Women’s Basketball Set For Big Showdown With Bison

Both teams off to strong starts to 2017-18 season

MILWAUKEE – Winners of three in a row, the Milwaukee women's basketball team returns home for a showdown against North Dakota State Friday evening at 7 pm from the Klotsche Center. The Bison enter the game with an impressive 5-2 record - one win away from their total all of last year. Friday's game is a rematch of a 79-74 Panther win last season. Fans can take advantage of the special ticket deal going on the whole month of December with a buy-one-get-one ticket with the donation of a toy for the holiday season.

LOOKING AT THE BISON
NDSU has made a big turnaround from last season, already tallying five wins through the first seven games after posting a 6-24 record a year ago. The Bison are coming off a rough go of things at Colorado Wednesday evening, falling 108-59 to the Buffaloes.

Senior Taylor Thunstedt is still the leader of the team, averaging a team-high 11.4 points/game, but a host of underclassmen have been a big part of the improvement. Freshman Macey Kvilvang has started all seven games and is averaging 5.4 points and 5.0 rebounds/game, while sophomore Sarah Jacobson and Rylee Nudell both are scoring 10.3 points/game so far.

SERIES HISTORY
Milwaukee has won the last three to even up the all-time series at 3-3. Last year, Jenny Lindner and Steph Kostowicz each scored 26 points in a 79-74 win from the Klotsche Center. All six matchups have been quite close, with the combined scoring giving NDSU the slightest of edges, 401-397.

UP NEXT
It's a quick turnaround for the Panthers who hit the road Sunday for the short drive to the Chicago area for a 2pm contest against Northwestern.

LAST GAME
Facing a team that won 26 games a year ago and returned all five starters, Milwaukee overcame a 13-point deficit in the second half for a 77-67 win over Western Illinois Sunday afternoon from Western Hall.

Jenny Lindner poured in a career-high 34 points to lead Milwaukee (3-2) to its third-straight win, taking down a WIU (5-2) squad that was ranked in the mid-major poll going into the game.

"This was definitely a rollercoaster (game)," Milwaukee head coach Kyle Rechlicz said. "This is a great win for our program. Western Illinois was mid-major ranked…and they had just beaten a Big Ten school, so to be able to come on to their home court and dominate the third and fourth quarter like we did really and really show that we can play some defense. That was probably the most exciting thing; we held them to six points in the fourth quarter. I couldn't be a more proud coach right now."

Lindner netted 21 points in the second half alone to finish with 34 – surpassing her previous career-high of 32 set late in her sophomore season. She finished the game shooting 12-20 from the floor, including a perfect 9-9 from the free throw line. The Neillsville native also grabbed a game-high 10 rebounds for her second double-double of the young season.

"Jenny and I actually had a talk on the bus on the way here about getting her more in the flow and getting her more aggressive," Rechlicz said. "I just thought she took control of the game. From the moment she stepped on the court tonight, she was the best player. And it's exciting when you have multiple players who can do that. Tonight it was Jenny, some nights it's Steph (Kostowicz). Jamie (Reit) and Bailey (Farley) are starting to find their groove, as well. It's exciting when you have that many pieces that can be offensive weapons."

Steph Kostowicz once again was big with 16 points, eight rebounds and four assists, while Jamie Reit also reached double figures with 10 points – hitting numerous big shots in clutch moments.

WHAT A WIN
Milwaukee's 77-67 win over Western Illinois was significant for a number of reasons:

-The Panthers trailed by 13 points with just over five minutes left in the third quarter and finished with a 10-point win; a 23-point swing over the final 15:20.

-The home loss was the first for WIU in nearly 10 months (12/31/17) after going 13-1 at Western Hall last year.

-The Leathernecks entered that game ranked in the mid-major top-25. That marks the second win for Milwaukee over a mid-major-ranked team in a short span, taking down highly ranked Green Bay late last year, 72-60.

COMEBACK KIDS
Milwaukee's 13-point comeback over Western Illinois Nov. 26 isn't a program record, but it certainly is a memorable one. It marks the largest come-from-behind win since the Panthers turned a 44-28 deficit (16 points) in a 60-57 win over Toledo back in 2011.

Fans shouldn't be too surprised by Milwaukee's comeback win over WIU though. UWM set a program record with seven comeback (trailing at halftime) wins last season, besting the previous mark of six set back in the 2006-07 season.

SHE SHOOTS, SHE SCORES
Steph Kostowicz has come out of the gates on fire to start her senior season. The 6-2 forward opened the season with 26 points on 9-14 shooting from the floor and a perfect 8-8 showing from the free throw line. Then, in last Tuesday's home opener, Kostowicz racked up another 19 points while going 8-10 from the floor. She enters Friday's game with a .654 percentage from the field - 14th best in the entire NCAA.

A CAREER PERFORMANCE
Jenny Lindner turned in one of her best performances to date in Milwaukee's road win at Western Illinois Nov. 26. The senior poured in a career-high 34 points - 21 of which came in the second half - to go with 10 rebounds to lead all players in both categories. That marks the third time in her career Lindner has finished with 30+ and it surpasses her previous high of 32 set late in her sophomore season in a win at Oakland.

In fact, her 34 points were the most by a Panther since Courtney Lindfors netted 35 in a road win over Chicago State Nov. 16, 2010.

EARLY HONORS
Just three weeks into the 2017-18 season, Milwaukee has already turned in some of the top performances in the entire Horizon League. Steph Kostowicz was named Horizon League Player of the Week after just the first week of the season, going off for 26 points, 12 rebounds, two blocks, two assists and one steal at perennial power Drake in the Preseason WNIT. Then, Jenny Lindner was named player of the week by the conference after pouring in a career-high 34 points to go with 10 rebounds in the road win at Western Illinois Nov. 26.

DE-FENSE
Milwaukee has put together some lock-down showings on the defensive side of the ball recently, including the Nov. 21 performance against Loyola. The Panthers limited the Ramblers to just 41 total points - the ninth time over the past two-plus seasons UWM has held an opponent to 50 points or less in a game. In fact, that marks the fewest points allowed by Milwaukee since head coach Kyle Rechlicz took over the program in 2012. The Panthers also held Loyola to just 26-percent shooting for the game - one of the lowest opponent shooting percentages in Milwaukee's Division I history.

Milwaukee has also held teams to single digits in the scoring column for an entire quarter four times this season, including in the fourth quarter of the Panthers' comeback at WIU on Sunday.

RECAPPING THE PRESEASON WNIT
The Preseason Women's National Invitational Tournament is an annual invitation-only tournament featuring 16 of the nation's top women's Division I basketball teams. Milwaukee opened up at No. 3 in the Mid-Major poll Drake, finishing just short in the back-and-forth showdown, 77-73. The Panthers then were sent south to New Orleans, La. for their final two contests. Milwaukee started its trip in the Big Easy with a 74-59 loss to Houston before a great bounce-back showing against CSUN, 58-50.

RIGHT OUT OF THE GATES
McKaela Schmelzer and Sydney Staver both inked their names into the Panther record book before their first collegiate game even ended. That's because the duo both were in the starting lineup in their first collegiate game, becoming the first freshmen to achieve that feat since Kelsey Cunningham did so in her debut in 2014. In fact, it marks just the second time in program history two freshmen started the season opener, joining Angela Rodriguez and Courtney Lindfors back in 2010.

DOUBLE VISION
After turning in two double-doubles as a freshman, Steph Kostowicz has been a machine at putting together 10+ performances in points and rebounds. In fact, with her 26-point, 12-rebound performance in this year's season opener at Drake, Kostowicz now has 24 double-doubles in her collegiate career. That already ranks her fourth in program history and is just three shy of Lindsay Laur for third place all-time.

Teammate Jenny Lindner is also steadily climbing that chart in this season's early going. The senior turned in a 19-point, 11-rebound performance in the win over CSUN Nov. 18 before exploding for 34 points and 10 rebounds in the comeback win over Western Illinois eight days later. Those marked Lindner's 13th and 14th career double-doubles, ranking eighth in program history and just three shy of sixth place.

CLIMBING THE CHARTS
It's no secret Jenny Lindner and Steph Kostowicz have already left their mark on this program heading into their senior year. The duo both eclipsed both the 1000-point and 500-rebound milestones as juniors and have continued to climb up the statistical charts. Entering Friday's game, Lindner ranks eighth in scoring (1,318 points), tied for eighth in rebounding (611), eighth in double-doubles (14) and ninth in games started (97). Meanwhile, Kostowicz sits at 10th in career scoring (1,211 points), seventh in rebounding (709), third in blocks (120) and fourth in double-doubles (24).

WORKING THE GLASS
Milwaukee has prided itself in its ability to control the boards over the past few years. Last season, the Panthers won the rebounding battle in 26 of their 34 games. That dominance has carried over into this season, with Milwaukee claiming the rebounding edge in all five games to start the season. In fact, four of those five games have finished with a double-digit advantage by UWM, with the season high so far coming in the opener at Drake, outrebounding the Bulldogs, 44-30.

PRESEASON RANKS
The Horizon League released its preseason rankings as voted on by coaches, media members and SIDs, with the Panthers picked to once again battle for the top this season. Milwaukee was tabbed fourth overall this year with 129 points, behind only Green Bay (246), Wright State (204) and Oakland (139). Steph Kostowicz was once again recognized when the votes were announced, earning preseason first-team all-league honors for the second-straight year.

EXHIBITION REWIND
UWM put together a total team performance to the tune of an 80-35 win over Cornell College this past Sunday. The three-leading scorers were new to Panther fans as redshirt transfer Ryaen Johnson led all players with 15 points, while redshirt freshman McKaela Schmelzer had 11, as did true freshman Sydney Staver. In all, the Milwaukee bench churned out 47 points, while the Panther defense limited the Rams to just single digits in each of the first three quarters.

PILING UP THE WINS
Over the past two seasons, Milwaukee has been racking up the total in the win column. With the win over Oakland in the conference tournament last year, the Panthers eclipsed the 20-win mark for just the third time in program history. UWM ran that total to 22 last year, tying program record for most wins in a season. previously set by the 2005-06 squad. Additionally, that marked the first time UWM has had back-to-back seasons with at least 16 wins since doing so in three-straight years from 99-2000 through 00-02.

400 AND COUNTING!
The Panthers have been on fire from behind the arc of late, headlined by hitting 14 threes against Valparaiso Jan. 7 of last season. That's nothing new for Milwaukee, though, as they have been lighting it up from three-point range for a while now. In fact, the Panthers have made at least one three-point in every game dating back to an 0-for-4 showing against Marquette back on Nov. 26, 2002. That makes 460 games in a row heading into the game against the Bison.

In fact, when Alexis Lindstrom hit her first three pointer against Green Bay on Feb. 17 of last season, the Panthers broke the league record for consecutive games with a made three. That topped the previous mark of 446 set by Loyola, halted six years ago when they went 0-11 against Butler. It's still a ways to go for the NCAA record, however, which is held by Canisius at 510 in a row (1994-2011). For comparison, the NBA's longest streak is the Dallas Mavericks at 1,108 in a row.

BEST IN THE BADGER STATE
The Panthers made a case for themselves as one of the top teams within the Badger State last season. Milwaukee started its in-state rivalries a year ago with a big 80-63 win over Wisconsin before the 72-60 handling of conference foe Green Bay on Feb. 17. Had it not been for a woeful first quarter against Marquette - a game in which UWM drew back to within three late in the fourth before running out of gas in the final minutes - the Panthers would have claimed wins over all three fellow D-I foes within state lines for the first time in program history.

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 second 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. She followed that up with an impressive 22 wins in 2016-17, tying the school record in that category and helping guide the team to its second consecutive postseason berth in program history.

THERE'S NO PLACE LIKE HOME
With its tournament win over Southern Illinois last week, the Panthers improved their home slate with a 12-3 record inside the Klotsche Center this season. That marks the first time the team has reached double-digit home wins since the 05-06 team went 13-3 on campus. UWM could potentially host the WBI championship contest should they advance that far, giving them one more chance to play on the court that they have defended mighty well this season.

CATCH ALL THE ACTION
Fans will have the opportunity to watch the Panthers all season long. All 13 of Milwaukee's home games will be carried live online on ESPN3, with 10 road contests also streaming live through ESPN, as well as the entirety of the Horizon League Tournament. An additional six games this season will be streamed through various opponent platforms. Milwaukee women's basketball will also make its TV debut on FOX Sports Wisconsin this season when they host Marquette inside the Klotsche Center on Dec. 17, with Bob Brainerd and former UWM great Maria Viall once again calling the action.

Panthers fans will also be able to listen this year's games everywhere they go this year, as Matt Menzl calls all the action on the Black & Gold Network. Menzl will be courtside for all 30 regular season contests, as well as the exhibition game against Cornell and all postseason action. The Black & Gold Network is streaming live online and can be accessed at MKEPanthers.com.

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Players Mentioned

#12 Kelsey Cunningham: G; 5' 9"; Senior

#25 Ryaen Johnson: F; 6' 2"; Redshirt Junior

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

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

#10 Jamie Reit: G; 5' 9"; Sophomore

#3 McKaela Schmelzer: G; 5' 7"; Redshirt Freshman

#1 Sydney Staver: G; 5' 11"; Freshman

Players Mentioned

#12 Kelsey Cunningham
: 5' 9"; Senior
: G

#25 Ryaen Johnson
: 6' 2"; Redshirt Junior
: F

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

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

#10 Jamie Reit
: 5' 9"; Sophomore
: G

#3 McKaela Schmelzer
: 5' 7"; Redshirt Freshman
: G

#1 Sydney Staver
: 5' 11"; Freshman
: G