Feb. 1, 2003

Box Score

MILWAUKEE - The Maria Viall Domination Tour continued again here Saturday (Feb. 1) as the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee defeated Loyola University 68-56 in Horizon League women's basketball action. Viall led all players with 27 points while tying her own school-record with 21 rebounds. UWM outscored Loyola 36-17 in the second half to erase a seven-point halftime deficit. Milwaukee improved to 9-11 overall and 5-4 in the Horizon League while Loyola fell to 7-13 overall and 4-5 in the league.

"Maria has absolutely dominated people lately," UWM head coach Sandy Botham said. "I told her before the game that she was the best post player in the league and she took it to heart. She sprinted the floor and demanded the ball on offense. She carried us today."

It was a tale of two halfs for the Loyola offense as the Ramblers sprinted to a 39-32 lead thanks to 50.0% shooting in the first half and 44.4% from three-point land. Milwaukee did control the early portion of the game and led 25-20 with 9:16 left after a Nichole Drummond rebound putback. However, the Ramblers scored 13 of the next 17 points, seven of which came from Meskhenet Lands, to grab a 33-29 lead with 5:20 remaining.

Loyola extended its lead to seven with :44 left on a Sarah Hamilton 15-foot jumper and then went into the halftime locker room with the same cushion. Loyola hit 16-of-32 shots and 4-of-9 from three point line while holding Milwaukee to 42.5% overall and 1-of-7 from downtown in the first half. Viall kedt the Panthers in the game with 14 points and 11 rebounds in the frame. Milwaukee outrebounded Loyola 22-13 in the first half but committed 11 turnovers.

"We were really fired up for this game but I think we came out a little tense in the first half," Botham said. "Loyola started the game loose and they were really hitting some shots. We finally settled down in the second half and our defense led to some good offensive possessions."

Milwaukee scored the first five points of the second half to draw within two, 39-37, at the 17:26 mark of the game. Loyola continued to hold off the Panther surge until the hosts recaptured the lead, 45-44, on a Viall layup with 13:22 remaining. UWM then scored the next seven points in succession, keyed by three Nichole Drummond points and a three-ball from freshman Anne Witte to go up 52-44 with 10:47 to go in the game.

Loyola mde one last push, cutting the lead to 52-49 on a Ciara Henderson three-pointer, before 12 straight UWM points pushed the margin to a comfortable 64-49 with 5:05 remaining. The two teams traded buckets the rest of the way before Milwaukee posted its third consecutive Horizon League win.

UWM once again dominated the boards, outrebounding Loyola 49-29 on the game. Viall's 21 rebounds matches her own school-record total set just last week at Wright State on January 23. The Panthers shot 48.1% from the field in the second half while putting the clamps on the Rambler attack. Loyola hit just 5 of 31 shots in the second half for a season-low 16.1%.

Jessica Wilhite joined Viall in double figures with 13 points while Kimberly Becker and Witte added seven points. Drummond, who struggled shooting the ball, did play a solid all-around game, finishing with five points, nine rebounds, and team-highs in assists (5), steals (3), and blocked shots (2). Ciara Henderson led Loyola with 14 points while Lands added 13 and six assists.

The Panthers will take their three-game Horizon League winning streak on the road for a Thursday (Feb. 6) contest at Detroit. UWM will then head to Cleveland State for a Saturday (Feb. 8) showdown. The games are set to begin at 6 p.m. and 12 p.m., respectively.