Box Score |  Notes

YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio (Jan. 2, 2010) - The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee women's basketball team opened the second half on a 23-9 run and withheld a late flurry of points in defeating Youngstown State, 68-59, at the Beeghly Center Saturday night.

The Panthers (6-6, 1-0 Horizon) struggled in the first half, but righted the ship after halftime to hold off the Penguins (0-12, 0-1 Horizon) in the league opener for both teams.

"It's great to get a victory in your first Horizon League game," UWM head coach Sandy Botham said. "I thought Youngstown came out very aggressively against us and we didn't handle it well. We regained composure and really set the tone in the first five minutes of the second half and were able to pull away from them."

Milwaukee had four players in double-figures, led by junior Ashley Imperiale's 16 points. Sophomore Danielle Jorgenson had a career-best 14 points, while juniors Lindsay Laur and Jenilee Klomstad had 10 points apiece.

Brandi Brown led Youngstown State with 18 points and 15 rebounds, while Bojana Dimitrov added 14 points and Rachael Manuel 11. YSU dressed just seven players, but finished the game with five after a pair of foul outs.

Despite the Penguins' winless record, they held momentum throughout much of the first half. The Panthers turned the ball over 14 times in the opening half and conceded 15 offensive rebounds. After Jorgenson gave UWM an 18-13 lead with 11:33 to play in the half, YSU rattled off 10-straight points while holding Milwaukee scoreless until 4:14 remaining. Imperiale ended the run and started a 7-0 Panther streak to give them the lead back at 25-23. The score would be 25-25 at the break.

Coming out of halftime, Klomstad and Laur got the offense started and keyed a 23-9 run for UWM. Back-to-back Jorgenson layups made it 48-34, while Milwaukee's lead peaked at 60-44 with 12:18 remaining. Nine of Laur's points came after halftime, while all 10 of Klomstad's points were scored in the second half.

The Panthers then coasted until the final moments when the Penguins caught fire. Botham emptied the bench, which YSU was able to capitalize on with three-straight Milwaukee turnovers. The home team converted those miscues into seven-straight points and made it 64-59 with 1:17 to go in the game. Botham then called a timeout, reinserted some of her regulars and they finished out the game without allowing another point.

Milwaukee shot 61.3 percent shooting in the game to finish the game at an even 50 percent. It struggled from the free throw line (11-for-22) and from three-point range (3-for-13) on the night, but pounded the ball inside for 26 points in the paint in the second half.

The Panthers also leveled the playing field on the glass, overcoming a 27-14 first half deficit to make it just 43-37 in YSU's favor by game's end. UWM also cut down the offensive boards allowed from the aforementioned 15 in the opening frame to just six in the second and finished with 23 turnovers, compared to 20 assists.

Youngstown State shot just 32.4 for the game, while knocking down just 2-of-19 three-point tries. The Penguins also made 9-of-14 from the free throw line and turned the ball over 18 times.

UWM continues its league-opening road trip at Cleveland State Monday. The Panthers and Vikings tip off at 6 p.m. central time.