Panthers Host Wisconsin Tuesday

Milwaukee takes on in-state rival for first time since 2013

MILWAUKEE - The Milwaukee women's basketball team is set for a big home game Tuesday, welcoming in-state rival Wisconsin to the Klotsche Center at 7 pm. Tuesday's game will be the first Time Warner Cable SportsChannel broadcast of the season for the Panthers, with Bob Brainerd and Maria Viall calling the action. The first 500 fans at Tuesday's contest will receive a free Milwaukee basketball t-shirt. Tuesday's game marks the first time the Panthers and Badgers will face off since 2013.

Panther Bits
• Milwaukee is coming off one of its best seasons in program history, winning 19 games a year ago and earning a berth to the WNIT.

• The Panthers return three starters and nine letterwinners from last season, welcoming six newcomers to the roster, including four true freshmen.

• The Panthers were picked third in the 2016-17 preseason coaches' poll after finishing in second place a year ago.

• Kyle Rechlicz enters her fifth season as head coach of Milwaukee with high hopes, having been named Horizon League Coach of the Year last season. She became just the second coach in school history to earn that honor.

• After earning First-Team All-Horizon League honors last season, Steph Kostowicz doubled down after being named preseason first-team all-league entering to the 2016-17 campaign.

WHAT'S NEW
The Milwaukee women's basketball team is set for a big home game Tuesday, welcoming in-state rival Wisconsin to the Klotsche Center at 7 pm. Tuesday's game will be the first Time Warner Cable SportsChannel broadcast of the season for the Panthers, with Bob Brainerd and Maria Viall calling the action. The first 500 fans at Tuesday's contest will receive a free Milwaukee basketball t-shirt. Tuesday's game marks the first time the Panthers and Badgers will face off since 2013.

LOOKING AT WISCONSIN
Wisconsin is at the start of a new era with Jonathan Tsipis being named head coach earlier this year. Tsipis recorded the first win of as the Badger head coach on Sunday with a 60-55 victory over Butler. UW is 1-3 on the young season, averaging 68 points/game thus far. Junior Cayla McMorris leads her team in scoring on the young season with 18.3 points/game, while former Panther Avyanna Young also is in double figures with 13.3 points and 8.8 rebounds per game.

SERIES HISTORY
Tuesday's game will be the first time the Panthers and Badgers will square off since the 2013-14 season - a Wisconsin win. Milwaukee hasn't had much success against its in-state foe and will be looking for just its second win in series history on Tuesday. Wisconsin enters on a 17-game win streak in the rivalry, with Milwaukee's 78-77 win coming on Dec. 15, 1992 in Madison.

UP NEXT
The Panthers will spend the Thanksgiving break out east as part of the TD Bank Classic hosted by Vermont. Milwaukee will take on LIU-Brooklyn on Friday at 4 pm Central from Patrick Gymnasium. UWM will then take on either the winner or loser of the Vermont/NJIT contest one day later at either 4 or 6 pm Central.

LAST GAME
Three players scored in double figures and the Milwaukee women's basketball team had a strong defensive showing en route to a 73-46 win over Loyola University Chicago Sunday afternoon from Gentile Arena.

UWM (2-1) raced out to a 20-point lead at halftime before stretching the lead to 27 at the final buzzer – the largest margin of victory in Kyle Rechlicz's four-plus years as head coach.

"I thought we came out really focused today and our energy to start the game was excellent," Rechlicz said. "We pride our upperclassmen and our leaders on, whether you're on the court or off the court, to be really energized, and I thought we brought that from tipoff. We really made a run and made a push, but a lot of that was due to our bench and how much they were talking and really guiding our team out on the court."

Steph Kostowicz led all players with 17 points to go with five rebounds, a pair of assists and steals and a block. Sierra Ford-Washington also stuffed the stat sheet with 14 points, six rebounds, three assists and two steals.

Jordyn Swan also reached double digits with 13 points in 13 minutes.

Milwaukee claimed a season-high 12 steals and forced an impressive 25 turnovers by Loyola (0-3).

STREAK SNAPPERS
With its win at Loyola on Sunday, the Panthers put an end to a six-game win streak by the Ramblers in the series that dated back to 2011. Now, Milwaukee will look to end another streak on Tuesday as Wisconsin comes to town winners of 17-straight over UWM, though the two teams haven't played since 2013. The last Milwaukee win over UW? Dec. 15, 1992 with a 78-77 victory in Madison.

WINNING BIG
Milwaukee's 27-point win over Loyola (73-46) on Nov. 20 was the biggest win in Kyle Rechlicz's four-plus years as head coach of the Panthers. UWM has a pair of 26-point W's under Rechlicz (86-60 at Northern Kentucky, 1/23/16 and 84-68 at Detroit, 1/7/15). The Panthers' last win by at least 27 came back on Dec. 15, 2011 with a 79-48 victory over Chicago State.

DE-FENSE
The Panthers turned up the defensive pressure Nov. 20 at Loyola and held the Ramblers to just 15 first-half points and 46 total for the game. That tied the fewest allowed by Kyle Rechlicz-coached Milwaukee team, equal to a 62-46 win at Cleveland State Jan. 9, 2016. In fact, no UWM team has conceded fewer points since the 2011-12 squad posted a 50-31 win over Valparaiso on Feb. 25 at the Klotsche Center.

WHAT A TURNAROUND
After the 114-104, double-overtime thriller at Northern Illinois on Nov. 16, defense was a clear point of emphasis heading into the next game. The result: the Panthers held Loyola to just 46 points (just 15 in the first half) en route to a 27-point win over the Ramblers. The 68-point shift in points allowed is the largest - plus or minus - between two games since Milwaukee's 46 years of women's basketball.

FAMILIAR FACES
The Panthers and Badgers have had plenty of ties over the years, with plenty of crossover heading into this year's contest. The most obvious is Milwaukee head coach Kyle Rechlicz (then known as Kyle Black), who was a standout player for Wisconsin from 1998-2002. She co-captained both the 2000-01 and 2001-02 teams that went to the NCAA Tournament. Rechlicz later returned as an assistant coach for Wisconsin one year before being named Milwaukee's head coach. New UWM assistant coach Anya Covington also played and coached at Wisconsin, while Panther director of operations Molly Hanson also started her career on the bench with the Badgers. Meanwhile, current Wisconsin senior Avyanna Young played her first two seasons in the Black & Gold before transferring.

DON'T CALL IT A COMEBACK
After missing the entire 2015-16 season following a preseason injury, Jordyn Swan returned for her redshirt senior year and made her return to the court with three minutes of action at NIU Nov. 16. Four days later, Swan had a big impact - netting 13 points in just 13 minutes of action. That is significant, as it marks the first time Swan reached double figures in scoring since her junior season when she netted 11 against Youngstown State on Jan. 31, 2015.

LEAGUE LEADERS
While it is still early, UWM has started out much like they played all of last season with their preliminary statistics ranking quite high in the league standings. Milwaukee already leads the conference in rebounding margin (+13.6) and free throw percentage (.806) and also ranks second in scoring offense (84.3 points/game), second in field goal percentage (.444) and third in assists (15.7/game).

Individually, quite a few Panthers check in atop the league standings, headlined in numerous categories by do-it-all forward Steph Kostowicz. The junior is first in the Horizon League in scoring (22.3 points/game), field goal percentage (.727) and three point percentage (.714), second in minutes played (35.3/game), fourth in blocks (1.3/game), fifth in rebounding (9.0/game) and 12th in assists (3.3/game).

A LOT OF CHARITY WORK
Kyle Rechlicz's teams have increasingly improved on their free throw shooting, with last year being the third-best in program history, connecting on .737 percent of their freebies. This year's Panther squad is well above that mark, sinking 50-62 of their shots from the charity stripe heading into the game against Wisconsin. That is good for an .806 percentage - well above the school record of .790 set back in the 2010-11 season.

COMING OUT SWINGING
Last year, Milwaukee made a habit of jumping out quickly on its opponents and building a very sizeable lead before they knew what hit them. That has been a trend once again in the early going this season. UWM is outscoring its first three opponents by 26 in the first quarter alone and boasts a 121-81 edge in first halves thus far.

BREAKING THE CENTURY MARK
Milwaukee's 104-point performance against Northern Illinois Nov. 16 tied the second-most points in a game in program history - second only to the memorable 116-point game Dec. 4, 2012 against Bradley. The Panthers also scoring 104 points in a big win over Northeastern Jan. of 1991. This year's performance marked the sixth time UWM has eclipsed the 100-point barrier in its D-I history and the 12th time since basketball began at the school in 1971. The Bradley game marked the most recent reaching the century mark, with the other triple-figure outings including totals of 104 (Northeastern, 1/22/91), 102 (Detroit, 1/19/02), 101 (CSU, 2/17/96) and 100 (YSU, 2/2/02). The 218 combined points in the NIU this season also marked the second-most total points in a game in program history, shy of only the 228 in the 2012 win over Bradley. It also marked just the second time both teams were 100-plus in the same contest.

THAT'S KIND OF A BIG DEAL
Milwaukee did something it has never done before in the Nov. 16 game at Northern Illinois - have three players with a double-double in the same contest. Steph Kostowicz (30 pts, 11 reb), Sierra Ford-Washington (18 pts, 11 reb) and Jenny Lindner (16 pts, 12 reb) all recorded double-doubles in Milwaukee's 114-104 loss, marking the first time three players have done that all in the same game.

6 x 10 = TEAM EFFORT
Another notable from Milwaukee's Nov. 16 contest at Northern Illinois - six Panthers reached double figures in scoring. The Panthers entire starting five of Bailey Farley, Alexis Lindstrom, Jenny Lindner, Sierra Ford-Washington and Steph Kostowicz all scored 11 or more points, while freshman Lizzie Odegard came off the bench to also chip in 12. That marked the first time six players scored since Mar. 9, 2007 in an 83-79 win over Wright State in the Horizon League Tournament quarterfinals - a total of 280 games earlier.

FOR OPENERS
The Panthers improved to 10-17 all-time in season openers at the NCAA Division I level (dating back to 1990-91) after their 76-68 win over Western Illinois to start the 2016-17 season. The win over WIU was an exciting one, with Jenny Lindner pouring in 23 points to go with eight rebounds, while Steph Kostowicz notched her first double-double of the young season with 20 points and 11 boards. Head coach Kyle Rechlicz is now 4-1 in openers, as UWM ran away with an 82-58 win over Chicago State in Rechlicz's debut contest four years ago.

EARLY LEAGUE HONORS
Freshman Lizzie Odegard made her collegiate debut in Sunday's win over Western Illinois, collecting five points, five rebounds and one assist in just 14 minutes of action. Lost in the stat sheet is that most of Odegard's efforts came at a crucial time, with WIU closing in on Milwaukee's big lead midway through the third quarter. For her efforts, Odegard was named Horizon League Freshman of the Week, becoming the first Panther to earn a league award after her collegiate debut in program history.

DOUBLING DOWN
Steph Kostowicz has picked up right where she left off last year, recording back-to-back impressive showings to start the 2016-17 season. The preseason first-team all-league honoree opened with 20 points and 11 rebounds in the win over Western Illinois and followed that up with 30 points and 11 boards against Northern Illinois. That gives her 12 double-doubles now in her career at the early part of her junior season. In fact, that marks the first time a Milwaukee player has started the season with back-to-back double-doubles.

AWFULLY EFFICIENT
Not only is Steph Kostowicz lighting up the scoreboard in early going of her junior season, she's doing so in an awfully efficient manner. Kostowicz started the season going 8-10 in the season opener and is now shooting a league best .727 (24-33) from the floor on the year, including .714 (5-7) from behind the arc - also tops in the Horizon League. Not to be overshadowed, her free-throw shooting of .875 (14-16), also in the top-10 in the league in the early going.

JENNY BEING JENNY
Jenny Lindner has a big part of Milwaukee's success in the early going this year. In the season-opening win over Western Illinois, the junior netted a game-high 23 points, now giving her 20 or more points in four of her last eight games dating back to last season. Impressively, Linder was able to score anywhere she wanted on the court, going 6-12 from inside the arc, 1-2 from outside and 8-8 from the charity stripe. She then followed that up with the seventh double-double of her career, notching 16 points and 12 rebounds at Northern Illinois Nov. 16.

PRESEASON RANKS
The Horizon League released its preseason rankings as voted on by coaches, media members and SIDs with the Panthers picked to be right back at the top this season. Milwaukee was tabbed third overall with 246 points, behind only Green Bay (299) and Detroit (256). Steph Kostowicz also was recognized when the votes were announced, earning first-team all-league honors after earning the same distinction at the end of last year's outstanding run.

400 AND COUNTING!
The 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. 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 424 games in a row heading into the game against the Badgers. 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 five 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.

IN THE BOOKS
Last season was truly a memorable one for Milwaukee, recording its best regular season in a decade with quite a few remarkable accomplishments achieved by last year's squad.

• The 19 wins are the most in a season since the 2005-06 team that finished 22-9 on their way to the NCAA Tournament.

• The 12 conference wins are the most also since the 05-06 season.

• Milwaukee also posted 10 wins away from home, just one shy of the record 11 non-home wins set by the 2001-02 team.

• The Panthers finished their home season with a 9-5 mark - the first home winning season since 2010-11 (7-6). In fact, last season's home winning percentage of .643 is the highest since the 05-06 team went 13-3 for an .813 mark.

• Last year's second-place finish marked the first time Milwaukee has finished in the top half of the league standings since the 2010-11 team placed fourth and it is the first top-two finish for UWM since taking second in the 07-08 season.

STARTED FROM THE BOTTOM...
UWM is coming off an incredible season that saw them finish second in both the regular season and conference tournament to earn a postseason berth with a trip to the WNIT. Even more impressive, the Panthers were picked ninth overall in last year's preseason league poll following an eighth-place finish (of nine) in 2014-15. That made them just the third team in Horizon League history to finish in the bottom two one season and follow that up with a top-two finish the very next year. The other two?

-Youngstown State finished last (4-14) in the 2011-12 season before jumping up to second (11-5) in 12-13, making it to the WNIT.

-Butler placed seventh of eight (3-11) in 1988-89 before leaping up to second (12-4) the next year, losing to Notre Dame by just one point in the conference tournament championship.

STEPPING UP
After solid freshman campaigns, Jenny Lindner and Steph Kostowicz stepped up in a big way last year during their sophomore seasons. The duo averaged a combined 27.2 points and 14.8 rebounds per game last year despite still being some of the younger members of the squad. Now, heading into their junior years, the future looks bright for what could be in store for them this season.

MAKING A NAME FOR HERSELF
Head coach Kyle Rechlicz was named the seventh coach in program history in May of 2012. After three years of hard work, the Panthers broke through in her fourth season at the helm with an incredible campaign last year. Milwaukee racked up 19 wins, finished season in the Horizon League and earned a trip to the WNIT. All that work did not go unnoticed, as Rechlicz was named Horizon League Coach of the Year at the end of last season, making her just the second coach in program history to earn that honor.

WATCH 'EM ANYWHERE
Fans will have the opportunity to watch the Panthers all season long. The team will play four games on local broadcast television, once again returning to Time Warner Cable SportsChannel. Another 21 games will be carried live online on ESPN3 as well as one other road game via an opponent platform. 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 920
Nearly every Milwaukee regular-season game will once again be available on the radio and online via "The Big 920" on your AM dial. Matt Menzl will don the headset for the first time this season. Fans might remember Menzl after years of calling Milwaukee soccer and volleyball games, as well spending the past five seasons as the voice of Green Bay men's basketball. Fans can also catch Menzl's call with the majority of the team's ESPN3 webcasts. A select few games will not be aired due to broadcast conflicts.

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Players Mentioned

#4 Bailey Farley: G; 5' 10"; Junior

#30 Sierra Ford-Washington: G; 5' 8"; Senior

#32 Steph Kostowicz: F; 6' 2"; Junior

#20 Jenny Lindner: G; 6' 0"; Junior

#5 Alexis Lindstrom: G; 5' 7"; Senior

#41 Jordyn Swan: G/F; 6' 0"; Senior

#45 Lizzie Odegard: F; 6' 0"; Freshman

Players Mentioned

#4 Bailey Farley
: 5' 10"; Junior
: G

#30 Sierra Ford-Washington
: 5' 8"; Senior
: G

#32 Steph Kostowicz
: 6' 2"; Junior
: F

#20 Jenny Lindner
: 6' 0"; Junior
: G

#5 Alexis Lindstrom
: 5' 7"; Senior
: G

#41 Jordyn Swan
: 6' 0"; Senior
: G/F

#45 Lizzie Odegard
: 6' 0"; Freshman
: F