Box Score |  Notes

GREEN BAY, Wis. (Jan. 13, 2007) - Nicole Soulis scored 24 points and UW-Green Bay shot 60 percent from the field as the Phoenix handed the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee women's basketball team an 85-70 loss Saturday afternoon at the Phoenix Sports Center.

The loss is the first league loss of the season for the Panthers (7-10, 3-1 Horizon), while UWGB (13-3, 4-0 Horizon) is now the league's last unbeaten team.

"We talked about the key to this game being how we react to Green Bay," Milwaukee head coach Sandy Botham said. "They are out for blood. We beat them twice last year. You don't know how you'll react when you get here-in this environment-and they start hitting their shots. We had trouble reacting and that hurt us."

Sophomore Traci Edwards scored a team-high 18 points, while senior Aubrey Hampton added 17 points on 5-of-6 three-point shooting for the second-straight game. Sophomore Emily Markert also reached double figures with a career-high 16 points.

Natalie Berglin also reached added 16 points for the home team, while Amanda Popp finished with 14 and Rachel Porath 10.

Milwaukee hit a season-best 10 three-pointers on the day and finished 44.1 percent shooting from the field. It held the rebounding advantage, 30-25, but had 19 turnovers. The Phoenix, meanwhile, shot an even 60 percent for the game and had 19 assists compared to 14 turnovers.

"We didn't have that fighter's mentality," Botham said. "To beat a team as talented as Green Bay, you need that fighter's mentality."

The Panthers trailed for the entire game, by as many as 29, but fought back late in regulation. They ended the game on a 21-9 run and held the Phoenix to one field goal over the final 7:19 of the game. UWGB did, however, convert on 7-of-8 free throws down the stretch to remain in control of the game.

Green Bay came out strong in the first half, hitting its first six shot attempts of the game, including four 3-pointers, to build a 16-5 lead less than four minutes into the game. The Phoenix used a 14-3 run to take control of the game and did not look back.

UWM attempted to fight back, but had trouble stringing together baskets in the first half. Two-straight baskets by Edwards pulled the Panthers within seven at 16-9, but UWGB had another 11-3 run and finished the half on an 8-3 stretch to take a 47-28 lead into the break.

The Phoenix shot a blistering 64 percent from the field in the frame and was 6-of-11 from three-point range and 9-of-10 from the free throw line. Milwaukee shot 41.4 percent in the half and held a slight 14-13 advantage on the glass.

Soulis had 18 points at the break, while Markert led UWM with a well-rounded nine points, four rebounds and three assists before halftime.

The Panthers return to action Thursday, hosting Youngstown State at the Klotsche Center. Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m.