Box Score |  Notes

MILWAUKEE, Wis. (Jan. 30, 2010) - Claire Freeman hit a jumper with 0.6 seconds remaining to lead Butler past the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee women's basketball team, 71-70, in front of 1,127 fans Saturday afternoon at the Klotsche Center.

The Panthers (9-11, 4-5 Horizon) had taken a 70-69 lead with eight seconds remaining on sophomore Danielle Jorgenson's jumper, but the Bulldogs (13-5, 6-3 Horizon) took the inbounds down the court right away, setting up the final shot.

"What a great collegiate game," Milwaukee head coach Sandy Botham said. "We know Butler's strengths, they are a great scoring team, they execute well offensively. I felt like we were tentative in the first half and weren't focused on attention to the details that they took advantage of. But, we hung in there and had a much better energy and better aggressiveness in the second half."

The final 40 seconds featured four lead changes in an exciting ending to the game. With the game tied at 66-66, senior Jodie McClain got a critical steal under the Butler basket and was fouled at 34.5 seconds. She hit a pair of free throws, but the Bulldogs answered with a Brittany Bowen three at 14.5 to make it 69-68.

UWM then worked the ball down the court for Jorgenson's shot. After Jorgenson hit her shot and Freeman followed with the decisive basket, Milwaukee called three timeouts and junior Lindsay Laur's long inbounds was knocked down as the final horn sounded.

McClain finished with a game-high 20 points to go with six assists and two steals in 39 minutes. Jorgenson and freshman Sami Tucker scored 13 points apiece. Laur gave the Panthers four players in double-figures with 10, while junior Ashley Imperiale played all 40 minutes and had eight points, eight assists and five rebounds.

Melanie Thornton led Butler with 14 points. Freeman and Bowen added 10 points apiece and the five remaining players that played tallied between six and nine in a balanced effort by the visitors.

After Milwaukee jumped on the Bulldogs early, taking a 10-5 lead in the first five minutes, Butler settled down and took control with an 18-6 run for a 23-16 lead at 7:46. The remainder of the half played out back and forth with BU taking a 35-29 into halftime.

The teams alternated scoring possessions to start the second half before the Panthers caught fire behind Jorgenson and McClain. McClain, who came into the game having missed 22-straight three-point attempts, buried a three to start an 8-0 run that shot UWM into the lead. Jorgenson followed with a layup and McClain knocked down a second 3-pointer to make it 46-44.

Milwaukee later scored nine-straight points to turn a 53-53 game into a 62-53 lead with 5:48 remaining in the game. Butler then answered with a 13-2 run to take a 66-64 lead into the final moments. Laur hit a leaner to knot the score with just over a minute remaining to lead into the exciting final moments.

The Panthers shot 49.1 percent for the game, hitting on 6-of-13 from three-point range. They also got to the free throw line 16 times, making 12. UWM turned the ball over just 12 times and turned 14 BU turnovers into 15 points. The Bulldogs finished at an even 50 percent for the game. They made 6-of-16 from down town and had just six free throw attempts (making 5).

The visitors also won the battle of the boards, 33-27, and dominated in the point to the tune of 42 points.

UWM hits the road for three-straight road games, starting Thursday at Wright State. The Panthers and Raiders will play at Sinclair Community College in Dayton, Ohio, and tip off at 6 p.m. central time.