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DALLAS, Texas (Nov. 24, 2006) - Sophomore Traci Edwards scored a game-high 23 points and junior Meredith Onson added 13 as the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee women's basketball team defeated San Jose State, 66-63, Friday night in the first game of the SMU Hoops for the Cure Classic in Dallas.

The Panthers (2-4) will now face the winner of Bradley and the host Mustangs the championship game Saturday at approximately 7 p.m. Meanwhile, the Spartans (0-4) will face the loser of that game in the consolation game at 5 p.m.

"It's nice to get to the championship of the tournament. This really was a game of runs, like all our games have been this year, and it's nice to come out on top," Milwaukee head coach Sandy Botham said. "We didn't shoot well in the second half. We had the shots, but just didn't make them. I'm proud of our team and how they stuck with it and held on."

Edwards was also one of three UWM players with a game-high eight rebounds, while she also had two blocks and two steals. Onson added seven boards and three assists on the night. Sophomores Emily Markert and Katie Fournier also pulled down eight boards apiece.

Brittany Helm scored 15 points to lead San Jose State, while Brittany Powell with 14 points and Natalie White with 10 also reached double-figures.

The Panthers shot just 37.5 percent for the game and made 18 turnovers, but came up big on the glass, holding a +16-rebound margin at 43-37. They also went to the free throw line 26 times, making 18, compared to just nine attempts by the Spartans (eight made).

"In the second half we started settling for outside shots," Botham said. "We gave Traci break and our shots were just not falling. But we got her back into the game and she got some tough baskets for us."

Milwaukee led by as many as 15 at 41-26 early in the second half after holding a 13-point halftime lead at 39-26. Junior Dana Schultz scored the first points of the second half before the Spartans rattled off 16-straight points to pull ahead by one at 42-41.

UWM re-gained control of the game, but was unable to pull away, building a five-point lead and later a seven-point edge. Fournier hit a turnaround jumper with just over four minutes to play to make it 64-57. The Spartans then hit a pair of jumpers to pull within three with 1:20 remaining in the game.

"When they came back, it was just a matter of re-establishing our inside game," Botham said. "We'd missed some open shots and we needed to stop the bleeding and it wasn't going to come from the outside. Getting inside, attacking the basket and getting to the free throw line was how we knew we were going to be successful and that's what we did."

Both teams then hit a pair of free throws down the stretch and Helms' three-pointer as time expired was off the mark, as Milwaukee held on.

The Panthers had taken control of the game with an 18-4 run to end the first half. After leading for most of the game, by as many as six, the Panthers surrendered a brief one-point lead at 22-21 on a three-pointer by SJSU's Brittany Helm with 5:51 to play in the half. Edwards then scored the game's next six points for Milwaukee.

Laretha Griffin hit a layup for San Jose before Onson and senior Kiley Johnson hit back-to-back three-pointers. Senior Megan Rogers then hit a layup and, following a jumper by Tamiko Davis, Edwards scored the final four points of the half.

UWM shot just 41.9 percent from the field in the opening frame, but held a substantial 24-11 rebounding advantage. It hit 5 three-pointers and got to the free throw line 12 times, converting eight. The Spartans shot 40.7 percent and took just three free throws, making two. Both teams committed eight turnovers.