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