable, as they came at #13 Marquette and against #43 New Mexico. Their four losses have come to #1 Notre Dame, #24 Wisconsin, #32 Texas and #70 Auburn. UND, Wisconsin and Texas were all road games.

This bodes well for the Panthers as they are looking to make their third-straight NCAA Tournament and eighth overall. In 2006, Milwaukee earned the first women's soccer at-large berth in school and league history.

Here is a link to the official RPI.

There was a site I checked out yesterday in preparation for today's RPI release. The guy who does it was close to spot on and also included a non-conference strength of schedule, which the Panthers were sixth in the country. That site is here.

Monday, October 4, 2010

No Cupcakes Here

Regular readers of my weekly volleyball notebook are well aware the Panthers put together an extremely difficult non-league slate in 2010.

The numbers we knew going into the season included six-straight matches against teams that won at least 20 contests a season ago. The early-season run also included three NCAA Tournament teams and a full list of squads that have been picked to finish at or near the top of their league standings.

Now, the NCAA has released its first official volleyball RPI of the season. The numbers indeed show just how difficult UWM's schedule has been.

Iowa State has been UWM's highest-ranked opponent, with the Cyclones seventh. Tulsa, which the Panthers knocked off on the opening weekend of the season, is 35th. Saint Louis, which UWM also beat on the opening weekend, is 61st. Others in the top 100 include Wisconsin (42nd), North Dakota State (91st) and Marquette (97th).

And, the lowest-ranked team UWM has faced outside of the league is Toledo, which stands a very respectable 151st.

As for UWM's own ranking, the Panthers sit 89th in the RPI, second in the Horizon League to Cleveland State's standing at 82nd. Milwaukee is 1-2 against the top 50 and 3-4 against the top 100.

Sunday, October 3, 2010

Live Blog: Milwaukee at Cleveland State

Join assistant SID Chris Zills for the live blog of the men's soccer game at Cleveland State.

Kick-off is scheduled for 12 p.m. CST on Sunday!

Saturday, October 2, 2010

King Of The Hill





A lot of Panther fans probably know about "The Hill" by now, but if you don't, Tom Enlund had a nice look at the Panthers' preseason conditioning routine in this morning's Journal Sentinel. And, the pictures above are snapshots from a video feature we're putting the finishing touches on.

You can read Tom's article here.

Meanwhile, check the main site Monday for the video feature, which includes thoughts from Rob Jeter, Tone Boyle, Anthony Hill and Ryan Allen.

It may be hard to believe, but the first exhibition game of the season is now less than one month away.

Baseball Alum Lands at Michigan

Ricky Babcock, who spent three seasons as the intern for the baseball team at Milwaukee, has recently moved on to a full-time position in the sport after graduation. Babcock was recently named the Director of Operations for the Wolverine baseball team.

The following release is courtesy of Michigan's website, available HERE:

ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The University of Michigan baseball program and head coach Rich Maloney announced the hiring of James "Ricky" Babcock to its newly added director of baseball operations position on Tuesday (Sept. 28).

"We are excited to have Ricky join us in our new baseball operations position," Maloney said. "This shows a continued great commitment by the university for our program at Michigan. This is something that we are very excited about. Ricky brings experience in a similar capacity that he will be most helpful as we try to continually move the program forward."

Babcock joins the Maize and Blue after working at his alma mater, the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. Babcock was the Panthers' director of baseball operations and interned in the athletic administration office and in tickets and marketing. He was the director of baseball operations from June 2008 to June 2010 and was responsible for the day-to-day operations of the program. That included coordinating team travel, monitoring student-athlete academic, developing ideas for UWM's indoor practice facility, scheduling camps, coordinating summer baseball placement, being a contact for the visiting teams and other duties as assigned.

A native of Montgomery Village, Md., Babcock played for the Panthers in 2007-08 and served on the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Athletic Board in 2008 and 2009.

"This is a great opportunity to work with a nationally recognized program," Babcock said. "I look forward to helping the baseball program continue their success within the Big Ten and reaching the goal in Omaha. Michigan is a special place for me and my family and I am thankful to be a part of the Michigan family."

Babcock is a 2010 graduate of UWM, earning a Bachelor of Science Degree in Educational Studies.

Friday, October 1, 2010

Live Blog: Milwaukee @ Texas

Live Blog: Milwaukee at Detroit

Join assistant SID Chris Zills for the live blog of the men's soccer game at Detroit.

Kick-off is scheduled for 3 p.m. CST on Friday!

Sunday, September 26, 2010

Live Blog: Milwaukee @ Cleveland State

Friday, September 24, 2010

Live Blog: Milwaukee at Valparaiso

Join assistant SID Chris Zills as the Milwaukee men's soccer team opens league play with a match at 5-0-1 Valparaiso starting tonight at 7 p.m.

Live Blog: Milwaukee @ Youngstown State

Women's soccer plays the fifth of its seven-straight road games at Youngstown State Friday night at 6 p.m. central time. If you're early, sign up for an e-mail reminder.