MILWAUKEE - The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee women's basketball team battled basket for basket before a big second-half scoring run helped Indiana University pull away for an 82-56 victory Sunday afternoon at the Klotsche Center.
 
"This (Indiana) is a team of great shooters," UMW head coach Kyle Rechlicz said. "This isn't a team that you can make a lot of mistakes against because they can shoot the ball so well. We knew we had to play a near-perfect game and I just felt like we got complacent in the second half. We made some bad passes – we had three turnovers in the first half and 12 in the second - and we lost our composure."
 
The Panthers (3-6) led or were tied with the Hoosiers (9-1) for nearly 10 minutes of the first half. Trailing 40-35 early in the second, Milwaukee went on a long scoring drought and could never recover.
 
"We let go of what got us to the point of making it a close game," Rechlicz said. "We have to play 40 minutes and not lose our confidence."
 
Freshman Jenny Lindner continued her hot hand, leading the way with 18 points. She added three rebounds and a pair of steals.
 
Senior Ashley Green (14 points) and junior Jaleesa Armstrong (10) were also in double-figures for the Panthers.
 
IU, which came in averaging a Big Ten-leading 84.6 points per game this season, had five players in double-figures led by Larryn Brooks who finished with a near-double-double of 16 points and nine assists. Alexis Gassion had a strong outing off the bench, netting 15 points and grabbing six boards.
 
Milwaukee played a strong first half, turning the ball over just three times. Back-and-forth, Lindner's three-point play on a layup and free throw trimmed the deficit to just one at 26-25 with 4:37 to go before the half.
 
Unfortunately for UWM, a cold stretch followed. Indiana scored 14 of the final 20 points of the period to take a 40-31 lead into the locker room.
 
The Panthers dug in and battled right back, scoring the first two baskets of the second half and bring themselves back within five at 40-35. But that decisive drought followed over the course of the next six-plus minutes. UWM would go 0-for-7 from the floor and commit five turnovers, as the Hoosiers would hit every shot they took (6-for-6) in scoring 20 in a row to make it a 60-35 affair at the 13:07 mark.
 
The Panthers would never get back within striking distance the rest of the way.
 
The hot-shooting Hoosiers finished at 55.7 percent (34-of-61) for the game, with Milwaukee ending at 38.6 percent (22-of-57) from the field. IU won the rebounding battle, 38-27, which led to a 46-32 advantage in points in the paint.
 
Up next, Milwaukee has the week off for final semester exams and returns to the court Sunday to host Chicago State, set for a 2 p.m. tip off at the Klotsche Center.