March 5, 2006

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MILWAUKEE - Molly O'Brien grabbed a rebound, dribbled the length of the court and scored on a layup with 4.8 seconds remaining to give the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee a thrilling 58-57 win over Butler Sunday in the semifinals of the Horizon League Women's Basketball Tournament.

The basket capped a comeback that saw the Panthers overcome an 11-point deficit in the final 7:26 of the game.

UWM (21-8) advances to the championship game of the tournament, set for Monday at 3 p.m. at the Klotsche Center. The Panthers will face the UIC Flames (16-13), which defeated UW-Green Bay, 74-62, in Sunday's second semifinal contest.

O'Brien led a balanced Milwaukee attack with 14 points, while Meredith Onson and Nichole Drummond scored 12 points apiece.

Lade Akande scored 23 points and grabbed 11 rebounds to lead Butler (15-14), which had beaten Milwaukee in overtime at the Klotsche Center in late December.

But, just like in that contest when UWM overcame an 18-point second-half deficit to force the extra period, the Panthers made a crucial run down the stretch. A three-pointer by Jackie Closser gave Butler a 53-42 lead with 7:26 remaining and the Panthers did not retake the lead until O'Brien's layin. Butler then turned the ball over as the buzzer sounded.

The Panthers looked like they might be able to pull away in the first half, building a quick 15-8 lead. And, after the Bulldogs scored eight-straight to regain the lead, Milwaukee responded with a 10-2 run of its own to reclaim a 25-18 advantage. But, as the Panthers went scoreless over the final 3:40 of the half, the Bulldogs rattled off eight-straight to take a 26-25 lead into the locker room.

The two teams then traded the lead early in the second half before the Bulldogs made what appeared to be a decisive run. Butler turned a 37-34 UWM lead into a 53-42 edge of its own with just 7:26 to play.

Milwuakee's comeback then started with an Onson basket, which was followed by a layin by O'Brien and a three-point play by Drummond. Butler still led. 57-51, after two Closser free throws with 4:01 to play, but the Bulldogs would not score again. A three-point play by Traci Edwards and a pair of free throws by Kim Wypiszynski pulled the Panthers to within 57-56, setting up O'Brien's heroics.

After UWM turned the ball over in its first chance to take the lead in the final minute, the Panthers got a stop and the rebound bounced out to O'Brien. She raced down the court and made a move to the basket, laying the ball in to give Milwaukee the lead. Butler called a timeout to set up a final play, but Closser threw the ball away looking for Akande under the basket as time expired.

Monday's game will mark UWM's second-ever appearance in the league title game. The Panthers are looking for their second NCAA Tournament appearance, having advanced to the 2001 NCAA Tourney by winning their only post-season league title.