Dec. 18, 2011

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

MILWAUKEE - The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee women's basketball team overcame a 16-point, second-half deficit in a span of less than six minutes to complete a thrilling comeback and claim a 60-57 victory over the University of Toledo Sunday afternoon at the Klotsche Center.

Sophomore Courtney Lindfors posted a double-double of 19 points and 10 rebounds to lead the Panthers (4-6) to an improbable win over the Rockets (6-4) after Toledo led, 46-30, with 9:29 remaining in the contest.

"A win like this is huge," Milwaukee head coach Sandy Botham said. "Toledo won the WNIT last year and is a proven winner in the Mid-American Conference. To get this win is great for our program and one of the reasons we play such a tough non-conference schedule. It really prepares you for good teams like Toledo."

Freshman Ashley Green played a significant role with 16 points and seven rebounds, with sophomore Angela Rodriguez joining them in double-figures with 14 points. Kyle Baumgartner paced Toledo with 17 points in the loss.

"I thought Ashley Green was a great spark for us," Botham said. "When Courtney went out, I thought we were a little `deer in the headlights' but she attacked. She was aggressive, got to the foul line, got some layups and that was what changed the momentum."

Lindfors, who went out with an injury early in the second half, returned to action with just over four minutes to play in the game and promptly hit back-to-back layups to tie the contest at 48-48 with 4:06 left.

"Losing Courtney took some of the wind out of our sails," Botham said. "She went down hard and there was no presence of her even on the sidelines. To be able to get her back to give us that last punch we needed to get over the top was critical."

After a pair of free throws by Rodriguez, a Green layup pushed the scoring run to 22-2 and gave UWM a 52-48 lead with just over three minutes remaining. In fact, the 16-point comeback marks the sixth-biggest deficit overcome to win a game in program history.

A couple of long three-pointers kept the Rockets alive, cutting the deficit back to two at 56-54 before Green got an offensive rebound and putback to push the lead to four with one minute left.

Toledo would not go down without a fight. Another deep three made it a one-point game with 36 seconds remaining. Green was the one at the line next, making one of two. Tucker and senior Alex Klawitter forced a jump-ball situation on the rebound and UWM maintained possession. Another foul and made free throw made it a three-point game and the Rockets last-second chance to tie missed.

Up three at intermission, the second half could not have started any worse for Milwaukee. The Rockets put up a 19-0 run to take a 44-28 lead before UWM finally got on the board on a pair of free throws by Green at the 9:42 mark.

"We were trying to create something and I think mentally, we just got out of the moment and quit executing on both ends," Botham said. "And they just kept coming at us. But, we applied pressure and started making some of our baskets to whittle away the lead and then we went to our press."

Toledo continued to buckle down on defense, holding UWM without a second-half field goal until a three by Tucker at the 8:42 mark made it 46-34. That snapped an 0-for-12 funk and seemed to turn the game.

Trailing by as many as 16 points at 46-30, the Panthers went on an impressive run of their own, scoring 14 straight points, including four-consecutive free throws by freshman Kiki Wilson to get within a basket at 46-44.

The first half was about as back-and-forth as they come, with the biggest lead by either team being just four points. Included in the first 20 minutes of play were seven ties and five lead changes, with Milwaukee taking the final momentum into the locker room when it scored six of the final nine points to take a 28-25 edge.

The Rockets led out early, claiming a 14-10 edge on a three by Courtney Ingersoll at the 13:19 mark. A three by Rodriguez and a pair of free throws by Lindfors gave the Panthers back the lead and the teams traded baskets from there until the contest was tied, 22-22, with just under four minutes to play.

For the game, Milwaukee won the rebounding battle, 38-to-35, and also the turnover battle at 17-to-16. UWM ended the day at 37.8 percent (17-of-45) from the floor overall, making 22 free throws (out of 33) compared to just 6-of-10 for the Rockets. The Milwaukee defense also held the Rockets to 36.2 (21-of-58) shooting in the game.

The Panthers remain at home and begin Horizon League play next, hosting Loyola Dec. 29 at 7 p.m.