The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee women's basketball team returns to the court eight days after claiming a season-opening victory starting this Tuesday. The team opens a weeklong stretch in Florida with a stop at Florida Atlantic before heading on to the "Miami Thanksgiving Classic" on the weekend. Tip off time Tuesday against the Owls is scheduled for 6 p.m. CST. A live video stream will be available on FAUSports.com, as well as live statistics and live audio. All links are available on the Milwaukee website.
LOOKING AT FLORIDA ATLANTICFlorida Atlantic is off to a 2-0 start for the first time since 1991-92 after defeating Akron and Florida Gulf Coast. This game marks the first of four home games in a row for the Owls. The team upset FGCU in Fort Myers, 62-55, Nov. 17, seeing three players reach double-digit scoring, led by Morgan Robinson's 12 points. Melinda Myers led the way with 11 rebounds.
The Owls return nine players from their 2014-15 squad that went 13-17 and welcome in three newcomers including two sophomores and a freshman. FAU Head Coach Kellie Lewis-Jay will be at the helm of program for her fourth season. Seniors Ali Gorrell and Morgan Robinson look to lead the team in their final seasons. Gorrell averaged 13.9 points and 6.5 rebounds per contest last year while Robinson tallied marks of 9.3 points and 4.0 rebounds per game.
SERIES HISTORYThe series consists of a single game played back in the 1998-99 season, with the Panthers claiming a 66-57 victory in the contest.
LAST GAMESophomore
Jenny Lindner tied her career high with 25 points and the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee women's basketball team led from the opening possession and never looked back in topping UMKC, 70-48, in the season opener Monday night at the Klotsche Center.
Â
The Panthers (1-0) played great defense, forcing 22 turnovers and 34 percent shooting from the floor by the Kangaroos (0-2), helping them post the second-largest margin of victory in a season opener in Milwaukee's NCAA Division I history.
Â
Lindner added a game-high 10 rebounds to record her fourth career double-double. She actually equaled her career-best by the end of the third period with the 25 points but never had an opportunity to break it – she did not even attempt a field goal in the fourth quarter. Her 10-of-12 field-goal shooting (.833 FG%) marked the third-best in a single-game in school history.
Â
Sophomore
Steph Kostowicz joined her in double figures with 10 points despite being hampered by foul trouble early. She added three boards, three steals and a block.
Â
Junior
Sierra Ford-Washington chipped in with nine points and three steals in her UWM debut and freshman
Emma Dau had eight points and three rebounds. Junior
Alexis Lindstrom also finished with eight.
Â
A WHOPPER OF AN OPENERThe 22-point margin of victory was nearly the highest in the history of the program. The only bigger one? That would be
Kyle Rechlicz's first-ever game on the Panther bench, a 24-point win over Chicago State, 82-58, back on November 9, 2012.
WELL, THAT TOOK 40 MINUTESSophomore
Jenny Lindner needed all of one 40-minute game (actually, she played only 31) to equal her career high from her freshman season when she went off for 25 points in the opener. It marked the third 20-point effort of her young career.
1. 25 vs. UMKC, 11/16/15
2. 25 vs. Youngstown State, 2/19/15
3. 20 vs. Cleveland State, 2/28/15
EFFICIENT, TOONot only did Lindner tie her career high with those 25 points - and never had a chance to break it after not attempting a field goal in the fourth quarter - but she did it with some of the most efficient shooting in school history by making 10 of her 12 shots on the night. That 83.3 field-goal percentage marked the third-best marksmanship in a single UWM game.
1. .909 (10-of-11), Nichole Drummond, 2/11/06
2. .857 (12-of-14), Traci Edwards, 2/21/08
3. .833 (10-of-12), Lindner
FOR OPENERSThe Panthers now hold a 9-17 record in season-openers at the NCAA Division I level (dating back to 1990-91). A year ago, Milwaukee rode the hot hand of senior
Ashley Green to a 77-73 victory over North Dakota State. Green set career highs with 36 points and 15 rebounds in the narrow win. Head coach
Kyle Rechlicz is now an impressive 3-1 in openers, as UWM ran away with an 82-58 win over Chicago State in Rechlicz's debut contest three years ago in addition to this year's convincing win over UMKC.
PRESEASON PUBLICITYSophomore
Jenny Lindner was named to the Preseason All-Horizon League Second Team in the league's annual preseason poll by the staff at the College Sports Madness website.
NEW-LOOK PANTHERSMilwaukee will have a new look to the roster this season after graduating three influential seniors from a year ago. The roster features six players who were on the team in 2014-15 and nine newcomers. Among the new faces are a trio of transfers (one will be sitting out, one a JUCO transfer and one ready to play this season after sitting out a year ago due to transfer rules) as well as six true freshmen all looking to make a good first impression.
TIME TO STEP UPThe situation allows the Panthers an opportunity for new players to step up or returning players to expand their roles from last season. The team will return just under half - 48.6 percent - of its scoring (963 of 1,981 total points) and just over half - 51.5 percent - of rebounding (558 of 1,083 total individual rebounds). When you break it down further, senior
Jordyn Swan, who will miss the season due to injury, accounted for returning totals of 201 points and 108 boards.
OFF TO A GOOD STARTJenny Lindner enjoyed a stellar campaign as a newcomer a season ago, earning Horizon League All-Freshman Team honors after averaging 10.7 points and 5.3 rebounds per game, starting 28 of the 30 games she appeared in. That marked the first time a UWM player made the league all-freshman squad in four years. She finished 17 games in double-figures - the most for a UWM freshman since
Ashley Green also accomplished the feat 17 times back in 2011-12.
Among Lindner's double-digit contests was a 25-point outing against Youngstown State Feb. 19, the third-highest scoring output for a freshman in school history.
1. Courtney Lindfors: 35 points (11/16/10)
2. Traci Edwards: 28 (2/25/06)
T3. Lindner: 25 (2/19/15)
T3. Maria Viall: 25 (12/17/00 & 3/1/01)
In addition, her .822 free throw percentage topped the team and was the third-best ever for a UWM freshman in program history and her five made 3's against YSU was one off the school freshman mark of six set by Angela Rodriguez back on 12/1/10 against Bradley.
THE KOST OF ADMISSIONSteph Kostowicz continued to impress at the end of her first season in a Panther uniform a year ago, earning Horizon League Freshman of the Week honors March 9 after she averaged 14.0 points, 10.5 rebounds and 1.4 assists per game against Detroit and Wright State, posting her first career double-double versus the Titans. She upped the ante against Valpo March 9, equaling her career-high with 18 points and topping her rebound high, finishing with 14. She closed her freshman season strong, scoring in double figures in each of her final four games - the last three in the starting lineup - averaging 14.3 points and 11.0 rebounds in that final four-game stretch, shooting just over 50 percent from the floor.
BLOCK PARTYKostowicz also made some noise on defense, leading the way with six blocks against Valparaiso in the first round of the Horizon League Tournament, which was just off the school record of seven. It has been a while since a Panther caused so much commotion in the paint, a span of 109 games having passed since a UWM player had at least five (Courtney Lindfors had six against Chicago State, Dec. 15, 2011). Kostowicz added four more rejections in the season finale against Green Bay in the league quarterfinals.
SYD THE KYDSydney Howard enjoyed a breakthrough junior campaign and her performance in the month of December was noteworthy. In six games (four starts), Howard averaged 7.0 points and 2.5 rebounds per game and reset her career-high for points in a game twice, including 14 against IPFW Dec. 28. She shot 51.9 percent from the field (14-27), 55.6 percent on 3's (5-9), playing 25.7 minutes and had 11 assists compared to four turnovers. She also went for a career-best 17 points against Detroit March 4. Howard finished the year averaging 5.8 points and 2.7 rebounds to top her former career bests of 2.3 ppg and 1.4 rpg. She had four games of 10 or more points after accomplishing the feat just once over her first two seasons. She also had the best assist-to-turnover ratio on the squad at 64-44, a ratio of 1.45 that finished as the fifth-best in program history for a single-season.
TAKING CARE OF BUSINESSThe Panthers set a record for fewest turnovers per game in 2012-13 at 16.2 - an impressive total considering the record that they broke was the former standard of 17.3 set during the 2001-02 campaign (an improvement of over one per game). The new record did not last long, however, as UWM turned the ball over just 14.9 times per contest in 2013-14 to shatter the record once again. The team came close again last season and the past three years under
Kyle Rechlicz now account for the top three entries in the record book.
TEAM TURNOVERS PER GAME
1. 14.9 turnovers per game, 2013-14
2. 15.2 in 2014-15
3. 16.2 in 2012-13
HOW THEY ROLLThe Panthers were at it once again from deep last season and it would have been more noticeable had they not been even better at it the previous two years. The team once again finished close to the top of the record book for three-pointers made and attempted. Prior to
Kyle Rechlicz's arrival, the most three's made was 212 and attempted was 586. The marks set in 2012-13 (255 of 726) smashed the old standards. In 2013-14, the team finished at 241 makes and 733 attempts, both numbers ending in the top two all-time. After three seasons under
Kyle Rechlicz, the triple-happy Panthers nearly hold each of the top three marks for 3's made and attempted for a season.
3's MADE
1. 255 in 2012-13
2. 241 in 2013-14
4. 205 in 2014-15
3's ATTEMPTED
1. 733 in 2013-14
2. 726 in 2012-13
3. 676 in 2014-15
IT'S AN OLD HABITThe Panthers have turned it up from three-point range recently, but have always been a threat from long distance. In fact, the team has a long history of making three's headed in to 2015-16. Milwaukee has made at least one three-pointer in every game dating back to an 0-for-4 showing from long-distance against Marquette back on November 26, 2002. That makes 390 games in a row heading into the game against the Owls. It's still a ways to go for the NCAA record, however, which is held by Canisius at 510 in a row (1994-2011). The Horizon League record was halted three years ago when Loyola came up empty at 446. Cleveland State held the record previously - which was also the NCAA mark at the time - at 408 (1992-2007). For comparison, the NBA's longest streak is the Dallas Mavericks at 1,108 in a row.
MAKING A NAME FOR HERSELFHead coach
Kyle Rechlicz was named the seventh coach in program history in May of 2012. She also got off to one of the best starts - becoming the first UWM coach to win three of her first five contests of her initial campaign. In her first season, Rechlicz was also one of the youngest coaches at the NCAA Division I level - just seven coaches had earlier birth years when the 2012-13 campaign began.
WATCH 'EM ANYWHEREFans will have the opportunity to watch the Panthers all season long. The team will play five games on local broadcast television, once again returning to Time Warner Cable SportsChannel. Another 16 games will be carried live online on ESPN3 as well as four other road games via opponent platforms. For the Panthers' TWC SportsChannel contests, Bob Brainerd and former UWM great Maria Viall will once again be calling the action.
HEAD TO THE BIG 920Nearly every Milwaukee regular-season game will once again be available on the radio and online via "The Big 920" on your AM dial.
Scott Warras is back for his 10th season donning the headset. Fans can also catch Warras' call with the majority of the team's ESPN3 webcasts. A handful of games will be aired on WISN 1130 AM due to broadcast conflicts.
WELCOMEHead coach
Kyle Rechlicz rounded out her staff in the offseason with a series of moves.
Ashlee McGee moved up a spot in the assistant coach hierarchy and former video coordinator
Dan Carey was promoted to assistant coach, with the recruiting coordinator role also added to his title.
Mike Hamilton was hired as the new Video Coordinator and
Molly Hanson as the Director of Basketball Operations.
UP NEXTThe Panthers travel south and participate in Miami's Thanksgiving Classic, taking on the host Hurricanes Friday at 12 p.m. CST.
Â