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Post by skrapheap on Jan 6, 2016 11:56:13 GMT -6
The Panthers finished the non-league season at 6-5 with a win over Chicago State. Before playing Chicago State, the Panthers opened their league season at home against Green Bay with a loss.
The Panthers now make their first league road trip, to Youngstown on Thursday and Cleveland on Saturday. Both games are the openers of women's-men's double headers. The Panther women play Youngstown State at 4:15 p.m. on Thursday (radio broadcast on AM920, also broadcast on ESPN3), after which the Panther men play YSU starting at 6:45 p.m. (or thereabouts; radio broadcast AM 1130, also broadcast on ESPN3).
Saturday, the Panther women play Cleveland State at noon in Cleveland (radio AM920, also broadcast on TWC Sportschannel). The Panther men play Cleveland State in Cleveland at 2:00 p.m. (or thereabouts; radio broadcast on AM 1130, also broadcast on ESPN3).
So far, two newcomers have stepped nicely into their roles: Sierra Ford-Washington and Alexis Lindstrom. Ford-Washington has demonstrated an ability to score and rebound as well as set up her teammates for open shots. Lindstrom has so far lived up to her reputation as a good shooter from distance, but has contributed some hussle plays as well.
Veterans Steph Kostowicz and Jenny Lindner have had up and down starts to the season, Kostowicz having had her playing time limited by foul trouble, and Lindner started well (scoring 20+ points in a couple of games early in the season, but going into something of a slump recently. Coach Rechliz has been talking positively about the development of the team; she feels that there are enough scorers on the team that Lindner and Kostowicz do not need to score a lot every game for the team to have a chance to win.
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Post by skrapheap on Jan 7, 2016 18:51:05 GMT -6
The Panthers got out fast on Youngstown State, helped in no small part by dreadful 3-point shooting by the Penguins, who normally shoot much better from distance. The Penguins were getting open shots from behind the line, but missed their first seven and hit only the last shot of the first quarter, to cut the Panther lead to 20-8.
In the second quarter, the Penguins starting hitting three-pointers, and quickly closed the lead to a 24-all tie less than half way through the quarter. After Youngstown took a brief 26-25 lead, the Panthers picked up their pace and retook a five point lead at 34-29, but the Penguins put together a surge of their own to tie the score at 34 to end the half.
The Penguins took a short-lived two lead to begin the third quarter, but the Panthers turned up their defense and scored six straight to retake the lead 42-38 into a Penguin timeout. Out of timeout, Emma Roenneberg hit a three and the Panther lead was seven. The Penguins then answered with thirteen points to take a six point lead at 54-48 to finish out the quarter.
The fourth quarter was back and forth after the Panthers tied the score at 54. They had multiple opportunities to take a more substantial lead but failed to make their shots. The game was close to the end but the Penguins had an opportunity for a last second score and did not miss, and won 69-67.
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Post by skrapheap on Jan 9, 2016 23:55:07 GMT -6
After a last-second loss at Youngstown State Thursday night, the Panthers (6-7, 0-2 in league play) took on Cleveland State (3-10 overall, 0-3 in league play) in Cleveland.
The Panthers controlled the game pretty much the whole game, winning 62-46. The Panthers took control of the game in the second quarter, outscoring the Vikings 18-5 to expand a three point lead after one quarter to a 16 point (30-14) lead at half time. Cleveland State played better in the second half, but never got closer than 12 points.
The Panthers held the Vikings to 12 field goals for the game, Milwaukee's second best such effort in a game in program history. Milwaukee got balanced scoring with three players in double figures: Steph Kostowicz with a game high 18, Jenny Lindner with 14, and Sierra Ford-Washington with 11.
The Panthers return home for a Thursday night game against UIC (9-6, but 0-4 in league play).
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Post by skrapheap on Jan 14, 2016 15:52:03 GMT -6
Here are a few of my thoughts heading into tonight's game with UIC (7:00 p.m. in the Klotsche Center, with radio (AM 920) and broadcast (TWC Sportschannel, which probably means the game is blacked out on ESPN3)): - A 6-5 record in the non-league season is quite an improvement over previous years's performances, the first over .500 since 2001-02. Slightly more than half of Panther wins under Coach Rechliz have been league wins, so it's a step forward to do well in non-league play.
- The Panthers are off to a 1-2 start, but could have been 2-1 if they had played a little better down the stretch at Youngstown.
- In recent years league opponents have won the majority of league games against the Panthers, some of them putting together significant winning streaks. In two of the first three league games this season, the Panthers have played much better, hanging in with Youngstown State and dominating Cleveland State wire to wire. UIC has won seven of the last nine games against the Panthers, but is off to an 0-4 start in the league season.
- More consistant play, especially consistent shooting, would help the Panthers take a step forward in league play. Coach Rechliz has said she feels the Panthers are getting better at being consistent, especially in how they play defense, which can be a big help on nights when they struggle offensively.
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Post by skrapheap on Jan 14, 2016 21:30:31 GMT -6
After a slow start in the first quarter and a bad second quarter, the Panthers turned the game around in the second half and won a close game on a Sierra Ford-Washington layup with seven seconds left and a Jenny Lindner block at the buzzer, 54-53.
Both teams started slowly, and the score was tied at 11 all to end the first quarter. UIC heated up and the Panthers stayed cold in the second quarter, and the Flames outscored the Panthers 19-8 in the quarter, to take a 30-19 lead at half.
The Panthers scored the first seven points of the second half, and gradually reduced the Flames's lead to one point at the end of the quarter. The Panthers took the lead in the early stages of the fourth quarter. The Panthers pushed the lead to five at 51-46, and then UIC turned up the defense and reduced the lead to one. The last two minutes of the game was back and forth, with the teams trading the lead three times in the last minute, with the Panthers scoring the last second basket to even their league record at 2-2. The Flames fell to 0-5 in league play, losing yet another close game. The Panthers are now 8-7 on the season. This game marked the first time this season that the Panthers won a game in which they trailed or were tied at half-time.
Ford-Washington led the Panthers with 17 points. Steph Kostowicz had 14 points and nine rebounds.
The Panthers next play Valparaiso (who lost to Green Bay tonight by 39 points, to fall to 2-3 in league play) on Saturday afternoon.
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Post by skrapheap on Jan 16, 2016 16:08:01 GMT -6
Valparaiso got two quick threes to get out to an early 6-0 lead, but the Panthers quickly got going, led by Jenny Lindner's inside play and three-pointers from Alexis Lindstrom, and took a 25-19 lead to end the first quarter.
The Panthers started hot from distance, hitting their first eight three-point shots, four of them from Lindstrom. The Panthers hit nine of their first ten, building a 23 point lead with 1:19 left in the second quarter. The halftime score was 49-27. Lindstrom lead all scorers with 12 points, followed by Lindner with 10 and Steph Kostowicz with eight.
The Panthers and Crusaders played more evenly in the third quarter, but the lead grew to 68-41 at quarter's end. The Panthers had four players in double figures through three quarters: Kostowicz, Lindner, Lindstrom and Emma Roenneberg.
The fourth period saw a flurry of foul calls on the Panthers, with Valpo getting to the bonus less than two minutes in the quarter. Roenneberg fouled out in the quarter, finishing with a season/career-high 12 points. The Crusaders were able get the lead under 20 points briefly, but the Panthers maintained their level of play and finished the game with an 82-60 score, their third win in a row (the first three game streak for the Panthers in three years).
Kostowicz took over the scoring load in the second half, scoring 12 of her game-high 20 points, to go with 11 rebounds and 5 assists. Lindner finished with 15 points, Lindstrom with 14, and Roenneberg with 12. Sierra Ford-Washington contributed eight points, six rebounds and four assists. The Panthers shot 47% for the game, 69% for the game from three-point range. The Panthers 11 three-pointers was also a season high for the team.
Milwaukee faces a serious challenge in their next league game, playing Wright State (5-0 in league play) in Dayton on Thursday.
So far, this has been a pretty good season with the Panthers, all things considered. The road game against Wright State will be a good test of the progress the Panthers have made.
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Post by skrapheap on Jan 21, 2016 20:21:33 GMT -6
My expectation for the Panthers game against Wright State tonight, based on recent results and the two teams' start to the season (WSU was 15-3 and 5-0 in league play coming in) was that the Raiders would win comfortably, and that Kim Demmings would pass Traci Edwards as the League's leading career scorer.
My hope was that the Panthers would give the Raiders a challenge.
What happened is as shocking as the Panthers' road victory at Green Bay a few seasons ago. The Panthers dominated in nearly every possible way, and won by an 82-60 score (the same score by which they beat Valpo in their previous game). Aside from a short time early in the first quarter, the Panthers lead for nearly the entire game, and for the majority of the game were ahead by double digits.
What were the contributing factors? One big factor was that the Panthers shot well for the second straight game: 50% overall and almost 48% from beyond the three-point line. The Raiders shot 37% overall and a woeful 17% from distance.
The Panthers outrebounded the Raiders 44-32, and had 10 more assists for the night, 19-9. The Raiders also hurt themselves by shooting poorly from the free-throw line, making 10-22 versus the Panthers' 6-7 effort.
The WSU broadcasters tried to account for the Raiders poor performance by pointing out that Raiders were missing a key player who provided 12 points a game, and played good defense. The play-by-play guy even wondered aloud if the Raiders weren't looking past the Panthers to their game on Saturday with Green Bay. Those might be worth considering, but the Panthers took advantage of the situation to put up 47 points in the first half, and finished the third quarter leading by a 66-34 margin. The Raiders outscored the n Panthers 26-16 in the final quarter, but by that point the game was decided. (If the Raiders were looking ahead to the Green Bay, i suspect their practices for the next couple of days will focus on bouncing back from a terrible game. In that case, Saturday's game could be epic.)
Milwaukee got balanced scoring, with five players in double digits: Steph Kostowicz had 20 points, followed by Jenny Lindner with 15, Alexis Lindstrom with 13, Sierra Ford-Washington with 12, and Emma Roenneberg with 11. Roenneberg continues to play well. She has a nice three-point shot to go with her height, and of late has been a good supplement to the Panthers leaders.
Demmings led all scorers with 25 points, and did pass Traci Edwards on the career scoring list, but no one else scored more than seven points for the Raiders.
The Panthers take a four game winning streak into Saturday night's game at Northern Kentucky. The last they won four consecutive league games was seven or eight years ago. For the season, the Panthers are 10-7 and 4-2 in league play.
I said tonight would be a test of the progress the Panthers have made this season. Tonight they showed signs of becoming the team Coach Rechliz is envisioning, to judge by her public comments. They have exceeded my expectations so far. I won't make grandiose predictions for how the rest of the season will go, but clearly this is a better team than the Panther teams of the last several years.
And i got an extra birthday present.
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Post by skrapheap on Jan 24, 2016 0:04:04 GMT -6
The Panthers finished their weekend road trip with an 86-60 victory in their first ever game with Northern Kentucky. Their winning streak is up to five (for the first time since 2007-08).The Panthers are tied for second place in the league standings with Wright State at 5-2, behind undefeated Green Bay.
The Panthers again dominated the game in most ways. The Panthers shot at a 56 per cent clip for the night, including 11-24 from three-point range. NKU shot 29 per cent overall and 25 per cent from three-point range. The difference helped the Panthers to withstand the Norse's 30 - 20 edge in free throws attempted and an 18-10 edge in offensive rebounds (the Panthers had a 24-13 advantage in defensive rebounds, to win the overalll battle 34-31).
For the third consecutive game, the Panthers were led by Steph Kostowicz, this time with 23 points, a season and career high, followed by Siera Ford-Washington with 21, Alexis Lindstrom with 19 and Jenny Lindner with 11. Lndner was one of two Panthers to foul out of the game.
The Panthers are clearly playing well on both offense and defense. In four of the five wins in the current streak, the Panthers have won by at least 16 points; in the last three by at least 22 points. In the only game the Panthers won by less than sixteen points, the Panthers overcame a very slow start and a substantial halftime deficit to win a close game with defense at the end.
Wright State and Northern Kentucky have both shot well from three-point range this season. In their last two victories, the Panthers have made at least five more three-pointers than their opponents, and their overall shooting percentage has been higher than their opponents throughout the streak. Valparaiso also shot a much lower percentage from three-point range than did the Panthers.
I can't assess how much of the difference is the direct result of the Panther defense, but i can say that they are playing very good defense right now. Coach Rechliz has said all along that she wants good defense to be the calling card of her teams, and she has praised this team as having bought in and grown into playing the kind of defense she wants.
I don't know long the winning streak will continue, but this team has shown how good it can be, and if ithe players can show that they can play this well consistently, the team has a chance to make this season a great one.
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Post by skrapheap on Jan 25, 2016 13:58:35 GMT -6
Some time ago, I hate to put a bottom bar on the program; I don't watch a lot of the games and I haven't physically been to a women's game in years. That said, I'd like to see marked improvement. 13-14 wins shouldn't be too much to ask for. 13-14 wins is very doable; the Panthers could be 13-7 (7-2 in the league) by Saturday night. The Panthers will finish the first half of the league season this week with home games against Detroit on Thursday night and Oakland on Saturday. (On Saturday, the two previous NCAA tournament teams will be honored.) i expect that neither opponent will be a pushover, but i like the Panthers' chances at home, particularly if they keep playing as they have on this win streak. If the Panthers finish the season with their current overall winning percentage, they would finish 17-12 or 18-11, way above their total from last season. If they finish league play with their current league winning percentage, they would finish with a league record of 13-5, and an overall record of 19-10, which would nearly double their total from last season. After Saturday, they have a week to prepare for a trip to Green Bay to start the second half of the league season. Having played five on nine league games at home in the first half, the Panthers will play five of nine games away in the second half. Neither Jimmy nor i are making the decision, but i would hope that kind of improvement would keep Coach Rechliz around for awhile, if it didn't get her hired away from Milwaukee.
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Post by skrapheap on Jan 25, 2016 23:28:12 GMT -6
Steph Kostowicz is HL player of the week, to no one's surprise, and picks up another POTW honor: mkepanthers.com/news/2016/1/25/WBB_0125160901.aspx. Her line for the week: two games, 43 points, 17 rebounds, six assists, five blocked shots, four steals, and a partridge...
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Post by MKEPanthers45 on Jan 28, 2016 0:30:04 GMT -6
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Post by icelandreliant on Jan 28, 2016 10:15:41 GMT -6
I have to say I am very impressed by the way the women have played the last few weeks. I went to a non conference game a little over a month ago and they looked absolutely awful against a mediocre team-slow, couldn't hit a shot to save our lives, etc. I had little hope for the future, but it really looks like the Panthers have turned a bit of a corner.
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Post by skrapheap on Jan 28, 2016 16:17:53 GMT -6
They are playing much better basketball during this streak. The games tonight and Saturday will be a good test, and then a week from Saturday they will face an even tougher challenge against Green Bay on the road.
Part of the reason the win at Wright State was so surprising was that it was a road game, in a place where the Panthers had gotten run out of the gym in recent years. To play as they did is a positive sign.
Now the Panthers have two home games to finish their first pass through the league. I'm not sure they will be able to sneak up on anyone now, but if they keep playing as they have been, they won't need to.
Going into tonight's game, the Panthers now have four players averaging more than 10 points/game: Steph Kostowicz (12.9), Sierra Ford-Washinton (12.5), Jenny Lindner (11.8), and Alexis Lindstrom (10.5).
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Post by skrapheap on Jan 28, 2016 21:44:38 GMT -6
The Panthers scored 79 points against the Detroit Titans tonight. The problem was they didn't play nearly as well on defense, and gave up 89 points to snap their winning streak at five games. I don't know if it was complacentcy, or the Panthers coming back to earth, or what other explanation might account for it (I attended the men's loss to Oakland on Monday night, and tonight's loss, so to be safe i won't be at the Men's game tomorrow or the Women's game on Saturday ) The Panthers actually had a 47-44 lead at the half, but Detroit came out of halftime with much more energy than the Panthers did, outscoring the Panthers 24-16 in the third quarter, and 21-16 in the fourth quarter for the final differential. Part of the Panthers defensive woes were attributable to foul issues, but Detroit outshot the Panthers in all categories, and it's hard to overcome that. Detroit moved the ball effectively, and hit four more three-point shots than the Panthers, and made more free-throws (19) than the Panthers attempted. Oakland edged Green Bay tonight in Green Bay, so Saturday's game between the Titans and the Phoenix will be a competition of which coach will work the officials harder: Detroit's coach trying to protect his thin roster (ten players listed, only eight in uniform tonight) or Green Bay's Borseth after losing his undefeated league season. The Panthers will have to bounce back Saturday against Oakland. Wright State lost tonight to Youngstown State so there is a four way tie between YSU, Wright State, Milwaukee and Detroit for second place at 5-3, two games behind Green Bay, now 7-1. Oakland is now tied with Valparaiso at 4-4, just behind the logjam.
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Post by skrapheap on Jan 30, 2016 17:06:34 GMT -6
The Panthers took an early 4-2 leaad, but most of the first quarter was dominated by Oakland. The Golden Grizzlies scored nine consecutive points to take an 11-4 lead. The Oakland lead alternated between five and seven points for the rest of the quarter, at the end of which the score was 15-8 Oakland. The Panthers came to life in the second quarter, which is their best scoring quarter this season. Helped by a flurry of Oakland fouls and turnovers, the Panthers outscored the Grizzies 24-15 and took a 32-30 lead into halftime. The defensive energy which was missing from Thursday night's game came back in the second quarter.
The Panthers surge continued in the third quarter, building a 14 point lead at 56-42, forcing the second Oakland time out of the quarter. The quarter ended with the Panthers up 58-44, the Panthers again outscoring Oakland 26-14. The Panther lead briefly reached sixteen to start the fourth quarter, when Oakland began a rally, cutting the lead to nine on a three-point shot. The Panther scored the next four points to regain a thirteen point lead, but Oakland countered with another long three about halfway through the quarter. The Grizzlies would get no closer than nine poitns, though, as Panthers scored the next five points to take a 69-54 lead, and retook a 16 point lead at 72-56 on a Sierra Ford-Washington three-point shot. The Panthers got the lead to 17 at 77-60, and Coach Rechliz started to send in the subs. The game ended at 77-64, and the Panthers had rebounded from their disappointing Thursday night performance in convincing fashion.
Ford-Washington led all scorers with 24 points, going 11-11 from the free throw line. She had plenty of company in double figure scoring: Jenny Linder had 16 points, Alexis Lindstrom and Emma Roenneberg had 11 (along with 10 rebounds), and Steph Kostowicz had 10.
Ford-Washington has several of the best scoring performances for the Panthers this year. She scored 24 points for the second straight game, which should put her into consideration for player of the week. She has scored 25 points in a game earlier this year, tying Jenny Lindner for the season high game output. In the last six Panther league wins, Ford-Washington has 17, 8, 15, 21, 24 and 24 points scored. She is the Panthers second leading scorer in league play. She has been a revelation, both as a scorer and a paaser.
The four team tie for second place was reduced to two this afternoon. Wright State won big over Cleveland State to go to 6-3 and stay tied with Milwaukee. Green Bay (now 8-1) beat Detroit and Northern Kentucky beat Youngstown State; Detroit and YSU finish the day at 5-4. Oakland, Valparaiso and Northern Kentucky are next at 4-5, followed by UIC at 2-7 and Cleveland State at 1-8.
The Panthers overall record is now 12-8; the last time the Panthers won 12 games in a season was eight years ago. The most hopeful aspect of the Panthers season so far is that they have made all this progress with a very young team. Only one of the two seniors on the team has been able to play: Jordyn Swan will not play this season because of another ligament injury in her knee; she has had to contribute almost as a coach. It was announced Thursday that she will be back next season to play for the Panthers. Sydney Howard, the other senior, has contributed to the team's success in many ways that are less flashy and but still important: playing defense and generally showing leadership.
Juniors Christina Wakeman and Alexis Lindstrom have been significant contibutors along with Ford-Washington. Lindstrom has hit at least one three point shot in every Panther game this season. Wakeman has improved to the point of being a regular in the rotation. She scores better than she has in her previous years.
Sophomores Jenny Linder and Steph Kostowicz have followed up good freshman seasoons with good play this year. Lindner had to carry the team for most of last season, until Kostowicz recovered from an injury. This year as one of several offensive weapons, Lindner has been a reliable contributor, currently the third leading scorer. Kostowicz is the leading scorer and rebounder, and is second on the team in blocked shots. Kelsey Cunningham has continued to contribute solid defensive play and rebounding, and has increased her scoring slightly over her freshman season.
Of the freshmen, Emma Roenneberg has emerged, particularly during the league season, earning more minutes and doing good things on the court. She has a great eye on three point shots (9-13 in league play), and has shown she can handle the ball well for her height. The Panthers were very pleased to sign her, and she is developing nicely.
Up next for the Panthers is the tough road trip to Green Bay next Saturday afternoon, to start the second half of the league season. The Phoenix cooled down the Titans today, winning comfortably by 22 points. The Phoenix have been winning with defense this season: they are first in scoring defense (by a comfortable eight points a game), which more than offsets an unusually low sixth place standing in scoring offense. The Phoenix controlled the game from beginning to end in the league opener in Milwaukee; at that time, the Panthers had not yet begun to click offensively. i expect next Saturday's game to be much more competitive, and if the Panthers are able again to play the kind of offense they have shown in the first half of the season, winning the game does not seem out of the question. It will require the Panthers' best effort of the season, no doubt, playing Green Bay in the Kress Center against what will probably be the largest crowd the Panthers will play before in the league season if not all season.
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