Nov. 5, 2000
MILWAUKEE-The UWM women's basketball team opened their exhibition season in thrilling fashion, coming from behind to defeat Club Volna of Russia, 86-85, on Sunday afternoon at the Klotsche Center. It took the Panthers time to figure out their opponents' unorthodox play, as they were down 45-37 at half and trailed most of the second half.
"It was typical of the game. We we're out of sync early as it was the first time we worked against a zone. We weren't moving the ball really well. But we showed a lot of poise, and played more patiently to open things up. Our defense was critical in the second half, the players figured things out," said UWM coach Sandy Botham. "We were able to come back because of our senior leadership."
Senior guard Teri Stoltenberg came up with clutch basket, scoring on a jumper in the lane with eight seconds remaining. Stoltenberg received the inbound pass after a UWM timeout, and drove to the paint to pull-up from seven feet out.
The Panthers didn't take the lead in the second half until about a minute left in the game when senior forward Nicole Luchsinger scored on a three-point play. Luchsinger was fouled on a lay-up and converted the free throw to give UWM the 84-81 lead.
Club Volna's Oxana Tchougounova took the inbound pass and went coast-to-coast to score on a lay-up, pulling them within one point. Club Volna then took the 85-84 lead when Tchougounova grabbed a defensive rebound and took it to the other end to score on a jumper with 15 seconds remaining.
The Panthers provided a balanced attack, with four players scoring in double-digits. Sophomore guard Jessica Wilhite led UWM with 21 points on 7-14 shooting, including five three-pointers. Stoltenberg and freshman center Maria Viall each tallied 13 points, and Luchsinger added 11.
Tchougounova led Club Volna in scoring with 28 points, followed by forward Natalia Alexeeva's 26 points.
"I wish we hadn't been in that position of having it so close (of a game), but it's the exhibition and it's our first game. It's a real confidence booster to come out ahead," said Botham.
