Women's Basketball January 17, 2018

Michigan Road Swing Starts Thursday At Oakland

Panthers looking for fourth straight win

MILWAUKEE - Continuing their stretch of five games in 10 days, the Milwaukee women's basketball team heads across Lake Michigan to start a pair of games in the Motor City, starting with Oakland on Thursday. Tip time is scheduled for 6pm Central. The Panthers are looking for their fourth straight win, while Oakland returns home to start a five-game home stand after a tough loss at IUPUI last Saturday.

LOOKING AT THE GOLDEN GRIZZLIES
Oakland boasts one of the Horizon League's top scoring offenses, with four players averaging over 10 points/game, and Leah Somerfield sitting at 9.9 heading into the week.

The Golden Grizzlies are also a very veteran squad, with four of their five starters playing their final collegiate season.

Thursday's battle will also feature the top two shot blocking teams in the conference, with OU averaging 4.2 per contest and Milwaukee just behind at 4.0.

SERIES HISTORY
With an 82-60 win in the conference tournament quarterfinals last season, Milwaukee took a 6-5 lead over Oakland in the all-time series at the Division-I level.

UP NEXT
Milwaukee closes out its three-game road trip with its fifth game in 10 days Saturday with a Noon Central game at Detroit Mercy.

LAST GAME
Eleven total players finished in the scoring column as Milwaukee used an impressive second-half effort to cruise to a 76-53 win over UIC Monday from the UIC Pavilion.

A four-point game at the break, Milwaukee (13-5, 4-2 Horizon) opened the second half on a 10-0 run and never looked back for their third win in five days.

"I was really proud with how focused we came out," Milwaukee head coach Kyle Rechlicz said. "It's one of those situations where you're on your third game in five days, you have a (scouting report) that you just gave them 24 hours ago and you hope that they can retain as much information as possible.

"I was really proud with the effort that we came out with. We were diving for loose balls from the start and we just carried that through all 40 minutes."

Bailey Farley turned in an impressive performance, finishing with a game-high 20 points on 7-11 shooting to go with four rebounds, three assists, three steals and a career-high three blocks.

Jenny Lindner – who was named last week's Horizon League Player of the Week just an hour before tipoff – picked up right where she left off with 17 points, a game-high nine rebounds, three assists and two steals in just 25 minutes.

GETTING EVERYONE INVOLVED
Coach Rechlicz has a much deeper bench this season compared to years past, as evident to just how many different people can score for UWM this year. Milwaukee has had at least 10 different players score in a single game seven times already this year, with six of those seven featuring 11 or more scorers. The season high came against North Dakota State when 12 different players got in on the fun. When 11 players scored Jan. 15 at UIC, that marked surpassed last year's total of six games with that many scorers with at least 13 games still on the schedule.

REIT PLACE, REIT TIME
Sophomore Jamie Reit may not have been the designed recipient of last Saturday's game-winning shot, but the sophomore was Johnny on the spot when the ball came her way, drilling the mid-range jumper as time expired to send Milwaukee past Youngstown State, 62-61.

SHØT BLØCKERS
Milwaukee has established an impressive knack for blocking shots this season. With at least 13 games left this season, UWM has already racked up 72 blocks on the year - just 12 shy of last final tally. This year's mark is on pace to be potentially one of the best in school history, with the program record standing at 109 from the 2008-09 season.

Individually, Steph Kostowicz has been a force with a league-leading 2.2 blocks per game. Her season total thus far of 40 is just two shy of her mark from all of last season and her 153 career blocks is just 14 away from Maria Viall's program record of 167.

LIKING LEAGUE PLAY
After playing a challenging non-conference schedule, a pair of Panther guards have thrived since league play started. Redshirt sophomore Alyssa Fischer leads the Horizon League in three-point percentage over the last three-plus weeks, hitting an incredible 50 percent of her shots from deep thus far. Redshirt freshman McKaela Schmelzer is also making the most of conference play thus far, upping her assist average to 3.7 per game - sixth best overall.

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 12 times now this season (excluding overtime), including in both the second and fourth quarters against both NDSU and Illinois State.

The Panthers head into Thursday's game against Oakland with their defense boasting some impressive national rankings, checking in at 58th in scoring defense (58.9 points/game against) and 59th in field-goal percentage defense (37.2%).

BUZZER BEATER HISTORY
Milwaukee has made somewhat of a habit of buzzer-beater wins over the past few seasons. Jamie Reit's winner at the horn last Saturday against Youngstown State brings back memories of last year's road win at Cleveland State when Steph Kostowicz's reverse layup went in with 0.1 seconds left on the clock.

Former Panther Sierra Ford-Washington also had numerous memorable shots in her time in the Black & Gold, including a pair of runners during the 2015-16 season (Jan. 14 vs. UIC & Feb. 11 vs. Cleveland State).

Ashley Green also finds her name in this category, hitting a jumper with less than five seconds left on the clock back on Jan. 24, 2015 for a 64-63 win over UIC.

COMEBACK KIDS
The Panthers have proven multiple times this season that they should never be counted out of any game.

Milwaukee has already put together a pair of 15-point comeback efforts this season, doing so against Northern Kentucky (Dec. 28) and Cleveland State (Jan. 11) in the early going on conference play. Those both mark the largest come-from-behind wins since the Panthers turned a 44-28 deficit (16 points) into a 60-57 win over Toledo back in 2011.

That also marks the fourth time this season UWM has erased double-digit deficits, trailing at Western Illinois by 13 in the second half Nov. 26 before winning by 10. Milwaukee also trailed Illinois State by 10 Dec. 7 before claiming an overtime win.

In all, the Panthers now have five comeback wins already this season. Fans shouldn't be too surprised by Milwaukee's comeback efforts 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.

TAKING ON THE TOP TALENT
In just their first 18 games of the season, the Panthers have faced quite a number of challenging foes, including five that were either ranked or receiving votes in the Mid-Major Top 25. Four of those five early season meetings took place on the road. UWM opened the season with a narrow 77-73 loss at Drake (Nov. 10) before an impressive 77-67 win at Western Illinois (Nov. 26). Milwaukee then dropped a 56-51 decision at Wright State (Dec. 30) and a 52-29 contest at Green Bay (Jan. 6), before an impressive 79-72 win over Cleveland State (Jan. 11).

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 17 of the first 18 games to start the season. In fact, 10 of those 18 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.

Through its first 18 games, the Panthers are out-rebounding their opponents 728-564 for a +9.1 margin per game. That ranks 22nd in the nation heading into Thursday's game.

Here's a look at the best rebounding performances thus far this season by UWM:

1. +25 vs. NDSU (53-28)
2. +23 at Chicago State (42-19)
3. +16 vs. Youngstown State (42-26)
4. +14 at Drake (44-30)
5. +13 vs. Loyola (43-30)
6. +12 - three times

LEAGUE HONORS
Still early in conference play, 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. Lindner then was honored once again after averaging a double-double last week in a pair of wins over Cleveland State and Youngstown State.

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, 10-rebound performance Jan. 13 against Wright State, Kostowicz now has 28 double-doubles in her collegiate career. That moves her into sole possession of third place in program history, one past former Panther great Lindsay Laur.

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 as the catalyst in the comeback win over Cleveland State Jan. 11. That marked the 16th career double-double for the Neillsville native, ranking seventh in program history and just one shy of a tie for sixth place.

ROAD WARRIORS
UWM is currently once again on the road - a familiar story for the Panthers, who will play 17 of their 30 regular season games away from the Klotsche Center this season. Milwaukee has proven to feel right at home on the road so far this year, with an 8-4 record in road/neutral games. That already matches last year's regular season total of eight with at least six more road/neutral games still to come.

CRACKING THE POLLS
The Panthers dropped out of the CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Poll for the first time in a month after the loss at Green Bay. The rankings - voted on by Division I Women's Basketball coaches - debuted Milwaukee at No. 25 back on Dec. 12, with the Panthers staying in the top-25 for three straight weeks.

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.

NON-CONFERENCE SUCCESS
With a 9-3 non-conference record, Milwaukee wrapped up this season's early going with the best non-conference start in Division-I history. This year's squad surpassed last year's 8-3 mark and the 1997-98 team's 8-4 record.

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 Dec. 10 at Fort Wayne, again finishing 8-10 from the floor with 19 points. Kostowicz enters this Thursday's game with a sparkling .566 percentage from the field - 30th best in the entire NCAA.

GOING STREAKING
The Dec. 17 loss to Marquette brought Milwaukee's eight-game win streak to a close. The impressive run finishes tied as the fourth longest in the Division-I history of the program, with only a pair of nine-game runs and the school-record 12-game streak longer than this year's early season start. It also marks the fourth time in the last two-plus seasons the Panthers have put together at least five consecutive wins, with this year's run setting the new mark for the longest under head coach Kyle Rechlicz.

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 5-1 at the Klotsche Center this season with a pair of emphatic wins. UWM is now 26-9 over the past two-plus seasons when playing in front of their home fans.

In fact, the Panthers just closed out a 10-game home winning streak with the win over Illinois State Dec. 7. That finishes as the fourth-longest home win streak in the team's Division I history.

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 four times 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 and a 25-point (84-59) handling of Chicago State Dec. 21. Most recently, the Panthers dropped UIC by 23 (76-53) on the road Jan. 15 in the early going of conference play.

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.

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.

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 Monday's game, Lindner ranks sixth in scoring (1,460 points), eighth in rebounding (695), seventh in double-doubles (16) and fourth in games started (109). Meanwhile, Kostowicz sits at eighth in career scoring (1,382 points), third in rebounding (812), third in blocks (148) and third in double-doubles (28).

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.

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

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

#21 Alyssa Fischer: G; 5' 9"; Redshirt Sophomore

#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

Players Mentioned

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

#21 Alyssa Fischer
: 5' 9"; Redshirt Sophomore
: G

#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