Box Score |  Notes

DETROIT, Mich. (Jan. 5, 2008) - Junior Traci Edwards scored 28 points and pulled down 12 boards to tie a school record with her 36th career double-double and lead the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee women's basketball team to a 70-63 victory over Detroit Saturday afternoon at Calihan Hall.

"I don't feel like we've done as good of a job getting Traci the ball. But, credit goes to some of the teams we played," Milwaukee head coach Sandy Botham said. "Detroit played her behind and I thought we had more opportunities to get her to the line. We also pulled her away from the basket to give her chances to beat players with her speed going to the hoop."

The Panthers (6-7, 1-1 Horizon) picked up their first league win of the season, while the Titans (2-9, 0-2 Horizon) remained winless in league play.

Edwards added three steals and assists while tying Maria Viall's (2000-04) school mark in just 74 games. Sophomore Jodie McClain and senior Aubri Rote also got into double-figures with 12 points apiece.

"We knew Traci was a post player to be reckoned with and the strongest we've had since the Maria Viall era," Botham said. "So, it doesn't surprise me to see her break another UWM record. And, it definitely won't be the last one that we'll see from her."

Heather Hatter and Sandi Brown led UDM with 12 points and Zemora Davis scored 11.

UWM led 32-25 at halftime, but Detroit fought to within three on a pair of occasions in the first five minutes of the second half. The Panthers then gradually built its lead has high as 13 when Edwards converted an old-fashioned three-point play to make it 56-43 with 7:47 to play in the game.

The Titans would get as close as seven late in the game, trying to scrape back into the game.

Milwaukee shot 38.2 percent for the game, hitting 8-of-19 three-pointers (42.1 percent). They also got to the free throw line 25 times, converting 20. Two days after conceding a rebounding advantage to an undersized Wright State squad, UWM fought for a 40-28 edge on the boards.

"It was nice to outrebound them, especially after a disappointing rebounding game at Wright State. I felt that was the difference," Botham said. "It was something we talked about needing to be done. Then to get 17 offensive boards and turn that into 18 points was big. Another big goal I had was getting to the free throw line and it helps to have the `brusiser' in Traci. I was pleased with how we were aggressive, attacked, got offensive boards and got to the free throw line."

UDM shot well from the field and three-point range, hitting 43.9 percent of its shots for the game. On threes, the Titans made 6-of-11 despite shooting just 19.0 percent from beyond the arc coming into the game.

The Panthers overcame offensive struggles in the early goings of the contest with the help of a 16-3 run. The Titans ran out to an 11-3 lead before the Panthers made their first field goal 6:20 into the game. UWM was able to convert three free throws to get on the board, but missed its first eight shots from the field and turned the ball over five times before hitting that first basket.

"It's a nice victory. Detroit played extremely well. They were focused; they were definitely ready to play and came out of the blocks strong. Going up 11-3, I knew we had our hands full and chipped away."

The Panthers converted seven of their next 11 shots in turning the eight-point deficit into a five-point lead at 19-14. Edwards scored six-straight points to end the stretch. After a lay-up, she turned a steal into a fast-break lay-up and then converted a put-back to cap the run.

Edwards later pushed UWM's lead as high as nine by converting a pair of free throws to make it 29-20 with just over three minutes remaining in the half.

The scoring was indicative of the period of basketball for Milwaukee. It hit just 31 percent from the field in the opening frame, but got to the three throw line and converted 10 more free throws(11-for-14) than Detroit (1-for-4).

The Panthers also dominated the boards, forging a 22-13 advantage, and turning 14 offensive rebounds into 13 second-chance points. UDM had just two second-chance points off six offensive boards.

Milwaukee returns to action at home Thursday, hosting Youngstown State at the Klotsche Center. Tip off is scheduled for 7 p.m. in UWM's first home league game of the season.