Box Score |  Notes

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. (Jan. 27, 2007) - The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee women's basketball team shot over 50 percent from the field and had three players score in double-figures, but it was not enough as the Panthers fell to Butler, 81-74, Saturday afternoon in Indianapolis, Ind.

Sophomore Traci Edwards scored a team-high 22 points to lead Milwaukee (10-11, 6-2 Horizon) and pulled down six boards to reach 500 for her career. Meanwhile, sophomore Katie Fournier added a career-high 14 points and senior Aubrey Hampton 13 to go with eight assists.

Lade Akande scored a game-high 25 points for Butler (8-12, 5-3 Horizon), while Susan Lester had 20 points and 10 rebounds and Jackie Closser chipped in 16 points and nine assists.

The Panthers led 70-69 with just over four minutes to play on a jumper by Fournier. Butler then got a basket from Lester and free throw from Closser for a 72-70 lead before Edwards knotted the game at 72-72 with a lay up at the 3:19 mark. The Bulldogs then ended the game on a 9-2 run to seal the victory.

"I give Butler a lot of credit, they beat us in the hustle game. Something we take pride in is our rebounding and they beat us in the rebounding game and that was the difference," Milwaukee head coach Sandy Botham said. "We couldn't get over the hump because of all the second chances we were giving them. We just didn't come in with the fire I'd hoped for. We played hard and came back, but didn't do the little things we needed to do to win on the road."

Milwaukee ended the game shooting 50.9 percent and committed just 12 turnovers compared to 24 assists. The Panthers did concede an 11-point rebounding margin (38-27) to the Bulldogs, including 18 boards on BU's offensive end. Butler shot 48.4 percent on the day and had 31 assists compared to just 10 miscues.

"It wasn't our offense today," Botham said. "We were patient, had the open shots. It was the hustle, the little extra. We didn't execute, box out and rebound. But, our offense kept us in it, hitting the big shots down the stretch to stay in the game. It just came down to desire."

UWM faced a halftime deficit for the fourth-straight game and looked to rebound for a third-straight come from behind win with an early 15-7 run. The Bulldogs pushed their 36-32 intermission lead to six points before Edwards and the Panther came back. Edwards scored 10 points in the stretch that was capped by a three-pointer from senior Kiley Johnson to make it 47-45 with 13:18 to play.

Both teams then traded points until late in regulation when Butler pulled away.

Edwards became the 19th member of UWM's 500-rebound club and eighth in the school's Division I era with her final rebound of the game at 7:31 in the second half. She reached the mark in 51 games, tying Jaci Clark for the fastest to the mark in school history. Maria Viall had owned the Division I mark for fewest games to 500 at 74.

"Traci is a special ball player who can do it in so many ways offensively," Botham said. "Defensively, she blocks shots and gets it done on the boards. She just has such great hands, so it doesn't surprise me that she has gotten to where she is in the time she's gotten there."

She also added three blocks and four assists while fighting foul trouble most of the second half.

In the first half, the Bulldogs used a seven-point run to break an early 6-4 UWM lead and take control of the game. The Panthers fought back and eventually re-took the lead at 17-16 at the 11:13 mark. Four-straight points from Lester put BU back up three at 20-17, but Onson then tied the game at 20-20 with a three-pointer.

Each team traded points for the remainder of the half, with Butler inching its lead up to four at 36-32 going into halftime at the free throw. The Bulldogs finished the half 5-of-8 from the charity stripe, compared to one make in three attempts for Milwaukee.

The Panthers return home this week, hosting Detroit Thursday, Feb. 1, at the Klotsche Center. That game will be televised live on WMLW in Milwaukee and tip off at 7 p.m.