Nov. 30, 2003

Box Score

TALLAHASSEE, FLA - Solid first half offense and good free throw shooting down the stretch propelled the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee women's basketball team to a 65-56 victory over Liberty University in the consolation game of the Seminole Classic here Sunday (Nov. 30). Milwaukee, now 2-3 on the season, held an eight-point halftime lead and never trailed in the second half to take third-place in the tournament. Liberty, which has advanced to five straight NCAA Tournaments, fell to 1-3 with the loss.

The Flames jumped ahead in the game's early minutes, propelled by 6-8 junior center Katie Feenstra. The 2003-04 Big South Preseason Player of the Year scored five points in giving Liberty an 8-6 lead with 16:01 to go in the first half. A Monique Leonard three-pointer with 15:36 in the half gave LU its biggest lead of the night, 11-6, before UWM went on a run.

Teri Huff started things with a layup before Kiley Johnson tied things up with the first of her two three-pointers. A Maria Viall jumper at the 12:58 mark gave the Panthers the lead, 13-11. Daina Staugaitiene drilled a three-ball on Liberty's next possession but the lead was brief as freshman Aubrey Hampton connected from long-range to put UWM up 16-14. Liberty was able to take one final lead, 19-18, on a Feenstra layin at 9:29. However, the Panthers scored 10 of the next 12 points to take a 28-21 lead with 5:48 left in the half.

Milwaukee stretched the lead to eight in the closing moments of the half, thanks to hot-shooting by Johnson. The freshman sharpshooter drilled two jumpers and a long range three-pointer to close the half en route to 12 first half points. Viall also scored 12 for UWM while Feenstra led LU with 13 points and seven boards. The Panthers connected on 16-of-27 shots for 59.3% in the frame while holding Liberty to 44.4% shooting and 14 turnovers.

The two teams played evenly in the first few minutes of the second half, before six Liberty points cut the UWM lead to four, 44-40, with 14:25 to play. Milwaukee appeared to put the game out of reach over the next seven minutes thanks to a 14-4 run. Viall fueled the run with seven points while Kimberly Becker and Nichole Drummond added four and three each.

Liberty was able to make the game interesting down the stretch as the Panthers went cold offensively. The Flames scored the next 10 points and cut the lead to four, 58-54, on two Feenstra charity tosses with 3:12 to play. Despite not making a field goal in the final 8:17 of the game UWM was able to hold on for the win due to stifling defense and nine-for-ten free throw shooting in the final four minutes.

Viall led the Panthers once again, this time scoring 21 points to go with team-highs in rebounds (six), assists (five), and steals (three). The All-America Candidate scored 20+ points for the fourth straight game while being named a member of the five-player All-Tournament team. Johnson added 12 points off the bench for UWM while Drummond added eight points and five boards. Liberty was led by Feenstra's 23 points and 13 caroms.

Milwaukee will return to action on Tuesday (Dec. 2) for its first home game of the season. UWM will welcome Northern Iowa for a 7:00 p.m. showdown at the Klotsche Center.