Jan. 17, 2002

MILWAUKEE - Maria Viall scored 22 points to lead UWM (11-5, 5-0 Horizon) over Cleveland State (6-9, 2-4 Horizon), 80-67. The Panthers captured their seventh consecutive win and now have 19 straight wins at home against league foes.

Viall poured in 16 points in the second half to lift UWM past the Vikings, who only trailed by just two points at halftime. Angela Wenzel added a career-high 17 points off the bench, while Holly Tamm scored 13 and Malika Willoughby tallied 12. Erika Roudebush led Cleveland State with 18 points, but was held to just two points in the second half.

"Cleveland State came out of the blocks," UWM coach Sandy Botham said. "We knew what Roudebush was capable of and she showed it. Her performance in the first half really gave the team confidence. We lost our focus for a little bit in the first half, but we regrouped at halftime and sharpened up defensively in the second half."

With Milwaukee up 38-36 at the half, both teams battled close through the first nine minutes of the second half. The lead changed seven times before UWM took the lead for good on a Viall layup with 11:35 remaining. UWM had the 55-54 lead, but Willoughby's energy seemed to spark the Panthers momentum for the rest of the game. The freshman point guard's tenacious defense paid off when she stripped CSU's guards and sprinted up court for a spin-around layup.

Up 59-54, the Panthers continued its 15-7 run to take a nine-point lead. Maria Rickards hit a three pointer for Cleveland State to trail UWM, 70-64, but the Panthers went on a 10-2 run down the stretch.

"I give them a lot of credit for the way they came in and played," Botham said of Cleveland State. "But I give our team a lot of credit for the way we stuck it out and really stepped up when it counted."

Wenzel had 13 points in the first half and finished with 7-of-8 shooting from the field and 3-of-4 from the line. Willoughby hit back-to-back three pointers early in the second half to stop Cleveland State's momentum, and finished shooting 4-of-12, including 3-of-6 from the arc.

"Angie came off the bench and put in a lot of points for us. And Malika hit those open threes to get us going. She brings so much energy and enthusiasm, and that really helped spark us," Botham said.

Milwaukee finished shooting 43 percent from the field and 33 percent from the arc. CSU shot 41 percent from the field and 30 percent from the three-point line. The Panthers recorded 23 assists and 19 turnovers, while the Vikings committed 26 turnovers and made just 12 assists. The Panthers swiped 14 steals and outrebounded CSU, 28-26.

UWM plays host to Detroit on Saturday at 2 p.m. The Titans lost a close game to Green Bay tonight, losing 74-71.