March 10, 2001
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CHICAGO-Scoring 36 points and grabbing tournament MVP honors, Jessica Wilhite helped UWM win the Midwestern Collegiate Conference Tournament Championship by defeating UW-Green Bay, 77-62, Saturday night at Illinois-Chicago.
Milwaukee advances to the NCAA Tournament for the first time in school history and will find out its first round matchup and destination Sunday at 4 p.m. The public is invited to join the Panthers for the tournament announcement in the Fireside Lounge of the UWM Union, with the doors opening at 3:30.
Wilhite recorded a career-high in points while also breaking the MCC Tournament record for most points in a single game. She shot 13-of-18 from the field, including 7-of-11 three-pointers, while tallying six rebounds and four assists.
"I just really wasn't thinking about it," said Wilhite of her great shooting performance. "If it goes in, it goes in. If it doesn't, don't worry about it."
"When Jess is on, she's on," said Nicole Luchsinger, who finished with seven points. "We just keep getting her the ball."
Trailing 37-22 at the half, Green Bay fought back at the beginning of the second half with a 12-3 run to cut the deficit to eight points. UWM still maintained their composure to keep its lead to no less than eight points throughout a 14-minute stretch.
But Green Bay still stuck around, battling to reach within four points with about six minutes remaining in the game. After UWGB missed a pair of free throws, Luchsinger recharged UWM's momentum by scoring on a drive to the hoop. Wilhite added to the fuel by sinking her seventh tre of the night to push the lead to 67-56 with 3:50 to go in the game. UWM's final points came mostly at the line to bulk back up to the 15-point win.
"I think we're the only team in the MCC that's had their number," said UWM coach Sandy Botham, whose team beat the Phoenix twice this season. "They (Green Bay) go into every game that they play believing that they are going to win, and that's where we are now."
Milwaukee shot 47 percent from the field and made 10-of-18 from three-point range. Green Bay shot 37 percent from the field and made only 2-of-18 from beyond the arc. The Panthers won the battle on the boards, outrebounding the Phoenix, 52-32.
Maria Viall, also named to the MCC All-Tournament team, grabbed a game-high 15 rebounds while scoring seven points. Holly Tamm added eight points, while Luchsinger tallied six of her seven points in the final minutes of the game.
Wilhite scored 13 of the Panthers' first 18 points, including the first eight of the game. Milwaukee built a nine-point lead early with hot shooting from beyond the arc, as Wilhite sank three tres and Klaas added one.
It was even more obvious things were going Wilhite's way when she missed a shot but was still able to help the Panthers score. After shooting a jumper from baseline, she fell but caught her own rebound while on the floor and dished it off to Kaufmann. Kaufmann gave it back to Wilhite, who quickly penetrated from the baseline and found Viall open on the block. Viall converted a layup to give the Panthers the 27-15 lead with 7:46 remaining in the half.
UWM will carry a Division I school-record nine-game winning streak into next week's NCAA Tournament. Milwaukee previously won eight straight in the 1997-98 season.
