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DALLAS, Texas (Nov. 25, 2006) - The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee women's basketball team held SMU to just 29.6 percent shooting and without a point over the final 5:21 in posting a 53-47 win in the SMU Hoops for the Cure Classic Championship game.

For Milwaukee, it was its first in-season tournament title since winning tournaments at Minnesota and Hofstra during the 1999-00 season.

Sophomore Emily Markert led the Panthers (3-4) with her first collegiate double-double of 11 points and 11 rebounds. Sophomore Katie Fournier added 10 points and eight boards, while junior Meredith Onson finished with 10 points and eight rebounds.

Janielle Dodds scored 12 points to lead the Mustangs (4-1), who lost for the first time this season. Jillian Samuels added nine points and Alice Severin tallied eight.

Sophomore Traci Edwards was named tournament MVP with seven points, eight rebounds and two blocks in the second game, while Fournier joined her classmate on the all-tournament team.

"Our team has been blessed with so much. They came out and played with so much heart. They really wanted it more and played inspired basketball," Milwaukee head coach Sandy Botham said. "I'm really proud of them. They never quit believing they could win. That really showed and SMU could feel it."

A 6-0 SMU run put Milwaukee down by four at 47-43 with 5:21 to play in the game. The Panthers responded by not allowing a point the rest of the way and scoring the final 10 points of the game. Jumpers by Fournier and Onson tied the game with 2:28 remaining.

Senior Aubrey Hampton then gave UWM the lead at 50-47 with her third three of the game. The Mustangs then could not get a shot to fall, as the Panthers hit three free throws in the final 11 seconds of regulation to ice the game.

The Panthers shot 39.2 percent for the game, hitting 9-of-26 three-point attempts and posting a 45-39 rebounding advantage. Meanwhile, SMU made just 21-of-71 field goal attempts and shot 23.8 percent on three's. The Mustangs also did not go to the line at all, while UWM was just 4-of-7.

"Our goal was to hold them to less than 40 percent shooting," Botham said. "They'd been shooting so well this season, so we tried to control the tempo of the game and never let them get into a rhythm."

Milwaukee struggled out of the gates, falling behind 11-0 before breaking into the scoring column on a three-pointer by junior Meredith Onson 5:46 into the game. After the Mustangs grabbed their biggest lead of the half at 15-3, UWM held them scoreless over the next 7:05, while going on a 17-0 run.

The Panthers turned a 15-3 deficit into a 20-15 lead with 5:25 to go in the half. Fournier started the run with back-to-back baskets. Markert then hit a layup and followed with a three-pointer. On the defensive end, she picked up a steal that led to another Fournier basket. Markert and Hampton hit back-to-back three's to cap the run.

"Emily came out and played inspired basketball with emotion," Botham said. "She played to her potential tonight. This was a great breakout game for her and it couldn't have come at a better time for us."

Samuels re-entered the game shortly thereafter and scored SMU's final nine points of the half on three 3-pointers. She hit two in a row to put the home team up 22-21, then, after a jumper by junior Dana Schultz, she hit another trey with 3:09 to go in the half to make it a 24-22 game. Both teams then were held scoreless the remainder of the period to provide for the intermission score.

Neither team prospered offensively in the first half, as the Panthers shot better from the field at 39.1 percent, but were forced into 16 turnovers. They also held a 23-17 advantage on the boards, led by six from Edwards in just nine minutes. SMU shot just 27.8 percent from the field, but came away with eight steals.

Just eight fouls were called in the opening frame, including just three by Milwaukee, as neither team went to the free throw line.

UWM returns to action at home Wednesday, Nov. 29, hosting cross-town rival Marquette. Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m.