Feb. 21, 2002
Youngstown, Ohio - Maria Viall tallied 23 points and 15 rebounds for her sixth double double of the season to lead UWM over Youngstown State, 67-46, Thursday night at Breeghly Arena. The Panthers (20-6, 14-1 Horizon) move into a share of first place in the league with Green Bay, whom they face Saturday in their final regular season game.
The win over Youngstown State (11-15, 7-8 Horizon) gives UWM their 20th win of the season, the most wins ever since the program went to Division I status in 1990-91.
"Everyday we get a little better, especially on the road," UWM coach Sandy Botham said. "Our kids are on a mission. We had a tough schedule leading into Saturday's game against Green Bay, but winning these past three games on the road has given the girls a lot of confidence."
Viall had 15 points in the first half to help UWM lead by 13 at halftime, and finished on 10-of-15 from the field. Malika Willoughby scored 14 points, while Holly Tamm added eight points and six assists. Heather Harris scored 12 points and Jen Horner added 10 for Youngstown State.
"Maria hasn't really been playing up to form, but tonight they couldn't guard her," Botham said. "Our girls did a good job finding her down there. Having that inside presence helped things open up outside as well."
Though the Panthers shot 38 percent from the field, their defense carried them from the start. UWM swiped 14 steals and forced Youngstown State to commit 25 turnovers, while. YSU was held to 36 percent shooting, while the Panthers also took the 45-35 advantage on the boards.
"Our defense was what gave us the win today, and I'm definitely happy with they way we finished on the boards."
UWM led 41-26 five minutes into the second half, but the Penguins scored 10 straight points to cut their deficit to just five points. Stefanie Kaufmann broke YSU's momentum when she hit a jumper off a feed from Malika Willoughby.
Willoughby came through a minute later with a three pointer to put UWM up by double digits, and then hit another trey to give the Panthers the 52-36 lead with 7:05 remaining.
The Panthers played furious defense from the start, but offensively took over midway through the first half. Trailing by one, UWM went on 13-0 run and built a 20-8 lead with 8:00 left in the half. Viall showed strong on the post with three consecutive baskets--including one off a great dish by Tamm, who stole the ball at halfcourt and found Viall while under pressure.
UWM turns around to host Green Bay Saturday at 2 p.m. at the Klotsche Center. With both teams tied at top of the league, the game will determine which team takes the top spot heading into the league tournament next week. Both teams shared the regular-season title last year, though Green Bay took the first seed in the tournament because of a tie-breaking procedure.
