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NEW BRITAIN, Conn. (Dec. 1, 2007) - Four players scored in double-figures and the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee women's basketball team broke open a six-point game at halftime to defeat Central Connecticut State, 77-51, Saturday afternoon at Detrick Gymnasium.

The Panthers (2-3) broke their three-game losing streak, while the Blue Devils (0-7) were handed their seventh-straight loss to open the season.

"We were able to wear them out today," Milwaukee head coach Sandy Botham said. "We came into this game wanting to play a lot of people and we were able to do that. We got everybody into the game and a little more experience."

Senior Aubri Rote led the Milwaukee attack with 17 points to go with eight rebounds. Junior Traci Edwards chipped in 13 points and 14 rebounds, while junior Emily Markert and freshman Maurika Hickman added 10 points apiece.

All 13 players that dressed for the game played, while 11 scored.

"We got great production out of everybody today," Botham said. "That is what we've needed this season, people coming off the bench and providing a spark for us. If we are going to win games, we will need three or four people scoring in double-figures."

Alexzandria Dowdy led CCSU with 13 points and Kanita Boone added 12.

Milwaukee brought a six-point lead out of halftime and pushed its lead to double-figures with the first five points of the frame. The lead was 11 at 48-37 with 10:28 to play before UWM broke the game open. It then rattled off a 21-6 run over the next seven minutes for a 16-point lead at 69-43.

The Panthers shot 60.7 percent from the field in the second half to finish at 46.6 percent for the game. They also shot 50 percent on three's and hit a season-high 12 three-pointers, thanks to 8-of-12 shooting from three-point range in the second half. Central, meanwhile, shot just 20 percent in the first half and rebounded with a 48.3 percent clip in the second half to end at 35.2 percent for the game.

"They three a zone at us early and we had a hard time getting in sync and into a rhythm," Botham said. "We were able to find a weak spot, where our opportunities were and started taking them. We also did a better job of getting to the free throw line in the second half."

Milwaukee held a sizable 44-25 advantage on the boards and dished out 18 assists to go with a season-low 18 turnovers. Just seven of those miscues came after the intermission. The Blue Devils, meanwhile, also had trouble holding onto the ball with 17 turnovers of their own.

Offense in the game got off to a rocky start for both teams, but the Panthers were able to get into a rhythm midway through the first half and take control in the game. UWM never trailed and was tied just once at 3-3. Milwaukee held an early five-point lead at 10-5 and 13-8, but held just a 13-11 lead at the 9:00 mark of the opening frame.

The Panthers then held the Blue Devils without a field goal for 6:27 in building an eight-point lead. Back-to-back Edwards lay-ups seconds later made it a nine-point game at 26-17. Central then hit a three just five seconds before halftime to cut UWM's lead to six points.

UWM heads to Madison Tuesday to take on Wisconsin at the Kohl Center. The Panthers and Badgers tip off at 7 p.m.