Box Score |  Notes

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. (Feb. 25, 2010) - The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee women's basketball team shot just 29.8 percent and turned the ball over 21 times in falling to Butler, 59-41, Thursday evening at Hinkle Fieldhouse.

The Panthers (10-16, 5-10 Horizon) lost for the sixth time in seven games, while Butler (19-7, 12-3 Horizon) won for the seventh-straight time and moved into first place with the win.

Freshman Sami Tucker scored a game-high and career-best 20 points to lead Milwaukee, adding six rebounds. No other Panther reach double-figures, as sophomore Danielle Jorgenson finished with nine points. Freshman Sammy Theut added six assists in 31 minutes.

"Sami Tucker's play was exceptional," UWM head coach Sandy Botham said. "She's all about effort--sticking with plays and making plays. That's what she did tonight. She's a tough matchup for a lot of teams in our league. The experience she is getting is going to bode well for our future."

Melanie Thronton scored 18 points and had 10 rebounds to pace Butler. Alyssa Pittman was the only other Bulldog in double-figures with 16.

Milwaukee's offense could not get track the entire game. It shot just 29.8 percent in the game and committed 21 turnovers. The Panthers were 4-for-17 from three-point range and attempted just six free throws, making three.

"It's disappointing. We wish we could have had a better outcome and played better against this Butler team," Botham said. "I didn't think we started as strong as we could have. We were able to recover, stay with it and fight back. Our players showed a lot of character. There was a lot of youth out there tonight."

The Bulldogs shot 42.6 percent for the game, including just 5-for-17 from three-point range. They also reached 20 turnovers, but won the battle of the boards, 41-33.

Neither team could get on track to start the game, but with the game tied at 6-6 Butler got its offense going and rattled off 10-straight points. Milwaukee made it an eight-point game twice after that, but would get no closer. The Bulldogs answered with seven-straight points to build a double-digit lead for good and took a 29-15 lead into halftime.

Despite the home team building a lead as high as 29 in the second half, UWM did not back down. The Panthers ended the game on a 15-6 run, not allowing a Butler field goal over the final 4:36 of the game.

The Panthers close out the final road trip of the regular season Saturday at Valparaiso. Tip-off is scheduled for 1:35 p.m.