MILWAUKEE - Senior Ashley Green led four players in double-figures, but a key scoring run helped Marquette University escape with an 85-80 victory over the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee women's basketball team Wednesday evening at the Al McGuire Center.
 
"I am very proud of my team for fighting back," Milwaukee head coach Kyle Rechlicz said. "The last two games we lost because we didn't fight back. Tonight, I thought we played a full game – I thought we played 40 minutes of really, really tough basketball."
 
The Panthers (1-3) forced 21 turnovers but the Golden Eagles (2-3) shot over 50 percent for the game and used a 10-1 scoring run after Milwaukee had taken a 54-50 lead to turn the momentum of the game and never relinquished the lead down the stretch.
 
"You don't want to lose, especially in a cross-town rivalry," Rechlicz said. "They were just bigger than us. At the end of the day, we just don't have the size that they have. And they pounded it inside in the second half, which was smart."
 
Green scored 20-plus points for the fourth straight contest to open the season, adding five rebounds and three steals to her game-high 26.
 
Junior Jaleesa Armstrong added 17 points and four assists and freshman Jenny Lindner chipped in 10 points and five boards. Freshman Steph Kostowicz, making her first collegiate start, finished with 12 points and four rebounds.
 
"We just have to continue to build from this," Rechlicz said. "For our freshmen, this was a great atmosphere for them to be in. In key games like this, minimal mistakes will dictate whether you will win the game or not."
 
Kenisha Bell paced Marquette with a career-high 21 points. Apiew Ojulu had 16 and Lauren Tibbs had 12 points – all in the second half when the Golden Eagles pounded the ball inside to use their size advantage against the shorter Milwaukee roster.
 
The Panthers were down by just a point when the second half started and tied the game at 50-50 on a layup by senior Macie Dorow with 16:36 remaining. A pair of Kostowicz free throws added to the lead and junior Sydney Howard's transition layup off a steal gave UWM its biggest lead of the day at 54-50 with exactly 15 minutes remaining.
 
That was when Marquette went to work, scoring eight in a row as part of that 10-1 run to make it 60-55 on a Tibbs layup with 12:11 to play.
 
Milwaukee would get close the rest of the way but never get over the hump. Back-to-back three's by Green and Lindner cut the deficit to just one at 68-67, forcing a Golden Eagle timeout with 7:52 to play.
 
From there, UWM couldn't seem to catch a break, getting back within two on a pair of occasions but no closer.
 
The Panthers allowed an offensive rebound to be converted on a missed free throw with seconds left prior to intermission or they would have led at halftime for the fourth straight game. Instead, the team trailed just 43-42 despite red-hot 62 percent (18-of-29) shooting by the Golden Eagles.
 
The Panthers did it with defense, forcing 15 first-half turnovers while shooting 44 percent (15-of-34) itself. Green was at it again in the first, netting 16 in the first 20 minutes.
 
Her three-pointer with 4:45 remaining gave UWM the 34-32 advantage at the time. An 8-2 spurt by Marquette gave it back the lead, but the Panthers would not go away.
 
Two free throws by Armstrong cut the deficit and her nifty drive to the hoop made it 40-40 to mark the 12^th tie prior to intermission. Green added a pair of free throws of her own, giving Milwaukee a final cushion right before the lead changed for the 14^th time when the teams headed into the locker room.
 
UWM finished at 40.3 percent (27-of-67) from the field for the game, scoring a season-high 80 points. It lost the rebound battle, 44-34, but won the turnover count, 21-16, and scored 28 points off those miscues. Marquette ended the night at 50.8 percent (32-of-63).
 
Up next, the team finishes up the three-game road trip with a pair of contests in the state of Missouri. First up is a meeting with the Mizzou Tigers, set for a 2 p.m. tipoff Sunday.