Box Score
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - Maria Viall enjoyed another fine night but it wasn't enough as the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee women's basketball team dropped an 86-60 contest to Purdue University here Tuesday (Nov. 25). Viall led all players with 23 points and 12 rebounds while adding three assists in a game-high 35 minutes. The Boilermakers, the 9th ranked team in the country, shot 64.3% from the field and had three players score in double figures to improve to 2-1 on the season. With the loss, UWM falls to 1-2 on the young season.
Purdue controlled play from the get-go, thanks in large part to careless UWM ballhandling. The Boilermakers forced seven Panther turnovers in the first four minutes while jumping out to a 12-4 lead. A Kiley Johnson three-pointer cut the lead to five at the 15:38 mark before Purdue ran off ten of the next 13 points for a 22-11 lead.
Milwaukee cut the lead back to eight, 22-14, on a Viall layup and a Teri Huff free throw before a 10-0 run over the next 1:25 seconds pushed the Boiler lead to 32-14. Viall scored eight of UWM's next ten points to keep the lead at fourteen on a couple occasions but a 5-0 run to end the half helped the hosts take a 49-28 lead into the break. Purdue shot a remarkable 70.0% in the first half, connecting on 21-of-30 shots.
"I was really disappointed with the effort and intensity level of some of our players," UWM head coach Sandy Botham said. "We didn't do a good job of controlling the things we can control and that is something we talk about."
The Boilermakers put their game on cruise control in the second half while the Panthers were energized by the play of a pair of freshmen. Point guard Aubrey Hampton excelled against the Purdue press in the second half which led to three second half assists. Kiley Johnson excelled for the second straight game as she provided quality minutes off the bench. Hampton ended the game with eight points and three assists while connecting on six-of-six from the free throw line while Johnson added a career-high 13 points to go with six rebounds.
Milwaukee will take a few days off for the Thanksgiving holiday before heading down to Tallahassee, Fla., for the Seminole Classic. UWM will open the tournament on Friday versus the host school, Florida State. Game time is set for 6:00 p.m. CST.
