March 1, 2001
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INDIANAPOLIS- Maria Viall's 25 points and 10 rebounds tipped UWM over Butler, 67-62, at the Hinkle Fieldhouse Thursday night. The freshman center tied a career-high to battle out the close game, helping give the Panthers (15-10, 11-2) their fifth-straight victory.
"We showed great poise," said UWM coach Sandy Botham. "The team just played great together to pull it out in the end. We hit clutch shots and we just didn't let them see us sweat."
With three minutes left on the clock, senior Teri Stoltenberg bombed an open three to open the game up at 59-54. The Bulldogs quickly closed the gap with a field goal, but Viall grabbed the offensive board and scored a layup to put UWM up by five again.
"Maria has been the difference this year. Her presence opens up a lot of things for us underneath the basket," said Botham. "Teri also showed great composure when she hit the three. It was a great look and a big-time shot."
The baskets seesawed down the stretch, but consecutive free throws by Viall and Allison Klaas allowed the Panthers to earn the five-point advantage at the end.
Milwaukee finished up to shoot 42 percent from the field, while Butler hit 44 percent. UWM was huge on the boards, outrebounding Butler 44-25.
Viall's efforts came from 10-of-14 shooting, including 5-of-6 from the line. Senior Nicole Luchsinger also figured in double-digits for the Panthers, scoring 10 points including six free throws.
The game's biggest lead came when the Panthers were up by eight points late in the first half, but the Bulldogs played tight throughout the rest of the game. Milwaukee received a small relief when Viall hooked in a bucket over a Butler defender to lead 53-50 with 6:00 remaining in the game.
Butler trailed Milwaukee by five points at the half, but gradually tied it up at 37 apiece after scoring on a three-point play with 16:30. After about two minutes without a basket, UWM broke the ice when junior guard Holly Tamm sank a three-pointer to go back up by three points.
The first half opened with teams exchanging the lead, but UWM soon took over to grab the slight advantage. Freshman center Maria Viall scored eight points to give the Panthers the 12-9 lead at 14:55. Milwaukee then built an 8-0 run with help from two consecutive Janelle Jonason layups, while Viall and Holly Tamm added jumpers.
Down 24-16, the Bulldogs scored six straight points to trail by a basket before Jessica Wilhite nailed a three-pointer at the 3:53 mark. Both teams scored again down the stretch, but Viall's jumper off an inbound pass with three seconds left on the shot clock gave UWM the 31-24 lead at halftime.
Viall finished the first half with 12 points on 5-of-7 shooting from the field, while UWM shot 52 percent as a team.
