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MILWAUKEE, Wis. (Feb. 13, 2006) - Senior Nichole Drummond scored a game-high 23 points and freshman Traci Edwards grabbed 21 rebounds to lead the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee women's basketball team to a 65-55 win over UW-Green Bay Monday night at the Klotsche Center.

The Panthers (15-8, 10-2 Horizon League) defeated the Phoenix (18-5, 10-2 Horizon League) nine days prior in Green Bay, sweeping the season series for the first time ever. The win also propelled them into a first-place tie with UWGB, with UWM holding the tiebreaker.

Milwaukee held Green Bay to a season-low 55 points on a season-low 36.1 percent shooting. Meanwhile, the Panthers shot 48.9 percent, including 50 percent on three-point attempts. They also outrebounded their guests, 41-27.

"We just came out and did what we had to do," Drummond said. "We talked about switching some things up on offense. We watched a lot of game film and saw in the last game that they were taking a lot of things away, so we adjusted and really executed the game plan well. Mostly it was our defense that got it done for us. We locked it down, holding them to 55 points, when it was our goal to hold them to 65."

Drummond led the offensive attack on 6-of-11 shooting, including 4-for-5 on three's. Edwards finished with 12 points to go with her second 20-rebound game of the season and senior Molly O'Brien added 15 points.

Nicole Soulis led UWGB with 19 points, while Amanda Popp added 13.

Bringing a seven-point lead out of halftime, Milwaukee pushed its lead over 10 on seven-straight points by Edwards. She drew contact on a layup and converted the three-point play to make it 43-32 with 15:43 to play. The lead then remained in double-digits for the majority of the game.

"I think I've made mistakes in the past to build this game up, but we were able to make it just a game for us," UWM head coach Sandy Botham said. "Our team is in a zone right now, playing with incredible confidence."

UWGB drew within nine on a Soulis three-pointer with 3:11 to go in the game, but Milwaukee answered with four-straight points from the free throw line, including a pair of charity tosses by junior Aubrey Hampton inside the last minute to make it 65-53.

In the first half, UWM scored the first eight points of the game on back-to-back three-pointers by Drummond and O'Brien and a lay-in from Edwards. But, a 10-0 Phoenix run one minute later gave them a 12-10 lead just over five minutes in. After Green Bay's lead reached four at 16-12, Hampton hit two free throws and Drummond scored five-straight points to retake the lead at 19-16.

The game's final tie came when Drummond sank two free throws to make it 23-23. O'Brien then hit a layup and drew contact to put the Panthers ahead by two. She remained on the ground for several minutes, before temporarily leaving the game. Sophomore Aubri Rote entered the game, but missed the ensuing free throw. She did, however, hit a three-point lead on UWM's next possession to push the lead to five.

A three by Popp with 1:05 to go in the half made it a two point game, but that was as close as the Phoenix would get, as Drummond scored the final five points of the half.

"You have seen different players step up and make big plays for us," Botham said. "Aubri Rote is a player that has on the bench, waiting her turn, her number was called and look at the three's that she hit, It's a huge boost for us."

Rote finished with a career-high nine points, hitting all three 3-pointers she attempted, and three boards.

The Panthers remain home this week, hosting Detroit Thursday and Youngstown State Saturday to close out the home slate.