Box Score |  Notes

CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. (Nov. 25,2005) - Senior Molly O'Brien hit a lay-up with 33 seconds remaining in the second overtime and freshman Traci Edwards converted a free throw with 9.9 seconds to go as the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee women's basketball team outlasted Southeast Missouri State, 90-87, Friday night in Cape Girardeau, Mo.

Wanika Owsley hit the game-tying shot at the end of both regulation and the first overtime for the Redhawks (1-2), but it was not enough, as the Panthers (2-2) came away with the win.

Edwards posted her second-straight double-double with 20 points and 12 rebounds to go with four blocks, while senior Nichole Drummond added 20 points and three steals. UWM had three more players in double-figures, with junior Megan Rogers scoring 14, O'Brien getting 13 to go with nine rebounds and sophomore Meredith Onson with 11, five rebounds and four assists.

Tatiana Conceicao scored a game-high 21 points for SEMO, while Simone Jackson (17 points), Natalie Purcell (15) and Owsley (12) each cracked double-figures, as well.

The game was tied at 83 apiece heading into the second overtime. UWM scored the first four points on two free throws from Rogers and an Edwards lay up. SEMO battled back with four-straight points by Joiceline Thesing to tie it 87-87. Milwaukee then scored the final three points of the game to ice the victory.

UWM scored the first seven points of the first overtime, but Southeast battled back with the next seven points of its own to keep the contest level. The Panthers began to pull away again, getting a jumper from Onson and two free throws from Edwards. After Conceicao hit a jumper, Owsley stole the inbound pass and hit a quick lay-up with 13.4 seconds to go.

Onson then drew a foul, Conceicao's fifth of the game, and calmly hit two free throws for another two-point lead. Not to be denied, Owsley took the inbound pass coast-to-coast and hit a lay-up at the buzzer to send the game into a second overtime.

"I felt like we were in control of the whole game after the first few minutes. Every time they came at us and made a surge, I thought we answered well," head coach Sandy Botham said. "In the first overtime, I said, `they answered you, answer back.' In the second, it was `they answered you again, now come back.' They did a great job of keeping their composure and answering their runs."

Milwaukee shot 51.7 percent for the game and went to the free throw line 33 times, hitting 23 attempts. The Redhawks shot just 39.5 percent for the game, but had 17 of their 41 rebounds come on the offensive glass. UWM finished with 45 rebounds, but turned the ball over 27 times.

"Our young women came out and played very hard, very competitive. I thought they played very well together," Botham said. "We had a lot of people stepping up for us on the offensive and defensive end. We were aggressive offensively with people taking it to the basket. The last couple games, I thought we were tentative. They all broke out of their shell tonight."

A free throw by Owsley with 55 seconds remaining in regulation knotted the game at 67-67. O'Brien hit a lay-up and Edwards one of two from the free throw line to make it a three-point game at 70-67 with 18.9 second remaining. The Redhawks brought the ball back down and Owsley hit another three with just seven ticks on the clock.

With a chance for the win, Milwaukee got the ball into the paint, where Rogers' put-back fell just after the horn sounded.

The game opened in streaky fashion, with SEMO taking a commanding 15-4 lead after a 9-0 run and the Panthers answering with an 8-0 run of their own. Southeast's full court press got to UWM early, while the Redhawks could not miss in the early going, making their first six shots to build the 11-point edge.

Botham took a timeout after a Panther foul just over four minutes into the game. Katrisha Dunn hit a pair of free throws and Milwaukee came to life. After an O'Brien runner, Edwards blocked a Redhawk shot and converted the lay-in on the other end on an assist from Onson. After a scoring her first points of the game, freshman Katie Fournier responded on the other end with a steal, leading to another O'Brien jumper and a 15-12 game.

The pace of play leveled off, with UWM slowly cutting into the Southeast lead. The Panthers took their first lead since 3-2 on a Drummond three-pointer, making it 25-24. The three set in motion a nine-point Milwaukee run to end the half, as it went into the locker room ahead, 33-24.

UWM shot 55.6 percent from the field in the first half, forcing the ball inside and gaining a 16-10 edge in points in the paint. The Redhawks hit just two of their 10 shots after opening 6-for-6 and finished at 34.5 percent for the half. Both teams were bit by the turnover bug, as SEMO committed 12 and UWM 11.

Southeast Missouri State scored the first six points of the second half to cut the Milwaukee lead to 33-30, but Drummond converted a three-point play to push the lead back to six just less than a minute into the half. The lead remained around four points for much of the half, peaking at nine on an Edwards lay-in to make it 47-38 just over five minutes in.

Milwaukee saw its lead cut to one points multiple times down the stretch, with the Redhawks finally taking a one-point lead at 63-62 with just over four minutes remaining. Rogers then drew a foul on UWM's next trip down the floor and hit both free throws to give the Panthers the lead back.

Milwaukee returns home next week for a pair of games, beginning with nationally-ranked DePaul Wednesday (Nov. 30) at 7 p.m. SEMO then comes to the Klotsche Center for the second half of a home and home series Friday. That game is also scheduled for 7 p.m.