Nov. 21, 2000

MILWAUKEE-The UWM women's basketball team allowed a strong first-half performance to slip through their hands as Marquette scored a 59-43 victory on Tuesday night at the U.S. Cellular Arena.

UWM led 27-25 at the half and opened the second half right where they left off, maintaining a 38-37 lead with 13:22 to play. But Marquette's defensive effort stopped UWM down the stretch, limiting the Panthers to five points the rest of the game. UWM shot just 20 percent in the second half.

"It was obvious we weren't getting the ball inside," UWM coach Sandy Botham said. "They came after us in the second half, and were much more aggressive. We had some good looks, but couldn't get the lid off on the basket."

The Panthers fought hard from early on, but didn't find their offensive rhythm until midway into the first half. UWM showed patience and good ball movement in creating a shot for sophomore guard Jessica Wilhite, who sank a three-pointer to trail Marquette, 15-14. After a MU layup, junior guard Holly Tamm put in a jumper, followed by senior forward Janelle Jonason's quick spin and jumper to take the lead, 18-17.

Both teams battled the rest of the half, but UWM took the two-point lead into halftime off a tip-in by freshman center Maria Viall. Viall led the Panthers' scoring in the first half with eight points on 4-of-6 shooting in 12 minutes of action. Tamm and Wilhite both added five points.

Marquette's height advantage showed in the second half as they won the battle of the boards, 49-33, and blocked six shots overall.

"We knew the key would be controlling the boards, and they outrebounded us by 16. That was the difference-a big difference," Botham said.

Tamm led the Panthers' scoring with 11 points, while Wilhite and senior Nicole Luchsinger were the team's high rebounders with six apiece. Marquette's Heidi Bowman finished with 18 points and center Kristin Sefferen added 11 points and seven rebounds.

UWM returns to action Tuesday, November 28, hosting the Chicago Challengers in an exhibition game at 7 p.m. at the Klotsche Center Arena. The Panthers play their next regular season game December 2 at Buffalo.