Jodie McClain
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Panthers Take On Wisconsin Tuesday In Madison
Edwards poised to break school scoring record against the Badgers
Game #6 • Dec. 2 • 6 p.m.
Milwaukee @ Wisconsin
Kohl Center (17,142) • Madison, Wis.
Internet: Live Stats, Audio
Radio: AM 920 The Wolf (Scott Warras)
TV: Big Ten Network
• Complete Release in PDF Format 
MILWAUKEE, Wis. (Dec. 1, 2008) - Riding a three-game winning streak, the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee women's basketball team heads to Madison Tuesday to take on in-state rival Wisconsin at the Kohl Center. The Panthers and Badgers will tip off at 6 p.m. in a contest that will be televised live on the Big Ten Network, which is located on channel 27 in Milwaukee.
How's It Going...
Milwaukee rebounded from an 0-2 start to claim three-straight wins, including a pair of victories last week. UWM opened its home slate Wednesday with an 88-65 win over SIU Edwardsville before picking up a second-straight road win Saturday at Northern Illinois, 71-61.
Up Next
The Panthers cap a three-game road trip at Washington State Sunday. Milwaukee then returns home for a three-game homestand.
Witnessing History...
Senior Traci Edwards enters Tuesday's game just 15 points from Maria Viall's school-record career scoring title. Edwards pushed her career total to 1,856 with a pair of 20-point performances last week and, with a career scoring average of 19.1, she is on pace to eclipse Viall's 1,871 points against the Badgers. She has scored 16-or-more points in a game 70 times in 97 career games.
About The Badgers
Wisconsin is off to a 5-1 start this season, including a 3-0 record for first place at the Paradise Jam last weekend in the Virgin Islands. The Badgers upset No. 6 Baylor in the championship game, 58-57. Since a season-opening loss to South Dakota State, UW has rattled off five-straight wins. Alyssa Karel, who scored the game-winner against Baylor with seven seconds remaining, leads the team in scoring at 12.7 points per game. The Badgers are a defense-first team, countering 56.5 points per game by allowing just 53.5 points per outing.
Series History
Wisconsin leads the all-time series with UWM 18-3. The Panthers have dropped the last 11 meetings since their last win in 1992, a 78-77 victory in Madison. Last season, Milwaukee led by seven late in the first half. But, UW scored the final seven points of the frame and had a 12-3 run to start the second half to run away with a 79-59 win.
Last Time Out: UWM 71, Northern Illinois 61
Traci Edwards scored a game-high 21 points and junior Jodie McClain added a career-high 15 points to Milwaukee to a 71-61 win over Northern Illinois Saturday afternoon. The Panthers won their third-straight game and head coach Sandy Botham picked up her 200th career win as UWM head coach.
Botham Gets No. 200
Sandy Botham picked up her 200th coaching win at Milwaukee Saturday at Northern Illinois. In 12-plus seasons at the helm of the Panther program, she has boasted a 200-151 record. The milestone is her latest, as she surpassed the 200-win mark for her career last season, while also becoming the winningest coach in league games in Horizon League history. Overall, Botham is 222-155 as a head coach.
Chasing Records
While Traci Edwards is likely to become the school's all-time leading scorer at Wisconsin, she remains on pace for a number of hallowed marks. Should she break the scoring record, she would then set her sights on becoming the first Panthers and second league player to score 2,000 points. Then, just 18 points after that is the league's career scoring mark. On the glass, Edwards has her sights on Maria Viall's Division I rebounding record of 971. She has 933 career boards after five games this season and will likely join Jaci Clark (1979-83) as the only 1,000-point/1,000-rebound women in school history. According to the latest released reports, only 124 women's players in NCAA history, in any division, have reached the milestone. She would also be the first from a Horizon League or Wisconsin school to do so.
Back To Normal
Last season, Edwards finished second in the nation by averaging 7.0 free throws made and 8.9 free throws attempted. Through the first four games of this season, she made just four free throws in each game and attempted no more than six. Then, Saturday at Northern Illinois, she was 9-of-12 from the line. In fact, two post players for NIU tallied four fouls apiece and another had two.
Bombs Away... From Time To Time
Over the first three games of the season, the Panthers let loose 52 three-point attempts (17.3/game), sinking 14 (26.9 percent). In the two games since, Milwaukee has attempted just 22 and has made 12 (54.6 percent). UWM was a tidy 4-of-6 from three-point range at NIU Saturday, its fewest three-point attempts since trying six against Youngstown State Jan. 12, 2006. The Panthers haven't had to go outside in that time, effectively scoring inside with 68 points in the paint in two games and getting to the free throw line 54 times.
Cleaning The Glass
Milwaukee had been outrebounded in each of its first three games of the season, the first time UWM was outrebounded in back-to-back games since Feb. 15-27, 2007. In fact, the last time the team was outrebounded in three-straight games was the final two games of 2004-05 and the first of 2005-06. Well, the Panthers rebounded (pun intended) dramatically against SIU Edwardsville. They pulled down 58 rebounds and had a +33 rebounding margin. The 58 rebounds are tied for the fifth-most in school history, while the rebounding margin is two off the school record and is tied for second all-time.
Get Out Of Here!
The Panthers size was not limited to after the ball missed the basket. They also stopped the ball from getting to the hoop with nine blocked shots against SIUE. That figure is tied for second in school history and two off the school record. Individually, seniors Traci Edwards and Turquoise McCain each blocked three shots, while sophomore Stephanie Schell and freshman Danielle Jorgenson got into the act with their first career blocks. After four blocks through the first three games of the season, UWM has 13 blocks in its last two games, including another three by Edwards Saturday at Northern Illinois.
Stop Thief!
Junior Jodie McClain has emerged as a stopper on defense for the Panthers. Over the last three games, she has collected nine steals. At Air Force Nov. 22, the Ohio native collected a career-high four steals to help UWM to its first win of the season. Then, last Wednesday, she picked up three steals to key Milwaukee's comeback victory against SIUE. This season, she has a team-high 12 steals in five games.
Out Of The Lineup
The Panthers are down some numbers this season, dressing 13 of their 16 players for games. Most noticeably, senior Jody Crumble is out indefinitely with a knee injury she suffered in the season-opener. Junior Danae Russell also continues to recover from an injury and has yet to dress this season. Meanwhile, sophomore Ashley Imperiale remains inactive for Milwaukee due to NCAA transfer rules. She will be eligible to dress after the fall semester. But, sophomore Maurika Hickman made a triumphant return to the lineup last Wednesday, dressing for the first time this season, tallying six points and an assist in 10 minutes.
Double The Fun
Traci Edwards picked up her first double-double of the season with 20 points and 12 rebounds against SIU Edwardsville. Though it took four games, you knew it wouldn't take too long for her to get her first of the season. The feat was the 45th of her career, nine more than any other player in school history. She also had her already school-record 44th career 20-point game and 48th double-digit rebounding game of her career. She has reached double-figures in points 91 times in 97 career games, seven back of Maria Viall's school record (98).
All-Tournament Honors
Traci Edwards finished the season-opening Wolfpack Invitational averaging 19.5 points and 5.0 rebounds per game and was named to the all-tournament team. She was previously named the tournament MVP at the only other in-season tournament of her career, the SMU Hoops for the Cure Classic in 2006.
More Than Just Numbers
Last season, Traci Edwards became the first player in league history to lead the league in scoring and rebounding in the same season twice, as well as the second to lead the league in rebounding three times and scoring in back-to-back seasons. In 2008-09, she will look to join some similar groups as she is looking to become the first league player to lead the league in scoring three times or rebounding four times in a career. Edwards will also be shooting for a fourth-straight all-league first team honor, which only one player has ever done (Butler's Julie Von Dielingen), as well as a repeat league player of the year award, something only four players have done. She has also been named to the league's all-tournament team three times, while only one player has ever done it four times (Green Bay's Chari Nordgaard).
Home Sweet Home
The Klotsche Center remains a difficult place for visiting teams to succeed. In 12-plus years under Sandy Botham, the Panthers are 107-49 at home. The Panthers went 9-7 at home last season and are just two seasons removed from a school-record 13-3 home campaign in 2005-06. In league play, those numbers are even better as Milwaukee boasts a 74-19 home record. That number has gotten a boost lately, as the Panthers have won 59 of their last 71 home league games over the last nine seasons. UWM has also posted three perfect home league years, going 8-0 in 2003-04 and 7-0 in both 1999-2000 and 2000-01.
League Success
The Panthers are looking to continue a strong tradition of success in the Horizon League in 2008-09. Milwaukee has finished second-or-better in the league standings in eight of the last nine seasons and are 104-37 in league games since 1999-2000. UWM has won league titles in 2001 and 2006.
Panthers Third In Preseason Poll
Milwaukee was picked third in the Horizon League preseason poll of league coaches, sports information directors and media. The Panthers received two first-place votes and tallied 240 points, just one point back of second-place Wright State (241 points), which garnered one first-place vote. Two-time defending regular season champion Green Bay topped the list with 24 first-place votes and 284 total points.
Another Preseason Pick
Senior Traci Edwards was selected as the Horizon League Preseason Player of the Year for the second-straight season. As a junior, she led the league with 20.6 points and 9.7 rebounds per game and became the fourth UWM league player of the year. She is looking to become just the second player in league history to be named to the all-league first team four times.
Back In Black & Gold
The Panthers will have the luxury of a wealth of experience this season, as 12 letterwinners return. Heading the list is senior Traci Edwards, the 2008 Horizon League Player of the Year. Three more seniors are back, including Turquoise McCain, a league all-defensive team selection last season, Katie Fournier, Jody Crumble and Markita Barnes. The Panthers' five-player senior class is the largest senior class in the team's Division I history. The squad also boasts two juniors, including returning starter Jodie McClain, and five sophomores, four of which saw extended minutes throughout the season and three that started games.
But What That Means...
Milwaukee's 12 returning players accounted for 81 percent of its scoring last season, a figure that includes eight of the team's top nine scorers. On the glass, even a larger percentage will be back in 2008-09, as 83.4 percent of UWM's rebounds are also back. If that weren't enough, the experience level of the team has also risen. Returning players have combined for 486 games played in a Panther uniform, including 240 starts. That is a rather sizable increase over last season's already impressive numbers (362 games/177 starts).
Welcome To Milwaukee
With 12 letterwinners returning from last season, there is little room for new faces. But, head coach Sandy Botham and her staff have added three players for the upcoming season including freshman post players Danielle Jorgenson and Amanda Viehauser. Ashley Imperiale also joined the team as a transfer, most recently from UW-LaCrosse. Jorgenson is 6-foot-3 and hails from La Crosse, Wis., where she was an all-state first-team selection and two-time area player of the year. Viehauser hails from Minneapolis, Minn., and was all-state honorable mention twice. Meanwhile, Imperiale is a 5-foot-11 guard out of nearby Greendale, Wis. She transferred to UWM after the fall semester last season from UW-La Crosse. Imperiale should be eligible after the fall semester and have sophomore eligibility.
Panthers On The Air
For the second-straight season, every Panther game will be carried live on AM920 WOKY. The station is also the home of the Sandy Botham Radio Show, while both the show and every game will be available live at uwmpanthers.com. Scott Warras returns for his third season as the voice of UWM women's basketball and the host of the Sandy Botham Radio show.
Be Sure To Watch
Seven Panther games will be televised this season, starting with Tuesday's game at Wisconsin. That game will be on the Big Ten Network, while six more games will be carried live on Time Warner Cable "Sports 32" and then be replayed on the station afterwards. Home games with Illinois (Dec. 10), Green Bay (Jan. 4), Valparaiso (Jan. 29), Cleveland State (Feb. 5) and Loyola (Feb. 19) will be televised as part of UWM's package. The team's Dec. 31 game at Marquette will also be on Sports 32 as an MU broadcast. Also, every league game will be available to watch online through the Horizon League Network (www.horizonleaguenetwork.tv). Sports 32 is the home of the Sandy Botham TV show, which can be first seen every Thursday at 5 p.m.
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