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MILWAUKEE, Wis. (Dec. 13, 2009) - The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee women's basketball team held Chicago State to just 3-of-19 shooting over the final 17:19 of regulation to hand the Cougars a 73-56 defeat Sunday afternoon at the Klotsche Center.

The Panthers (5-4) snapped a three-game losing streak with their decisive defensive stand that allowed them to build an 18-point lead heading into the final minute.

"This was a nice victory for us," UWM head coach Sandy Botham said. "We had a shaky start. I thought we were reacting to things offensively and defensively. We were able to regroup and have a very nice second half. Defensively, our energy was better, we were executing the defensive game plan better and we were able to lock down (on some of their key players)."

Junior Ashley Imperiale led Milwaukee with 16 points, 10 rebounds and five assists for her first career double-double. Junior Lindsay Laur added 13 points and sophomore Danielle Jorgenson a career-high 11 to give UWM three players in double-figures.

Junior Jenilee Klomstad and sophomore Alex Klawitter had nine points apiece, while Klawitter was a perfect 3-for-3 from three-point range for her career-high scoring game.

Elana Wroten had 13 points to lead CSU (4-7), which also had Courtney Waldon in double-figures with 11 points. Jael Pena also finished with nine points and five assists.

Milwaukee trailed early in the second half at 43-39 on a Waldon three at 17:20 before buckling down on defense and turning the game around. Chicago State had shot 4-of-5 to start the frame, but the Panthers held it without a field goal for 9:41. UWM had a 13-2 run in that time and built a 54-45 lead.

After a free throw and Pena's three-pointer at 7:40 made it a 52-49 game, the Panthers rattled off a 20-5 run to put the game out of reach. The Cougars hit just two more field goals in the game, the first coming after a 5:18 dry spell.

UWM limited its opponent to 3-of-19 shooting over the final 17:19 of the game, forcing nine turnovers. Meanwhile, the Panthers finished the half shooting 46.7 percent, hitting all three 3-point attempts and going 9-for-10 from the free throw line. Milwaukee opened the half hitting 8-of-16 and, after a bit of a dry spell, finished the game making 6-of-7.

The Panthers shot 45.3 on the day, hitting 6-of-10 three-pointers and making 19-of-22 free throws. They also forged a 40-27 rebounding advantage and combated 19 turnovers with 18 assists. CSU finished at 40 percent for the game after a 50 percent first half. It hit on 6-of-16 from three-point range and just 10-of-23 from the free throw line.

The first half featured nine ties and seven scoring changes as the two teams were not separated by more than four points in the frame. UWM's free throw shooting (10-of-12) kept it in the game, as the team had 11 turnovers and Chicago State shot 50 percent.

Milwaukee continues its three-game homestand to close out the non-league and 2009 portions of its schedule Tuesday (Dec. 15), hosting Illinois State at the Klotsche Center. Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m.