Dec. 31, 2001
CHICAGO-Three Panthers scored in double figures to lead UWM (6-5) over Chicago State (4-8), 71-50, Monday afternoon at the Dickens Center. A balanced attack helped Milwaukee control the game and win its second straight for just the second time this season.
Jessica Wilhite scored 15 points to lead Milwaukee in scoring for the first time in five games, while Maria Viall scored 13 and Allison Klaas added 12. Wilhite swiped a career-high seven steals and connected on 5-of-14 from the field. Kristal Coleman scored a game-high 17 points for the Cougars, while teammate Michelle Allen grabbed a game-high 13 rebounds.
"It was a good win and its just great to string two games together," UWM coach Sandy Botham said. "But we still have to put two halves together. It's a little disappointing to lose what we did in the second half."
UWM led 43-18 at halftime, but Chicago State outscored the Panthers 32-28 in the second half. After shooting 56.7 percent on 17-of-30 field goals, Milwaukee didn't execute well and shot 27.3 percent in the second half on just 6-of-22 attempts. The Panthers took the 19-7 advantage rebounding in the first half, but allowed the Cougars to grab 22 in the second half. UWM still finished ahead on the boards, 32-29.
The Panthers didn't need to shoot from inside much in the first half as they connected on 60 percent from three-point range, scoring 18 points off of treys to lead by 25 points. Wilhite led the half scoring 11 points, but managed just four more in the second half.
Milwaukee was thrown off by Chicago State's full-court press in the second half. After tallying 10 assists in the first half, UWM made just one in the second. The Panthers finished with 11 assists and 17 turnovers, while the Cougars committed 23 turnovers and made 10 assists.
Both teams came out cold in the second half, with UWM scoring just five points and Chicago State four points in the first eight minutes. Klaas ended a four-minute scoring drought when she hit a three pointer from the top of the arc, giving the Panthers the 51-22 lead with about 12 minutes to go in the game.
"We wanted to have a veteran come off the bench and be a spark for us," Botham said of Klaas's second straight game as a reserve. "Allison definitely provided that and it's great to have that leadership role filled."
Freshman guard Malika Willoughby, getting her second consecutive start with the regular rotation in place of Klaas, chipped in eight points for her most scored this season. Willoughby was perfect on her shots taken, making 3-of-3 from the floor and 1-of-1 from beyond the arc.
After a pair of free throws by UWM freshman reserve Kimberly Becker with 8:18 to finish, the Cougars outscored UWM, 16-7, over the next five minutes. Both teams scored seven points each down the stretch to keep UWM ahead by 21 points.
The Panthers will use the two-straight wins as momentum heading into Horizon League play. UWM opens the conference season at home on Thursday, Jan. 3rd, when it hosts Loyola at 7 p.m. The Panthers continue hosting when they play their third straight Chicago opponent with UIC on Saturday, Jan. 5th, at 2 p.m.
