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DES MOINES, Iowa (Nov. 17, 2006) - Sophomore Traci Edwards scored a career-high 29 points and grabbed 12 rebounds, but it was not enough as the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee women's basketball team dropped to 0-3 with a 75-72 loss to Drake University, Friday evening in Des Moines, Iowa.

Each team led by as many as 13 points, but the Bulldogs went on a 12-0 run midway through the second half and scored the final six points of the game for the win.

"It was a game of runs and controlling the run at the end. By that point we were playing not to lose, instead of playing to win," Milwaukee head coach Sandy Botham said. "Down the stretch, we lost our aggressiveness and composure. That led to key turnovers down the stretch."

Edwards picked up her second-straight double-double and was joined in double-figure scoring by seniors Kiley Johnson and Megan Rogers with 10 points apiece. Johnson and Rogers teamed with sophomore Katie Fournier (9 points) to give UWM 29 points off the bench, compared to just two bench points by Drake.

"Teams have no answer for Traci. She's our strength in the post. She did a good job early get her shots and then by finding our perimeter shooters," Botham said. "To get points from our bench was so important. Traci comes out, Katie then goes in and gets to the basket. Balanced scoring wins games--people coming off the bench, providing the boost for us and hitting big shots."

Ashleigh Brady scored a team-high 22 points for the home-standing Bulldogs, while Brandy Dahir added 19 and Jill Martin 17.

Milwaukee opened the second half trailing by four points and turned that into a 13-point lead at 57-44 with 12:36 remaining in the game by scoring the first 17 points of the half for a 19-0 overall run. Edwards scored the first eight points of the period before Rogers and Johnson added lay ups. Sophomore Turquoise McCain then hit a three and Fournier hit a lay up to make it 57-44.

Brady then hit Drake's first field goal of the half 18 seconds later, before Edwards put UWM's lead back to 13 with a lay up.

Drake then pushed back into the game with a 12-0 run to pull within one at 59-58 on a Jordann Plummer steal and lay up at the other end. The game remained within three points the remainder of the game with Milwaukee owning its final three-point at 72-69 on Edwards' final basket of the night with 1:49 to play.

Martin then hit all four free throw attempts down the stretch and Dahir hit the deciding jumper with 38 seconds to play for the win.

"I felt like we had the momentum early in the second half after trailing by so much early in the game," Botham said. "We switched defenses in the second half and really stymied them and got into a rhythm on offense. Then, they went to the zone and were able to shift back the momentum to their side."

The game appeared at times to be an offensive shootout as each team traded baskets on a number of occasions. Drake held the shooting advantage at 53.3 percent, despite missing its first 12 shots of the second half, to 50.9 percent for the Panthers. UWM outrebounded DU, 32-24, while both teams were in the black in assist-to-turnover ratio. Milwaukee had 16 helpers and just 15 turnovers, while the Bulldogs had 13 assists and just eight miscues.

The Bulldogs scored the first nine points of the game and actually had their first 11-point lead just over five minutes into the game on a Kaniesha Agee put-back that made it 13-2. Fournier responded with back-to-back baskets to pull UWM within seven.

Both teams then literally traded baskets for over eight minutes, until sophomore Turquoise McCain hit a put-back layup and Johnson followed with a three-pointer. Drake answered with a jumper before Edwards hit two free throws and Johnson picked up a steal and hit a three-pointer on the other end to make it a two-point game at 35-33.

Milwaukee would fall down by six late in the half, but headed into the break trailing by just four when Onson went coast-to-coast and hit an off-balance jumper with no time remaining.

UWM shot an impressive 57.7 percent, overshadowed only by the Bulldogs' blistering 70.4 percent shooting. The Panthers were 3-of-4 on three-pointers and a perfect 7-for-7 from the free throw line, while holding a 12-8 rebounding edge. DU was 19-of-27 from the field, including 4-of-7 on three's, but went to the free throw line just three times.

The Panthers have just one day off before returning to action Sunday, when they will host Central Connecticut State at the Klotsche Center. It will be the home opener for UWM, with tip-off slated for 1 p.m.