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.