Dec. 28, 2000
MILWAUKEE--Freshman center Maria Viall paced the Panthers with a game-high 19 points as UWM (4-4) captured its third straight victory with a 68-48 win over Bowling Green (4-7) Thursday night at the Klotsche Center.
After a 0-3 start earlier this season on the road, the Panthers have fought back to go 4-1 in the last five games. They remain perfect at home on the year, and are riding an 11-game winning streak at Klotsche that began late last season.
"It's definitely good to get some wins under our belts," said senior guard Teri Stoltenberg. "We never panicked when we were 0-3. We knew that we have a young team and it would take a little time to get going on all cylinders. So far our patience is paying off."
The first half opened slow to scoring, as it took awhile for both teams to develop a rhythm. Down 16-22 with five minutes remaining in the first half, the Panthers were sparked by a huge presence off the bench to end the half on a 12-7 run. Viall pitched in seven points and three blocks down the stretch, while sophomore guard Antoniette Gregory hit an open three-pointer and sophomore Jessica Wilhite added a jumper to trail, 28-29, at halftime.
UWM came out strong right away in the second half on a 10-3 run to lead 38-32 with 14:37 remaining in the game. Bowling Green stormed back with eight consecutive points to regain the lead, courtesy of a field goal and back-to-back three-pointers. Sophomore forward Angela Wenzel came off the bench and hit a jumper, 42-40, and gave the Panthers the final lead with 12 minutes left. Wenzel sparked a 13-2 run as the Panthers began to wear down their opponents.
The Panthers pumped out a balanced attack, with many players contributing on both ends of the court. UWM recorded a season-high 13 steals and seven blocks, while also making 22 assists. They outrebounded Bowling Green, 43-28, while keeping the Falcons to 33 percent shooting from the field and 29 percent from the arc. UWM shot 43 percent and 42 percent, respectively.
Wilhite recorded her first double-double on the season by tallying 10 points and 10 rebounds. Stoltenberg finished with 11 points and four assists in 28 minutes of action. Junior guard Allison Klaas led the game in assists with five. In addition to her 19 points, Viall grabbed nine boards while recording four blocks and three steals in 27 minutes.
"This is a great win, to get back to .500 is great," said UWM coach Sandy Botham. "But I'm more impressed with how much we have grown and improved on the season. In this next stretch, where we host Missouri and then travel out west to play two good teams, we are going to have our hands full. But I feel that we're more prepared and experienced to meet the challenges."
UWM welcomes Missouri to the Klotsche Center on Saturday for a 3 p.m. tip-off. The game will be locally-televised (Channel 41) and will be followed by the UWM men's basketball game against Colorado at 7 p.m. The Lady Panthers then travel to California for road games against Saint Mary's (Jan. 3) and San Francisco (Jan. 5).
