Nov. 28, 2011

Box Score | "Player of the Game" Postgame Audio | Postgame Report

PEORIA, Ill. - Sophomore Angela Rodriguez scored a season-high 21 points and junior Sami Tucker posted another double-double with 17 points and 12 rebounds to help the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee women's basketball team hang on for a 71-67 victory over Bradley University Monday night at Renaissance Coliseum.

The Panthers (2-3) led by as many as 14 points in the second half, only to see the Braves (4-3) get within two at 65-63 with just 1:24 remaining. UWM would sink six free throws the rest of the way to secure the victory, with senior Alex Klawitter putting it away when she made it a two-possession game with a pair from the line with 23 seconds left.

"I am very proud of our student-athletes - they battled," Milwaukee head coach Sandy Botham said. "This is a game we knew was going to go down to the wire. They beat us on a last-second shot at our place (last season) so we talked about needing to return the favor. Collectively, I thought it was a little bit of an ugly win, but give credit to Bradley - they are a good defensive team that forced us into a lot of turnovers."

Rodriguez went 10-of-12 from the free throw line en route to her 21 points, with sophomores Courtney Lindfors (13 points) and Emily Decorah (10) giving Milwaukee four players in double-figures. Leah Kassing led Bradley with a game-high 23.

Up, 34-27, at the start of the second, the Panthers continued to build the advantage and led by as many as 14 at 51-37 when Tucker hit a layup with 13:50 to play.

But, the Braves would not go quietly, playing tough defense which forced 24 turnovers in the contest. A 13-5 run made it 56-50 at the under-eight minute media timeout and the lead was back down to just four on a jumper by Kassing with 4:45 to go.

Klawitter played a key role again at that point, calmly coming off the bench and drilling a three-pointer from the top of the key to stem the tide. That made it 63-56 and seemed to give UWM back the momentum it needed.

"We held our composure and that is what I am most proud of," Botham said. "With a young team, we stayed composed and we made plays down the stretch. Sami (Tucker) got rebounds when we needed them and Alex (Klawitter) hitting that three when we were just having a hard time finding the basket - that's what you want out of a senior. I am just really proud and it's great to get out of Illinois with two wins."

For the second-straight game, Milwaukee set season-bests in field foal percentage (46.2 percent), three-point field goal percentage (41.2 percent) and free throw percentage (71.8 percent).

It was the role of the free throws that were the biggest difference. The Panthers came into the game shooting just 47.4 percent from the charity stripe, but went 28-for-39 from the line tonight, icing the victory with those six important makes in the final 90 seconds.

"One of our big goals was to be the aggressor and get to the free throw line," Botham said. "To shoot 71 percent, I am really proud in that regard. We stayed poised and hit the free throws when we needed them."

About the only thing holding Milwaukee back before halftime was the turnovers, as it committed an uncharacteristic 14 of them in the first half despite running out to a 34-27 lead. The team shot 52.9 percent (9-of-17) - marking a season-best for a half - with Rodriguez scoring 13 points in the first on three three-pointers and a 4-of-4 effort from the line. Decorah was also in double-figures with 10 and added five rebounds.

Following six lead changes, the fourth tie of the first half made the score 26-26 on a three-pointer by Bradley's Michelle Young with 3:03 to go. From there, it was all Panthers, with UWM closing out the half on an 8-to-1 run to make it 34-27. Rodriguez sank a pair of free throws, Decorah added a three from the corner and a pair of free throws and junior Sammy Theut also sank one from the charity stripe over the final three minutes.

The Panthers jumped out to an early lead and held a 10-4 advantage before Bradley responded with a 7-0 run to take its first lead at 11-10. Rodriguez made a three at the 11:22 mark to pull UWM within one at 16-15 and stop a 12-2 Braves run.

Down, 22-19, the defense dug in and held BU without a field goal for over four minutes, using a pair of Rodriguez free throws, a three from Decorah and a jumper by Tucker to take a 26-22 lead. Milwaukee held the Braves to 31 percent shooting (9-of-29) in the first half and did force 11 turnovers of their own.

The Panthers are off until the weekend, heading to Kalamazoo, Mich., for a Saturday night game against Western Michigan. Tip off is 6 p.m. CST as Milwaukee looks to extend its winning streak to three games.