Box Score |  Notes

CLEVELAND, Ohio (Feb. 7, 2008) - Freshman Maurika Hickman scored a career-high 22 points and the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee women's basketball team overcame a 14-point deficit, but it was not enough as the Panthers fell to Cleveland State, 68-58, Thursday afternoon at the Wolstein Center.

Milwaukee (11-10, 6-4 Horizon) dropped its second-straight game, while the win was the sixth-straight for the Vikings (14-7, 8-2 Horizon).

"We had good fight and played with great intensity," UWM head coach Sandy Botham said. "We dug ourselves into a hole, but I was proud of the effort we gave to come back and go ahead late in the game. We missed some opportunities at the free throw line and then we just couldn't get the game back."

For the second-straight game Hickman set a career high, this time scoring 19 points in the second half on her way to 22 points. She hit five 3-pointers as the Panthers were able to fight back midway through the second half. Freshman Lindsay Laur added 13 points and six rebounds. Hickman and Laur scored 20 points apiece last Saturday vs. Green Bay.

"Maurika has been an offensive spark for us," Botham said. " We need more balance scoring and she has been able to provide that."

Junior Traci Edwards and freshman Jineen Williams added eight points apiece for UWM. It was the second-straight single-digit scoring effort for Edwards, who had scored at least 10 points in school-record 41-straight games prior to that. She added 11 rebounds in the game.

"Cleveland State did a nice job in the post," Botham said. "We have to get the ball into her. We have to be better post-passers and find ways to get her the ball. Teams have done a good job of taking that away."

Kailey Klein scored 18 points to lead Cleveland State and was joined in double-figures by Milwaukee-native Domanique Butler with 16.

Despite an early hole, the Panthers held a 47-46 lead at the 12-minute media timeout in the second half. After a pair of free throws and a Klein three, Hickman hit a jumper to make it 50-49 with 8:24 to play.

Cleveland State rebuilt an eight-point lead and, after UWM once again fought within two, ended the game on a 10-2 run to provide for the final score.

Milwaukee struggled from the free throw line, hitting just 8-of-15 from the charity stripe. The Panthers did outshoot the Vikings, 38.2 to 37.7 percent, but the home team hit 16 of its 19 free throw attempts.

UWM claimed the rebounding advantage, 39-38, and turned the ball over a season-low 13 times, but in the end it was not enough.

The Panthers had a case of déjà vu as Cleveland State built an early 14-point lead in the first half. In the teams' first meeting, the Vikings jumped ahead by 13 in the first half only to see UWM storm back and take a 13-point lead of its own on the way to an 11-point win.

Brittany Korth hit a long three giving the Vikings a 29-15 lead with 6:55 to go before halftime. Milwaukee then hacked into the lead with a 10-2 run and headed into intermission trailing 26-27.

The Panthers opened up the second half with a barrage of three-pointers to complete the comeback and forge a two-point lead. Hickman hit three 3-pointers to pace the attack, as UWM combined to hit five of its first seven 3-point attempts of the second half. Senior Aubri Rote hit a three and Edwards followed with a pair of free throws to make it a one-point game at 45-44 less than seven minutes into the second half.

Two possessions later, Hickman converted an old fashioned three-pointer to give Milwaukee its first lead of the game with 12:18 to play at 47-45.

UWM continues its road trip in northeast Ohio at Youngstown State Saturday. The Panthers and Penguins tip off at the Beeghly Center at 3:35 p.m. central time.