Women's Basketball December 16, 2017

Looking To Extend Winning Streak, UWM Hosts Marquette Sunday

Game to be televised live on FOX Sports Wisconsin

MILWAUKEE – Fresh off a win over in-state rival Wisconsin, the Milwaukee women's basketball team will look to extend its impressive winning streak when they host Marquette Sunday at 4pm from the Klotsche Center. The Panthers - playing their final home game of the 2017 calendar year - will look to run their win streak to nine in a row in a game that will be televised live on FOX Sports Wisconsin with Bob Brainerd and Maria Viall calling all the action.

LOOKING AT THE GOLDEN EAGLES
One of the better stories of last season with a youthful squad that made it all the way to the NCAA Tournament, Marquette has entered this year with high hopes. The Golden Eagles sit at 5-4 entering Sunday's contest, were ranked as high as No. 16 already this year and are still receiving votes in this week's national poll.

One of the more high-powered offenses in the country, Marquette's up-tempo style has them averaging 83.3 points/game - 24th most in the country. Four starters from last year's squad return for just their junior seasons. Despite their four losses, MU is still outscoring its opponents by 15.2 points/game on the year.

SERIES HISTORY
The Panthers and Golden Eagles have a long-standing rivalry, with the first match up dating back to the early days of the program in 1976. Marquette holds a 26-20 lead in the all-time series and a 20-3 edge since UWM went DI back in 1990. Milwaukee nearly claimed a win in last year's contest, before running out of gas in the final few minutes. The Panthers' last win in the series came on New Year's Eve 2008 at the Al McGuire Center - a 63-62 final.

UP NEXT
UWM closes out its non-conference schedule Thursday with a short trip to Chicago State for a 7pm contest.

LAST GAME
Bailey Farley finished with a game-high 16 points – nine coming in the fourth quarter – to help Milwaukee to a 67-64 win over the University of Wisconsin Thursday evening from the Kohl Center.

The Panthers (8-2) – now winners of eight in a row – once again turned in an impressive defensive showing, limiting the Badgers (7-6) to just 36 percent shooting for the game – their third-lowest performance of the season.

The win is the second straight for Milwaukee over the Badgers and marks the first time in program history UWM has taken down two Big Ten teams in the same year after defeating Northwestern 66-57 on Dec. 3.

"Obviously this is a great atmosphere to come and play in the Kohl Center," Milwaukee head coach Kyle Rechlicz said. "I'm so proud of who we are as a program right now. Our team is led by these four seniors that just really want to win. They are just so determined and it's really fun to coach them.

"I give a lot of credit to Wisconsin. They did a great job of taking away Jenny and Steph. They're obviously really big - they've got some 6'4"s - and that's tough when we're getting double teamed. They really packed it in. But I was incredibly proud of Bailey Farley, Jamie Reit, Lizzie Odegard came in and hit some huge threes - it was nice to see her getting into the flow again - and McKaela to come in and get eight defensive rebounds and nine rebounds total...those little tiny details are what win you big games like this."

Farley led all players with 16 points, drilling a pair of huge threes early in the fourth quarter and giving Milwaukee the go-ahead layup with 57 seconds left in what proved to be the difference.

CRACKING THE POLLS
The Panthers once again find themselves ranked in the CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Poll, as voted on by Division I Women's Basketball coaches this week. Milwaukee - which received its first ever ranking in the same poll one year ago - broke into this week's poll at No. 25 after rattling off seven consecutive wins.

GOING STREAKING
Kyle Rechlicz has her team once again off to a strong start this season with wins in each of Milwaukee's last eight games. That marks the fourth time in the last 2-plus seasons the Panthers have put together at least five straight wins, and is now the longest run for UWM under Rechlicz, surpassing the six-game streak in the early going of last season. A 'W' on Sunday would inch the team closer to the longest win-streak for Milwaukee since they rattled off 12 straight late in the 2005-06 season on their way to the NCAA Tournament. The current streak is now tied for fourth longest in the Division I era.

1. 12 games (1/28/06 - 3/6/06)
t2. 9 games (12/28/01 - 1/23/02)
t2. 9 games (2/10/01 - 3/10/01)
t4. 8 games (11/18/17 - present)
t4. 8 games (12/7/97 - 1/10/98)
6. 7 games (two times)

MORE B1G WINS
With wins over both Northwestern (Dec. 3) and Wisconsin (Dec. 14) this season, the Panthers now own two wins over Big Ten foes in the same season for the first time in program history. While it marks just the eighth and ninth wins all-time against the current Big Ten schools, the success should come as no surprise. Milwaukee thumped the Badgers, 80-63, at home a year ago and dropped a 65-63 heartbreaker to NU a few weeks later. That came one year after nearly upsetting Minnesota in the WNIT to close out the 2015-16 season.

WINNING IN A VARIETY OF WAYS
Milwaukee's current eight game win streak has been impressive for a variety of reasons; one of those being they have proven they can win in a variety of ways. The team flipped a 13-point deficit at Western Illinois into a 10-point road win Nov. 26. That was sandwiched by a pair of lopsided home wins over Loyola (Nov. 21) and North Dakota State (Dec. 1). UWM also dug deep and used stout defense in wins at Northwestern (Dec. 3), Wisconsin (Dec. 14) and at home against Illinois State (Dec. 7).

FARLEY CATCHING FIRE
Bailey Farley has been a big part of Milwaukee's offense of late. The senior guard - who was a game-time decision at Northwestern - went off for a career-high 24 points on near-perfect shooting against the Wildcats. Farley finished 8-11 from the floor and a perfect 5-5 from the free throw line. She was also vital down the stretch, netting 11 of her 24 points in the fourth quarter to help put the game out of reach.

That hot shooting carried over for Farley, who finished with a game-high 19 points after tying her career high with five made three-pointers, providing the spark her team needed in the win over Illinois State.

After being the clear focus defensively for Fort Wayne, Farley again got hot late in the win at Wisconsin to finish with a game-high 16 points.

Farley now has a combined 61 points in her last four games - the highest total over a four-game span in her career.

DE-FENSE
Milwaukee has put together some lock-down showings on the defensive side of the ball recently, including the Dec. 1 performance against North Dakota State. The Panthers limited the Bison to just 38 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 and the third-fewest points allowed in the program's Division-I history. The Panthers also held Bison to just 29-percent shooting for the game - the second time this season UWM has held its opponent below 30 percent for four quarters.

UWM has also held teams to single digits in the scoring column for an entire quarter eight times now this season (not including overtime), including in both the second and fourth quarters against both NDSU and Illinois State.

The Panthers head into Sunday's game against Marquette with their defense boasting some impressive national rankings, checking in at 48th in scoring defense (57.5 points/game against), 49th in field-goal percentage defense (35.9%) and 104th in three-point field goal defense (29.4%).

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 the Nov. 21 home opener, Kostowicz racked up another 19 points while going 8-10 from the floor. She then duplicated that feat last Sunday at Fort Wayne, again finishing 8-10 from the floor with 19 points. Kostowicz enters this Sunday's game with a .592 percentage from the field - 27th best in the entire NCAA.

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 10 games to start the season. In fact, six of those 10 games have finished with a double-digit advantage by UWM, with the season high so far coming in the Dec. 1 drubbing of NDSU as Milwaukee finished that game with a 53-28 edge on the boards.

THERE'S NO PLACE LIKE HOME
The Panthers have certainly enjoyed playing in front of their home fans recently. Milwaukee went an impressive 12-3 at home last season and is already 3-0 at the Klotsche Center this season with a pair of emphatic wins. UWM is now 24-8 in the last two-plus seasons when playing in front of their home fans.

In fact, the Panthers will take a 10-game home winning streak into Sunday's game against Marquette. That is tied for the fourth-longest home win streak in the team's Division I history.

1. 12 games (Feb. 25, 1992-Feb. 20, 1993)
2. 11 games (Jan. 22, 2000-Dec. 28-2000)
2. 11 games (Jan. 5, 2006-Nov. 19-2006)
4. 10 games (Jan. 13, 2016-present)
5. 9 games (Jan. 8-2004-March 4, 2004)

WINNING BIG
The Panthers have made a habit lately of posting some rather lopsided wins. Milwaukee put together nine 20-plus-point wins a season ago and has already done so twice this season. It started in the home opener with a 22-point smothering of Loyola (63-41) Nov. 21 before steamrolling North Dakota State by a whopping 36 points (74-38) Dec. 1.

Milwaukee's big win over NDSU marked the fifth-largest margin of victory for UWM since they moved to Division I heading into the 1990-91 season. Milwaukee only has two bigger wins in the last 15 years - the 38-point handling of LIU-Brooklyn last year and the school-record 54-point victory over Youngstown State back on Feb. 2, 2002.

WHAT A WIN
Milwaukee's 77-67 win over Western Illinois Nov. 26 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 come-from-behind (trailing at halftime) wins last season, besting the previous mark of six set back in the 2006-07 season.

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 four 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.

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. With her 17-point, 13-rebound performance on Dec. 7 against Illinois State, Kostowicz now has 26 double-doubles in her collegiate career. That already ranks her fourth in program history and is just one 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 Sunday's game, Lindner ranks eighth in scoring (1,364 points), eighth in rebounding (636), eighth in double-doubles (14) and tied for fifth in games started (102). Meanwhile, Kostowicz sits at 10th in career scoring (1,294 points), sixth in rebounding (757), third in blocks (134) and fourth in double-doubles (26).

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.

PILING UP THE WINS
Over the past two seasons, Milwaukee has been racking up the total in the win column. The Panthers eclipsed the 20-win mark for just the third time in program history last season, finishing with a program-record-tying 22 wins on their way to the WBI Semifinals. 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 01-02.

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 465 games in a row heading into the game against the Golden Eagles.

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.

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 that 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.

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 at 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.

Panther fans will also be able to listen to this year's games everywhere they go, 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

#4 Bailey Farley: G; 5' 10"; Redshirt Senior

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

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

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

#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

#4 Bailey Farley
: 5' 10"; Redshirt Senior
: G

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

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

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

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

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

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