Box Score |  Notes

MILWAUKEE, Wis. (March 8, 2008) - The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee women's basketball shot a school-record 64.3 percent and came up with a season-high 14 steals in defeating Wright State, 67-54, at the Klotsche Center.

"It was great, besides the turnovers, obviously," Milwaukee head coach Sandy Botham said. "If we are going to win a championship, we've got to take care of the basketball better. I thought our focus was good. Defensively, we did a good job."

The Panthers (16-13, 11-7 Horizon) wrapped up the third seed in next week's Horizon League Tournament and should host No. 6 Valparaiso Wednesday at the Klotsche Center. UWM and WSU tied for second in the league standings at 11-7, but the Raiders own the tiebreaker by virtue of a better record against No. 5 Butler.

"We're glad to be at home with whoever we play," Botham said. "We are glad we don't have to go on the road. Valparaiso is a good team. Any team in our league, we can't take for granted. They can shoot. This is a team that can shoot, but they don't have size inside. We'll have to establish ourselves inside and win the paint war."

Junior Traci Edwards led Milwaukee with 17 points, five rebounds and four steals, while freshman Jenilee Klomstad had career-highs of 15 points, on 7-of-7 shooting, and five rebounds. Junior Jody Crumble and sophomore Jodie McClain each added nine points.

"In the beginning of the year we were playing separately. I like having two bigs out there; it's easier to get inside looks," Klomstad said of her (6-foot-4) and the 6-foot-2 Edwards being on the floor at the same time. "If she can't get inside, then I can get in there and if I can't get in there, she can. We can go high-lo easy."

Sheylani Peddy scored a game-high 18 points for the Raiders (14-15, 11-7 Horizon), while LaShawna Thomas tallied 13. Peddy had seven steals in the game, as Wright State came away with 19 as a team.

Despite turnover troubles in the first half, UWM was on fire when it held on to the ball. The Panthers shot 68.4 percent in the first half to off-set 14 turnovers in the frame, then turned the ball over just nine times in the second half and shot 60.9 percent to finish at 64.3 percent for the game. The previous school record for field goal percentage was 61.5 percent against the Raiders Feb. 27, 2003.

The Panthers were also aggressive on the defensive end, forcing 18 turnovers, including 14 on steals. Edwards paced UWM with four steals, while senior Aubri Rote picked up three steals.

Milwaukee led 34-30 at halftime, but led just 38-35 on a Peddy three with 16:10 to play in the game. The Panthers then held its opponents without a field goal for 6:04, while rattling off a 16-0 run to take control of the game.

"I thought the zone was good. I thought that really opened it up for us," Botham said. "It was back-and-forth. In the first half, we weren't able to get any separation (in the score). We went to a 2-3 zone with (Traci and Jenilee) in and we were able to get a little bit of separation going into half."

Thomas hit a three to end the scoreless stretch, but Klomstad and Crumble hit back-to-back lay-ups for a 20-point advantage at 58-38 with 8:37 to play.

"We were just so aggressive, whether it was in transition or with shots around the basket. We had a number of shots in transition and I think we wore them out. They looked tired. Coming off an overtime loss against Green Bay, our depth and keeping the pressure on them we just wore them out. That was also a part of what helped us get a run going in the second half."

The Raiders mounted a 7-0 run two minutes later to make it 60-47, but 13 was as close as they would get the rest of the way.

Seniors Rote and Meredith Onson played their final regular season home games. Both players started and played 27 before being removed with two minutes remaining to ovations from the Klotsche Center fans. Rote finished with five points and four rebounds to go with her three steals, while Onson hit a three and pulled down five boards in the game.