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MILWAUKEE, Wis. (Dec. 29, 2009) - The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee women's basketball team struggled to get its offense going and was unable to overcome a 22-point second-half deficit in falling to crosstown rival Marquette, 69-52, Tuesday evening at the Klotsche Center.

The Panthers (5-6), who have lost five of their last six after a 4-1 start, were unable to get their offense going until the second half, but by then it was too late. They made a game of it late, as the Golden Eagles (9-4) saw a 22-point lead whittled to nine before scoring nine of the final 10 points of the game to seal the victory.

"I'm proud of our kids. They stuck with it, battled back and made a game of it in cutting it to nine," UWM head coach Sandy Botham said. "We had some good spurts in the second half to cut the gap, but then they would go on another run. We just weren't able to close it."

Junior Lindsay Laur led Milwaukee with 15 points and seven rebounds while being limited to just 25 minutes due to foul trouble. Senior Jodie McClain and junior Jenilee Klomstad added 10 points apiece. McClain also had six assists, two blocks and three steals, while Klomstad was 4-for-4 from the field and made both free throw attempts.

Jessica Pachko had a game-high 19 points for Marquette, hitting on 8-of-13 from the field and pulling down eight boards. Angel Robinson chipped in with a strong all-around performance, scoring 15 points, dishing out eight assists and coming away with six steals.

The Panthers dug themselves into a hole early, committing 13 first-half turnovers and trailing by as many as 18 in the first half. After Laur hit a three-pointer at 12:42, the Golden Eagles rattled off a 22-7 run over 10:44 to take a 38-20 lead.

Coming out of halftime with a 38-22 lead, MU made it 40-22 before UWM began to chip away at the deficit. The Panthers went on a 10-4 run, only to see the visitors respond with 10-straight points to make it a 22-point game at 54-32.

Laur's second three-pointer of the game kick-started a 19-6 Milwaukee run that made it a nine-point game at 60-51 with 4:09 to play. The Panthers would miss their final eight field goal attempts as Marquette pulled away in the closing minutes.

UWM's offense protected the ball better in the second half, finishing with just four turnovers over the final 19 minutes of the game and 19 for the game. Unfortunately, MU converted those miscues into 23 points. The Golden Eagles used those errors to score in transition, finishing with a 17-6 advantage in fast-break points.

The Panthers shot 35.4 percent for the night, connecting on just 3-of-14 from three-point range. They did make 15-of-18 from the free throw line, but it was not enough. The Golden Eagles shot 43.3 percent in the game and made 13-of-15 at the charity stripes. Rebounds were 38-31 in favor of the visitors, including 14 offensive boards for Marquette.

Milwaukee returns to action in 2010, kicking off league play at Youngstown State Jan. 2. The Panthers and Penguins tip off at 3:35 p.m. central time in Youngstown, Ohio.