Detroit Knocks UWM Women From Horizon Tournament

March 7, 2004

MILWAUKEE - A furious rally to end the game came up just short as the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee fell 64-58 to the University of Detroit Mercy in the semifinals of the 2004 Horizon League Women's Basketball Tournament here Sunday (March 7). Maria Viall led UWM 17-12) with 14 points and a game-high 16 rebounds in her final game as a collegiate player. Katie Solner led a balanced Detroit (15-13) attack with 14 points as the Titans advanced to Monday's Championship game versus UW-Green Bay. The title game is set for 6:00 p.m. CST at the Klotsche Center.

Detroit (15-13) controlled the entire game, leading by as many as eight in the first half and by 15 on three occasions in the second half. However, UWM's defense turned it up midway through the second half and ended up holding Detroit without a field goal for the game's final 10:59. During the stretch, Milwaukee outscored UDM 15-3 to cut a 15-point lead to three, 60-57, with 1:05 left. The Panthers had the ball with a chance to tie in the final minutes but a Nichole Drummond offensive foul and clutch free throw shooting down the stretch sealed the Titan victory.

UWM could never get on track offensively while Detroit was effective much of the night on the offensive end. The Panthers shot just 32.7 percent from the field for the game, including 29.2 percent in the second half. The Titans, meanwhile, made 51.6 percent of their shots in the first half and wound up shooting 46.3 percent for the game.

Viall, the 2003-04 Horizon League Player of the Year, finished her illustrious four-year career as the program's all-time leading scorer with 1,869 points. Sophomores Molly O'Brien and Nichole Drummond added 12 points apiece for the Panthers while Sara Crum and Lindsay Pasquinzo added 12 and 11, respectively, for Detroit.

Next season Milwaukee will return all but one player, Viall, from this season's 17-12 squad. UWM will return four starters, in addition to freshman point guard Aubrey Hampton who missed a majority of the season with a knee injury.

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