Box Score |  Notes

CHICAGO, Ill. (Feb. 21, 2008) - Junior Traci Edwards scored a school-record 45 points and both the Panthers and Loyola shot 59.6 percent as the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee women's basketball team scored an 83-78 win over the Ramblers Thursday evening at the Gentile Center.

Edwards led UWM (14-11, 9-5 Horizon) on 12-of-14 shooting from the field and a school-record 20 free throws on 22 tries. She also pulled down eight rebounds, including a key board with eight seconds remaining off a missed LUC three-pointer.

"It was great to see Traci dominate," Milwaukee head coach Sandy Botham said. "Just feed the `Milk Truck', it's as simple as that. She just keeps breaking records and should break a lot more here. It seems every time you turn around, that's what she's doing."

The school record had been 42 points Edwards scored last season vs. Cleveland State. Her 20 free throws also topped 18 made by Corrin Von Wald during the 1999-00 season. Aside from a school record, her 45 points were also a Gentile Center record, for men or women. The previous mark was 42 by Loyola's David Bailey.

Sophomore Jodie McClain added eight points as the next-highest scoring Panther. Freshman Lindsay Laur added seven.

Five Ramblers (6-18, 4-9 Horizon) scored in double-figures, while a sixth player checked in at nine. Jessica Hylton scored a team-high 14 points, while Maggie McCloskey and Elyse VanBogaert added 13 apiece.

"This was a hard-fought win," Botham said. "Loyola was everything we expected. They have the best balance they've had. We had runs, they had runs and when they did, we responded. We fed Traci down low and it provided for an all-around great basketball game."

Both teams shot 59.6 percent from the field and had positive assist-to-turnover ratios. The Panthers dished out 18 helpers compared to a season-low 12 turnovers. Loyola, meanwhile, was at 16-to-11. UWM also forged a 27-19 advantage in rebounds, with what few there were in the game.

"What a great collegiate basketball game this was," Botham said. "Both teams shot well and took great care of the basketball. It's always good to get a win on the road and finish with a positive assist-to-turnover ratio. But, with feeding the `Milk Truck', it lessens the chance of something going wrong."

Milwaukee looked as though it would run away with the game, hitting nine of its first 11 shots to jump out to a 19-9 lead less than seven minutes into the game. It would build its lead as high as 14 in the first half, but find itself holding Loyola off late.

Coming out of halftime trailing by three, the Ramblers fought to get back in the game and did so through Shannon Finnegan. Loyola opened the half on a 15-5 run, including 10 points by Finnegan, to take a 54-50 lead. UWM then rattled off a 10-0 run to take control off the game and successfully held off the home team down the stretch.

There were three ties down the stretch of regulation, including at 78-78 with 3:20 to play. Neither team made a field goal down the stretch, but Edwards made three 5-of-6 free throws down the stretch to seal the game. She also grabbed a key rebound with eight seconds left when Keisha Collins missed what would have been a game-tying three pointer.

The Panthers return to Chicago Saturday, taking on UIC at the UIC Pavilion. Tip-off is scheduled for 5 p.m.