Postgame Report: Milwaukee at Bradley

Game #5 – Milwaukee 71, Bradley 67

Full Recap and Stats


Player Of The Game: The Panthers had four players in double-figures, so it was actually a difficult choice to pick just one. Angela Rodriguez went off for a season-high 21 points, Sami Tucker posted her second-straight double-double (17 & 12) and Courtney Lindfors and Emily Decorah were in double-figures. A case could even be made for Alex Klawitter who hit a huge three down the stretch and calmly sank two free throws - on her first two attempts of the season no less - to put the game away.

After much debate, it goes to Tucker. Hear her postgame radio interview HERE with Scott Warras.

Key Stats: The Panthers could have buried the Braves by halftime, but 14 turnovers made it close. UWM came into the game averaging just 12 turnovers but were forced into 24 tonight. For perspective, they did come up with 21 of their own but did actually lose the turnover battle for the first time this season.

News and Notes: Milwaukee had 27 made free throws on the season coming into tonight's game. The Panthers went 28-for-39 tonight alone. Composure down the stretch was key, going 6-for-8 from the line in the final 94 seconds.

Up Next: UWM continues its five-game road trip with a contest at Western Michigan Saturday. Game time is set for 6 p.m. CST.

WBB: Milwaukee at Bradley

Catch all of the updates from assistant SID Chris Zills, sitting courtside at Renaissance Coliseum in Peoria, Ill., as the Panthers take on Bradley University.

This place is impressive ... opened last year from what I was told. I am sitting up with radio guy Scott Warras this evening and here is our view.



Follow along on Twitter - @sidzills
I will post updates all game long and take questions as well.

Postgame Report - Milwaukee at Arkansas-Little Rock

Game #6 – Milwaukee 59, Arkansas-Little Rock 54

Full Recap and Stats

Player Of The Game: James Haarsma took over when the Panthers needed him most Saturday night. He put Milwaukee ahead for good with a three-point play with just over two minutes remaining and wound up scoring nine of Milwaukee’s final 10 points.

Key Stat: The Panthers got it done from long distance, knocking in 12-of-24 from three-point range. The 12 made 3’s marked a season-high. At one point in the game, UWM had made its 12 threes but just a pair of two-point field goals.

News and Notes: Milwaukee allowed just 54 points as the Trojans shot just 34.5 percent from the field. That means four of UWM’s first six opponents have failed to get to 60 points and the Panthers have held all six opponent to less than 44 percent shooting from the field … Kaylon Williams had seven more assists Saturday night, sending him past 200 in his brief Panther career … Haarsma’s 17 points marked a UWM high … the Panthers had five different players make two or more three-pointers in the game … UWM had just six offensive rebounds, the first time this season the Panthers did not reach double figures in the category … Milwaukee is 5-1 for the first time since starting the 2004-05 season 6-0 … the Panthers’ five wins in November equal the most in the month in school history, as UWM also won five November games in 2009-10 … Milwaukee’s two true road wins in the month are the most since 1999-2000, when Bo Ryan led the Panthers to wins at Central Michigan and UMKC in his first season at UWM.

Up Next: UWM is home Thursday opening Horizon League play against Loyola.

WBB: Milwaukee at Western Illinois

Catch all of the updates from assistant SID Chris Zills, sitting courtside at Western Hall in Macomb, Ill., as the Panthers take on Western Illinois.

Follow along on Twitter - @sidzills
I will post updates all game long and take questions as well.

Postgame Report - Milwaukee at Michigan State

Game #5 – Michigan State 68, Milwaukee 55

Full Recap and Stats

Player Of The Weekend: James Haarsma had another good night for the Panthers. He tallied 13 points and had eight rebounds, including five on the offensive end. He continues to average a double-double (11.2 points/10.2 rebounds) on the season.

Key Stats: Free throws, free throws, free throws. The foul line was the difference Wednesday, as Michigan State outscored Milwaukee, 22-6, from the charity stripe.

News and Notes: Milwaukee was outscored from the foul line, 22-6, with the Panthers whistled for 28 fouls to 19 for the Spartans … UWM actually made more field goals (22-21), scored more in the paint (26-24) and tallied more second-chance points (16-6) … the 68 points the Panthers allowed were the most UWM has given up this season, while the 55 points scored marked an early-season low … Milwaukee also made just five 3-pointers only three days after knocking in 11 in the win over Texas Southern … Kaylon Williams has now led the Panthers in scoring in two-straight games … Shaq Boga had eight points to go with four rebounds and two assists ... Demetrius Harris played a collegiate-high 19 minutes ... Milwaukee had 12 more offensive rebounds and now has 73 offensive boards in five games, having reached double figures in the category in each contest … UWM had never played Michigan State before Wednesday night.

Up Next: UWM goes back on the road this weekend, playing at Arkansas-Little Rock Saturday.

Volleyball Numbers

As the Panthers get ready to find out their destination and opponent for the NCAA Tournament, it’s a good time to see how UWM is stacking up nationally.

First, in the latest NCAA RPI, Milwaukee is up to 50. Three of its four losses have come to teams in the top 40, with Northern Illinois (17), Western Michigan (35) and Marquette (39) all in that groups. UWM also has notable non-league wins against IPFW (75) and Wyoming (82).

In the latest NCAA statistics, the Panthers’ 25-4 record is tied for ninth in winning percentage with Purdue and Illinois. UWM also ranks 32nd nationally in kills, 40th in blocks and 46th in assists. Individually, Kayla Price is 40th in assists with Morgan Potter 66th in digs. Rachel Neuberger (58th) and Mackenzie Millis (80th) are in the top 100 nationally in blocks.

Finally, Milwaukee’s 18-match winning streak is the fourth-longest current streak in the country. Northern Iowa and Hawai’I have each won 21-straight matches, while Maryland-Eastern Shore has won 19-straight.

Postgame Report: Michigan State at Milwaukee

Game #3 – Milwaukee 57, Michigan State 70

Full Recap and Stats


Player Of The Game: The Panthers had three players in double-figures, but Sami Tucker's 15 points and nine rebounds was just off a double-double and a key to keeping the team in the game. Also, after an uncharacteristic slow start, it was good to see Angela Rodriguez hit for a season-high 13 points and hopefully will be back on track.

Key Stats: It was a solid effort for the Panthers all night, but again, the key to the game was that 13-0 run by Michigan State that started with 6:44 left in the first. UWM played the Spartans basket-for-basket the rest of the way.

News and Notes: Once again, Milwaukee continues to take care of the ball. For the third game in a row, it had fewer turnovers than its opponent. Tonight the count was 16-12 and the season total stands in at 56-36. UWM leads the Horizon League in turnover margin at an impressive +6.7.

UWM had a positive assist-to-turnover margin at 14-12, with Kiki Wilson pacing the team with six assists compared to three turnovers.

Up Next: UWM starts a tough five-game road trip that extends into December (next home game is Dec. 15) with a contest at Western Illinois Saturday. Game time is set for 4:30 p.m.

Horizon League Tournament News and Notes

Semifinals – Milwaukee 3, Valparaiso 0 (25-21, 28-26, 25-17)

Finals – Milwaukee 3, Cleveland State 0 (25-15, 25-21, 25-16

Semifinal Recap and Stats
Final Recap and Stats

Player Of The Weekend: Elizabeth Egerer certainly deserved tournament MVP honors for her great play on offense in each of UWM’s two wins. She was the team-leader in kills in both outings, collecting 12 kills Saturday and 15 kills Sunday.

Key Stats: Milwaukee’s defense has been excellent all season and the Panthers never let either of their opponents get on track offensively. Saturday, Valpo hit just .087 as Milwaukee collected 10 blocks and 70 digs. Then Sunday, Cleveland State hit just .102 while committing 19 hitting errors. In fact, the Vikings hit negative in the second set and all-league performer Kara Koch had nine kills but eight errors.

News and Notes: UWM won its seventh league tournament title and will advance to the NCAA Tournament for the ninth time … the Panthers have now won 18-straight matches overall … Milwaukee has beaten Cleveland State in the league final three times in the last four years … the Panthers are the first team to win the title on their homecourt since 2001 … UWM was also the winner that year … Elizabeth Egerer was named the tournament MVP and was joined on the all-tournament team by freshmen Julie Kolinske and Kayla Price … Kolinske had 21 kills in the two matches, including 13 in the final Sunday … Morgan Potter had 34 digs in the two matches … the Panthers won all 18 of their matches against league opponents this season, sweeping 11 of those contests … UWM is now 25-9 all-time in the league tournament … the Panthers hit .308 against Cleveland State, the fifth time this season Milwaukee hit above .300 … Milwaukee has now held its opponent under .150 hitting 18 times this season.

Up Next: The Panthers get a full weekend off and do not return to action until a match at Valparaiso Nov. 11.

Weekend Report - IUPUI and Texas Southern

Game #3 - Milwaukee 62, IUPUI 49
Game #4 – Milwaukee 73, Texas Southern 38

IUPUI Full Recap and Stats
Texas Southern Full Recap and Stats

Player Of The Weekend: The Panthers actually had great success this weekend thanks to incredible balance, but Kaylon Williams will get the nod for his overall play. Friday he had eight assists and eight rebounds to go with six points. Sunday, he led the way with 16 points to go with six assists and five rebounds. Most importantly, he has directed an offense that has already seen seven different players reach double figures in points.

Key Stats: There isn’t much to complain about when it comes to the Panthers’ defense. Friday, UWM held IUPUI to 30 percent shooting from the field, including just 5-of-26 in the second half. Sunday, the Panthers allowed Texas Southern to shoot just 35.6 percent from the field. Over the second half Friday and the first half Sunday, UWM allowed just 11 made field goals.

News and Notes: UWM is 4-0 for the first time since 2004-05, when the Panthers started 6-0 … Milwaukee has had seven different players reach double figures in points with Kaylon Williams joining that group Sunday … the 38 points allowed are the fewest the Panthers have allowed since giving up just 21 against Mount Senario in December of 2000 … the 38 points are the fewest UWM has allowed to a Division I team since moving back to Division I in 1990 … the 35-point margin of victory is the biggest for the Panthers since a 41-point win over Youngstown State in 2006 … Kyle Kelm set a collegiate-high with 10 rebounds Sunday … Shaq Boga made his first collegiate basket and also dished out five assists.

Up Next: UWM hits the road for a pair of games next week, starting with a Wednesday night contest at Michigan State.

Live Blog: W-Soccer v. Ohio State (NCAA Second Round)

Postgame Report - Milwaukee at Northern Illinois

Game #2 – Milwaukee 59, Northern Illinois 57

Full Recap and Stats


Player Of The Game: James Haarsma was awfully good Monday night. Fresh off a nine-point, 17-rebound outing against Southwest Minnesota State Saturday, the junior transfer had 15 points and 12 boards Monday. He also made a key 3-pointer late in the second half, his second 3 of the young season.

Key Stats: If the Panthers were going to have a bad night on the offensive end, they picked a good night to do it because their defense was up to the challenge. UWM limited Northern Illinois to just 37 percent shooting for the game while forcing 23 turnovers. NIU also made just two 3-pointers.

News and Notes: Milwaukee is 2-0 for the first time since the 2008-09 season … the win was Milwaukee’s 16th true road win in the last two-plus seasons … this was the first of two games against the MAC this season, with the Panthers playing at Western Michigan in early January … James Haarsma has now been in double figures in rebounds in two-straight games. The last player to reach double digits in three-straight games was Marcus Skinner in 2008 … Haarsma also had his first double-double in a Milwaukee uniform … UWM didn’t shoot it well during the second half, making just 8-of-31. That included starting the half 2-of-15 … the Panthers did have four different players reach double figures in points for the second-straight game.

Up Next: UWM is back home for a pair of games this weekend. The Panthers host IUPUI Friday and Texas Southern Sunday.

Milwaukee v. Illinois State Match Report

#15/11 Milwaukee 3, Illinois State 1
NCAA Tournament First Round
Nov. 12, 2011 – Engelmann Stadium (Milwaukee, Wis.)

Woman of the Match: Sarah Hagen. I chose Apple for the game, but she is only representative of how the team played tonight. They all came out on a mission and Hagen set the tone with her decisive goal in just the fourth minute. She also had a flurry of chances late, having two point-blank headers being saved shortly before setting up goal No. 2 with a blast from the top of the box.

NOTES: Hagen has extended her own school records of points in a season (now 58) … Keara Thompson’s assist was her 12th of the season and tied for second-most in school history … Hagen is now 10th with her ninth assist of the season … she is also up to 26 career assists, tied for second-most in school history … Thompson is fifth with 25 … Thompson is also up to fifth in school history with 61 career points and tied for sixth with 18 goals … Hagen has a school-record 11 game-winning goals this season, equal to the second-most in school history for a career … Thompson tied a school record with her 86th game played … Hagen is third with 85 games, but has started every game and is tied for second with 85 starts … Jamie Forbes’ shutout was her 11th of the season, third-most in school history, and the 20th of her career, which is second … she also broke the school record with her 18th win this season … the Panthers broke the school record of 18 wins, set in 2008 … they also had previously advanced to the NCAA Tournament Second Round after ties (and PK shootouts) in 2005 and 2006 … their NCAA record is now 1-8-2 … Milwaukee is also 7-3-2 all-time against Illinois State … Hagen is now ninth in NCAA Division I history with 92 career goals and is now 17th with 210 points … the attendance was 757, the fourth-largest crown in team history.

Up Next: The Panthers take on Ohio State Friday in the NCAA Tournament Second Round. Location is TBA.

Live Blog: Women's Basketball vs. Wisconsin

Join assistant SID Chris Zills for the live blog of the women's basketball game against Wisconsin at the Klotsche Center.

Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m. tonight!

Laur Leads Carolina Giants to BSNF Finals

Former UWM women's basketball player Lindsay Laur has spent the past few months playing professionally for the Carolina Giants in Puerto Rico.

She ended up playing a very key role for the team this year, earning a starting spot and finishing the season as the team's leading scorer. Laur posted some impressive statistics during the regular season. She went 120-for-227 (.529) from the floor, 14-for-41 (.341) from three-point range and 73-for-84 (.869) from the free throw line. Her 355 points and 168 rebounds were easily the highest total on the squad (second was 198 points/109 rebounds), averaging 16.9 points and 8.0 rebounds per contest.

In addition, she recorded 58 assists and 29 steals.

Last night, she was the hero for the Giants, hitting the game-winning shot with under 10 seconds left to send her team to a 79-78 win and a 3-to-2 series victory in the semifinals and on to the championship round. She finished the game with 24 points.

Milwaukee v. Wright State Match Report

#15 Milwaukee 5, Wright State 1
Horizon League Championship
Nov. 6, 2011 – Engelmann Stadium (Milwaukee, Wis.)

Woman of the Match: Sarah Hagen. The day seemed to belong to Apple. She assisted on the first two goals and scored the last two. She maintained her reputation for coming up big in the championship game, scoring multiple goals for the fourth-straight year.

NOTES: Hagen is now tied for ninth in NCAA Division I history with 91 career goals … her 207 points are now 18th … Milwaukee has averaged 5.0 goals per game over the last four league title games … Hagen caps her tourney career with 11 goals and four assists in four championship games … her 24 goals ties the records she set as a freshman in 2008 and tied in 2009 … the 56 points eclipsed the 54 points she had as a freshman for the school record and the 55 points Loyola’s Cynthia Morote-Ariza had that same season for the league record … Jamie Forbes’ 17 wins ties Erin Kane’s school record set in 2008 … the senior class is the first in school history with four NCAA Tournament berths … the class also broke the school record for wins over four years with 60 … Keara Thompson is now tied for eighth in school history with 17 career goals, Laurel Ragalie moved into a tie for ninth with her 16th … Thompson now has 58 career points, sixth-most in school history … Hagen’s two assist give her a career-best eight this season and 25 for her career, fourth-most in school history … the Panthers are now 20-6-5 against Wright State all-time and 5-1-2 against the Raiders in tourney play … Milwaukee is 6-3-4 in league title games and 27-7-6 overall in the league tournament all-time … three of Kelly Lewers’ four goals this season have been game-winners … UWM’s 54 goals are third-most in school history … Thompson appeared in her 85th-straight game, tying Taylor Powell’s school record … she is tied with four others for the second-most games played in school history with 85 … Hagen is right behind with 84 appearances and is now third with 84 starts.

Up Next: The Panthers head to the NCAA Tournament. They find out their first round opponent Monday.