Box Score |  Notes

MILWAUKEE, Wis. (Nov. 26, 2008) - The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee women's basketball shot 53.4 percent from the field and forged a +31 rebounding advantage to overcome 33 turnovers and run past SIU Edwardsville, 88-65, Wednesday evening at the Klotsche Center.

The Panthers (2-2) trailed 39-34 at the half, but used a decisive 22-2 run in the second half to take the lead and never looked back. All told, they outscored the Cougars (1-4) 54-26 in the second half to run away with the win.

"We took better care of the ball (in the second half), so we had better shots," Milwaukee head coach Sandy Botham said. "We opened things up and were able to soften their defense a bit because they were so aggressive in the first half. I think that got our offensive juices going. We were just more determined. We talked about being more determined and not being discouraged. I thought we were mentally tougher in the second half."

Senior Traci Edwards picked up her first double-double of the season with 20 points and 12 rebounds to lead Milwaukee. She also had three of UWM's nine blocked shots. Three more Panthers landed in double-figures, led by senior Turquoise McCain's 16 points, sophomore Jineen Williams' career-high 14 and sophomore Lindsay Laur's 10.

All 13 Milwaukee players that dressed played, with 12 cracking the scoring column. In fact, UWM got 44 points from the bench compared to just eight by the SIUE reserves.

Madison, Wis., native Jenny Wuest scored a game-high 25 to lead the Cougars, who are in their first season transitioning to NCAA Division I from Division II. Brittany Imig added 13 and Ashley Bey 12.

Trailing 43-38 with 16:58 remaining in the second half, the Panthers rattled off 18-straight points over the next 5:46 to take a commanding 56-43 lead. Milwaukee never looked back as back-to-back three-pointers by Williams and sophomore Maurika Hickman pushed UWM's lead to 20 at the 4:00 mark.

"I think we just wore them out," Botham said. "They were just so tired. They didn't have any energy with 15 minutes to go in the game. That's when we just poured it on. I think our size, our strength, just wore them out. They just didn't have the strength or the depth to come back."

For the game, the Panthers shot well from everywhere on the floor, including 8-of-16 from three-point range and 78.3 percent from the free throw line (18-for-23). They also did a lot of damage inside, using a significant height advantage for 40 points in the paint and the aforementioned nine blocks. UWM's nine blocks and 58-27 rebounding margin are each tied for second-most in school history, while the 58 rebounds are tied for fifth-most.

On the other end of the court, Milwaukee held SIU Edwardsville to just 32.4 percent shooting. The Cougars hung tough with pesky pressure defense that, along with forcing 33 miscues, came away with 23 steals. Bey had a game-high seven steals, while Imig added six.

Edwards scored 10 of UWM's first 14 points of the game as the Panthers jumped out to a 14-8 lead. They held that lead until 24-22, before SIUE rattled off a 9-2 run to seemingly take control of the game with a 31-26 lead. Milwaukee fought back to within one at 33-32, but back-to-back three-pointers gave the Cougars a 39-32 lead. Edwards picked up a steal and drove for a fast-break lay up to make it 39-34 at the half.

The Panthers return to action on the road, heading to DeKalb, Ill., Saturday to take on Northern Illinois. UWM and NIU tip off at 2 p.m.