Box Score |  Notes

GREEN BAY, Wis. (March 14, 2008) - Junior Traci Edwards scored 25 points and tied a school and league tournament record by finishing 11-for-11 from the free throw line, but it was not enough as the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee women's basketball team fall to Wright State, 57-55, in the Horizon League Semifinals Friday evening at the Kress Center.

The Panthers (17-14) led by as many as 10, taking a 33-23 lead early in the second half, but could not hold on in the loss. Meanwhile, the Raiders (16-15) now advance to the league title game against the winner of Cleveland State/Green Bay.

"We give a lot of credit to Wright State --they came in and pressured the heck out of us and played exceptionally well," Milwaukee head coach Sandy Botham said. "We had hard time running offense- their defensive intensity took us out of it. Wright State is very physical and we were mentally fatigued. It was a game of runs and I give credit to the players that they didn't fold. There were times I thought we wouldn't be able to regain our composure, but we just had too many turnovers."

On her way to her game-high points, Edwards broke the school record for points in a season (639) and points per game (20.6). She went 11-for-11 from the free throw line for the second time this season, tying school and league tournament records for free throw percentage.

"It was pretty frustrating for me to get into an offensive flow because they were pressuring a lot and it was hard to get the ball into where it needed to go," Edwards said. "Records don't mean anything to me because we do not get to play anymore."

She was the only player in double-figures, while senior Aubri Rote added eight. The Delafield, Wis., native scored the first eight points for Milwaukee, but did not see many looks after that.

Sheylani Peddy led Wright State with 16 points, while Erica Richardson and Sierra Crayton each scored 12 before fouling out.

Sophomore Jodie McClain hit a three-pointer to give the Panthers a game-high 10-point lead at 33-23 less than four minutes into the second half. Milwaukee then went 10:29 without a field goal, settling for just five free throws. The Raiders, meanwhile, rattled off 19 points to take a 42-38 lead with 6:29 to play.

Freshman Lindsay Laur ended the drought with a jumper in the paint and, after WSU built its lead to six at 46-40, the Panthers scored six-straight points to tie the game at 46-46 with 2:38 to play. Wright State then went on a 7-0 run and Milwaukee was never able to fight back into the game.

Turnovers hounded both teams, but it was the Raiders shooting 52.6 percent that proved the difference. The teams combined for 57 turnovers (WSU 29-28), but UWM really never got into a shooting rhythm and finished the game at 42.1 percent.

Wright State won most of the statistical categories, including a 26-21 edge on the boards. The Panthers were able to convert at the line behind Edwards, finishing 20-for-24 (83.3 percent).

Edwards surpassed the school single-season scoring record with her first basket of the day, a lay-up with 5:29 to play in the first half. Her first 14 points of the game came in succession for UWM, as she scored the team's last 10 points of the first half to put her team ahead at the break, 26-21. Rote had scored the first eight points of the day for Milwaukee, but it was an 8-0 run between the two stretches that gave Milwaukee control of the game in the opening half.