Jan. 13, 2001

MILWAUKEE--After trailing by 12 points in the second half, the UWM women's basketball team (6-7) went on a 17-0 spree to take the lead for good and topple Detroit-Mercy, 86-80, Saturday afternoon at the Klotsche Center.

Behind 60-72 with 8:53 remaining in the game, the Panthers' run began with a made free throw by senior Janelle Jonason. Junior forward Stefanie Kaufmann added a jumper and then grabbed a rebound on the defensive end, allowing UWM the possession and Jessica Wilhite the chance for a 3-pointer. Five of UWM's points came off of free throws, while also receiving made-jumpers from Wilhite, Jonason, and junior guard Holly Tamm to go 77-72 with 3:07 left in the game.

Tamm, who sat out last year after transferring from UIC, scored a personal season-high 23 points to lead the Panthers. Coming off the bench, Tamm shot 7-of-9 from the floor and was 2-of-2 from beyond the arc. She also was 7-of-8 from the line while recording six rebounds, six assists, and four steals in 27 minutes. An MCC First Team All-Conference selection at UIC, Tamm had been averaging 4.8 ppg prior to this game.

"It's conference season now, so I thought I would put everything else behind me," said Tamm. "It's like a whole new season. I knew I had to step it up for the team. We can't rely on the same people to lead us every game."

Detroit brought the game back to within three points at 83-80 with 43 seconds left, but the Panthers put the game away on free throws by Tamm and junior guard Allison Klass to finish the game.

Klaas was also a huge factor in the Panthers' comeback, adding 17 points, four assists, and two steals in 30 minutes. Wilhite finished with 13 points, while Kaufmann tallied 10 points and a game-high eight rebounds.

The Titans took a 44-43 lead into halftime after being up by as many as 13 points. The Panthers narrowed the gap on a 10-0 run before finishing the first half on 42 percent shooting. Detroit shot 63 percent from the field and was 3-of-5 from 3-point range.

Detroit finished the game with the edge in shooting percentage, 50 percent from the field and 41 percent from the arc. Milwaukee improved to 46 percent and 32 percent, respectively. UWM took the advantage by going to the line 33 times, converting 22 free throws. They also took the advantage on the boards, recording 31-28 rebounds. For the second straight game, UWM posted a plus ration of 19 assists and 14 turnovers, while Detroit recorded 19 assists and 22 turnovers.

Milwaukee wraps up its three-game home stance with a match-up against Wisconsin Tuesday night 7 p.m.