Nov. 28, 2000
MILWAUKEE-Playing in their final exhibition game of the season, the UWM women's basketball team experimented with their line-up to produce an 87-66 victory over the Chicago Challengers Tuesday night at the Klotsche Center.
"This game was a great opportunity for our team," said UWM coach Sandy Botham. "It gave us a chance to get a lot of different combinations out on the court and to gain some confidence. It also gives a lot of our players some experience."
Freshman guard Charlene Smith started for the Panthers, leading all scores with 22 points on 10-of-11 shooting. Sophomore guard Jessica Wilhite added 16 points in 19 minutes of action as a reserve, and sophomore guard Antoinette Gregory pitched in 10 points, four assists, and seven steals in her first start of the season.
"Antoinette made a definite impact on our defense. We had good, solid defense, and I thought it carried us and created our offense," Botham said.
UWM finished the game with .523 shooting after an 18-of-33 first-half effort. The Panthers also put up a .571 three-point field goal percentage and converted 10-of-11 free throws in the first half. Chicago finished with .333 shooting percentage and were 1-of-14 from behind the arc.
The Panthers took the lead midway in the first half during a 9-0 run while taking advantage of four straight Chicago turnovers. Wilhite sank a three-pointer to move her team to 14-15, and sophomore forward Angela Wenzel scored the next five points off a lay-up and three-pointer. Sophomore Elizabeth Fletcher added a lay-up off an assist from senior Nicole Luchsinger, who tallied a team-high five assists. Wilhite closed the rout with a steal and two made free-throws to push the Panthers to 23-15.
UWM's defense continued to frustrate the Challengers after the 50-29 halftime score. The Panthers finished the game with 20 steals and helped force Chicago to 30 turnovers en route to their 87-66 romping. Challenger forward Kina Brown led Chicago with 20 points, while forward Mfon Udoka added 18 and grabbed nine rebounds.
Though Botham's Panthers committed 26 turnovers of their own, she sees a lot of good things for the team in their upcoming game against Buffalo this weekend.
"It was good to be back at home, we shot well, and we got a win. Buffalo is a great challenge for us, and we'll be on their home court so nothing will come easy."
