Box Score |  Notes

CHICAGO, Ill. (Jan. 24, 2009) - The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee women's basketball team had five players score in double figures and tied an NCAA record with a 26-for-26 performance from the free throw line in defeating Loyola, 83-74, Saturday afternoon at the Gentile Center.

The Panthers (8-10, 3-4 Horizon) trailed by as many as nine, but made 21 free throws in the second half to hand the Ramblers (5-12, 0-7 Horizon) their ninth-straight loss.

"It was a total team effort," Milwaukee head coach Sandy Botham said. "We played a complete game in all categories. Outrebounded them by 15, obviously the stat line at the free throw line. I thought we took care of the ball well and five different people in double-figures for us. I just thought it was a great game for us, it was exciting."

Sophomore Ashley Imperiale scored a game-high 19 points with a perfect shooting day to lead UWM. She was 6-for-6 from the field, 3-for-3 on three-pointers and 4-for-4 from the charity stripe. Sophomore Lindsay Laur notched her third double-double of the season with 15 points and 10 rebounds.

"We knew the kind of impact she could make, especially on the offensive end, so we're excited for her," Botham said. "The games where she's come out and been productive for us, we've had success and that's what we need, a lot of different players stepping up for us, She's one of our most pure shooters, so it doesn't surprise me that she'd have that kind of stat line."

Junior Jodie McClain added 16, senior Traci Edwards 12 and sophomore Maurika Hickman added 11 thanks to an 8-for-8 effort at the free throw line.

Jessica Hylton led Loyola with 16 points before fouling out, while three more players cracked the 10-point mark. Maggie McCloskey scored 15 points, Elyse VanBogaert had 12 and Lisa Samplawski chipped in 11.

Loyola had a 41-38 lead at halftime and extended it to 49-40 at the 17:44 mark of the second half with an 8-2 run. The Panthers fought back, chipping away at the deficit and eventually took the lead at 61-59 during an 11-2 run midway through the frame. Five-straight Edwards points made it 68-62 at 6:02.

Samplawski would hit a three and McCloskey followed with a layup and foul to cut it to 68-67 with just over five minutes remaining. But, she missed the potential tying free throw and the Panthers were able to pull away with 12 free throws down the stretch.

For the game, UWM was perfect from the free throw line, sinking all 26 attempts. That tied the NCAA record (minimum 26 made) for free throw percentage, as well as the school record. Milwaukee previous mark was a perfect 12-for-12 effort.

"We did a contest in practice where we worked how many we could get in a row and I think that carried over," Botham said. "We really worked on that aspect of the game and it was great to see what you do in practice carry over into the games."

To complement the free throw effort, Milwaukee shot 42.9 percent from the field and knocked down nine 3-pointers on 20 tries. The Panthers also had a decisive 38-23 advantage on the boards and had an 18-15 assist to turnover ratio.

Loyola 41.9 percent in the second half, but finished at 51.7 percent for the game. Nine of its 17 three-point tries fell and it was 5-of-7 from the free throw line.

Both teams were on fire on offense coming out of the gates. But, while the Panthers cooled off to a respectable 43.8 percent, Loyola was lights out at 63 percent and headed into intermission ahead 41-38.

Each team had extended runs in the opening half, with UWM turning a 9-6 deficit into a 16-9 lead with a 10-0 run. But, the Ramblers answered with a 10-2 run to take a one-point lead and an 11-0 run later to build their lead as high as six at 39-33.

Imperiale had 17 points in the half to lead Milwaukee, while Hylton countered with 14 in the period for Loyola.

UWM returns home this week to host Valparaiso Thursday and Butler Saturday. The Panthers and Crusaders tip off at 7 p.m. Thursday night at the Klotsche Center.