Box Score |  Notes

DETROIT, Mich. (Feb. 6, 2010) - Junior Ashley Imperiale scored 23 points and junior Lindsay Laur added 17 points and 14 rebounds, but it was not enough, as the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee women's basketball team fell to Detroit, 72-65, Saturday afternoon at Calihan Hall.

The Panthers (9-13, 4-7 Horizon) led 61-60 on an Imperiale jumper with 2:52 to play, but the Titans (11-11, 9-2 Horizon) went on a 12-0 run to ice the game and hand UWM its third-straight loss.

"It was a great effort. I was pleased with our players' determination and their fight," UWM head coach Sandy Botham said. "They made a game of it with a very good Detroit team. (The Titans) made the plays down the stretch. It came down to the wire and they made big shots."

Playing in front of family and friends, freshman Sami Tucker just missed a double-double with 12 points and nine boards. Senior Jodie McClain added nine points and seven assists.

Detroit was led by, almost single-handedly at times, by Lauren Allen's 19 points. Four more Titans reached double-figures, led by Brigid Mulroy's 16 points. Yar Shayok had 13 points, Jalesa Jones 12 and Sierra Spaude 10.

The contest was tight throughout, featuring 16 lead changes and 14 ties. The teams were not separated by more than five points over the first 39 minutes of the game. Milwaukee trailed by five at 46-41 when Laur started an 8-0 run to make it 49-46 UWM.

Both teams traded scoring possessions through the four-minute media timeout. The second of back-to-back Imperiale jumpers made it 61-60 before the Titans' decisive run. Mulroy hit a leaner to beat the shot clock at 37.8 to make it 66-61 and seemingly put the game away. UDM then hit all six free throws down the stretch for the win.

Milwaukee came out of the gates shooting well, resting well above 50 percent for much of the first half. In the second half, the shots ceased to fall as the team shot 34.2 percent after halftime to finish at 39.1 percent. The Panthers hit on 6-of-19 from three-point range and went to the free throw line just six times, making five. They also dominated on the boards, 40-27.

The Titans shot 51.9 percent from the field, getting 38 points in the paint, and were 5-of-13 from three-point range. Detroit got to the free throw line 19 times and made 13. UWM committed just 12 turnovers, compared to 17 assists, but the Titans were able to turn those miscues into 16 points.

In the first half alone, there were 10 ties and eight lead changes as neither team gained much of an advantage, with the teams alternated scoring over 10-straight possessions at one point. UDM led by as many as five (9-4) in the opening frame, while Milwaukee had as much as a four-point lead at 31-27 before back-to-back three-pointers led to the home team leading at the intermission.

The Panthers close out a three-game road swing at Green Bay next Saturday (Feb. 13). UWM and GB tip off at 5 p.m. at the Kress Center in a game that will be televised live on ESPNU.