Nov. 22, 2002

Box Score

MILWAUKEE - In the early portion of the 2002-03 season, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee women's basketball coach Sandy Botham is more concerned with the process than the end result. With that thought in mind, UWM's season-opener could be considered a mild success despite falling 82-59 to No. 7 ranked Purdue University in non-conference action here Friday (Nov. 22).

Purdue dominated the early portion of the game and took a 47-20 lead in the half before Milwaukee outscored the visitors by four, 39-35, in the second frame for the final margin. The Boilermakers shot 46% from the field on the game while connecting on 18-of-22 shots from the free throw line while forcing 25 Panther turnovers thanks to 15 steals.

"There were a lot of nerves in the first half and we made a lot of unforced errors," Botham said. "We played tentatively but that is to be expected with so much inexperience. But even though we got down I was pleased with the way we played in the second half. We battled back and stayed aggressive and we really gained a lot of experience."

Purdue's guard play and three-point shooting set the tone early on as the Boilers jumped out to a 32-8 lead with a pair of free throws by Shereka Wright at the 6:58 mark. The Panthers went on a mini 11-5 run to cut the lead under 20 points with 4:16 run before a 10-3 Purdue run to close out the half gave the visitors the 27-point lead at intermission.

The Boilermakers shot 50% in the first half while connecting on four-of-ten three pointers and all nine free throws. Purdue outrebounded the home team 19 to 12 while forcing 13 Panther turnovers. Wright led the way with 15 first half points while point guard Erika Valek added 12 points and five steals.

UWM turned the tables in the second half, beginning with a 6-0 run started by an Anne Witte jumpshot with 14:02 remaining. Purdue regained a 34-point lead at the 8:18 mark on a Sabrina Keys jumper before a 24-13 Milwaukee run closed the game. UWM shot 53.1% from the field in the second half, up from a 27.6% showing in the first half. Viall, the Preseason 2002 Horizon League Player of the Year, scored 13 of her team and game-high 21 points in the second half while Witte and fellow freshman Molly O'Brien combined for 11 second half markers.

Viall, who along with Purdue's Wright, tied for the game-high scoring lead while setting a school single-game standard with six blocked shots. In addition to her scoring output, Viall held Purdue's 6-5 Mary Jo Noon to four points on 1-7 shooting from the field. Senior Jessica Wilhite added nine points while sophomore forward Kimberly Becker scored seven points and grabbed a game-best eight rebounds. O'Brien added seven points, seven rebounds and two assists while Witte added six points and a game-high four assists in 21 minutes of play.

"I told Maria yesterday that she will be the best post player on the court every night and tonight she proved it," added Botham. "And our two freshman really played well. Molly is just so aggressive and she plays very hard. Anne got over her early tentativeness and played well in the second half. Those two will be special players here."

UWM will hit the road for the first time on Tuesday (Nov. 26) when they travel downtown to face crosstown rival Marquette University. Gametime is set for 6 p.m. at the U.S. Cellular Arena.