Nov. 2, 2005

Box Score

MILWAUKEE, Wis. - Freshman Traci Edwards scored 13 points, all in the second half, and junior Aubrey Hampton added 12 to lead the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee women's basketball team to a 74-58 win over UW-Parkside in its exhibition opener Wednesday evening at the U.S. Cellular Arena.

Seniors Molly O'Brien and Nichole Drummond added eight points apiece, while O'Brien finished with a game-high 11 rebounds.

The Panthers played 16 players while leading by as many as 26 points in claiming the victory over their in-state Division II rivals.

UWM's defense was the real star, limiting the Rangers to just 25.9 percent shooting from the field. In fact, Parkside made just 15 field goals on the night, but did convert 27-of-36 from the foul line.

"I thought our defense really picked it up as the game went on," UWM head coach Sandy Botham said. "We put the full-court pressure on and broke things open. We reached in a lot and sent them to the line too much, though, and that kept them in the game."

Edwards did not attempt a shot in the first half before hitting on 6-of-7 in the second half on her way to team-high scoring honors.

"We really made it a point to look for Traci in the second half," Botham said. "The thing about her is that she has good hands, so if you throw it near her she is going to catch it."

Milwaukee led for all but 10 seconds on the night, taking the lead for good at 10-8 less than five minutes into the game. Hot shooting sent UWM on a 13-3 run, as it opened its biggest lead of the opening half at 26-13. The Panthers hit on 11 of their first 16 shots, including their first four three-point tries.

The Panthers then led by just seven at halftime before re-opening their advantage in the second 20 minutes. A 16-2 Milwaukee run pushed the lead to 51-32 with 13:35 remaining and the Panthers then kept their lead above 20 points much of the rest of the way.

UWM will play its second exhibition contest Monday night, hosting the Wisconsin AAU team at the Klotsche Center.