Jan. 19, 2012

Box Score

MILWAUKEE - The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee women's basketball team stormed back from a late 23-point deficit with a 17-1 scoring run, but ran out of time in a 68-58 loss to Cleveland State University Thursday night at the Klotsche Center.

The Panthers (4-12, 0-6 Horizon League) trailed the Vikings (8-9, 3-3 Horizon League) by 23 at 62-39 with 6:29 remaining before rattling off 15-consecutive points as part of that 17-1 run to get within seven with about a minute remaining in regulation. CSU then iced the victory at the line, making five of six free throws in the final 43 seconds.

"I was really proud of our players," Milwaukee head coach Sandy Botham said. "We've gotten down in games past, but never made any sort of a surge at the end. The surge that we had to cut it to seven, I was really proud of our player's effort and their determination and fight to the bitter end."

Freshman Ashley Green scored a team-high 15 points to lead UWM, with sophomore Courtney Lindfors adding nine points and nine rebounds off the bench. Shalonda Winton paced the Vikings with a game-high double-double of 26 points and 10 rebounds, her fourth-straight game of over 20 points.

Down by 12 at intermission, Milwaukee scored seven of the first nine points of the second half to trim the deficit to seven at 40-33 on a layup by junior Sami Tucker at the 17:25 mark. CSU would respond, putting up a 16-3 run of its own to give itself a 20-point cushion at 56-36.

"When you face adversity, how do you handle it? We kept fighting and we never gave up," Botham said. "We came out of the blocks and got down early, gave them some open looks and they made us pay. It was a tough loss on our home court."

Trailing by 23, the Panthers would get the run started at the free throw line. Six free throws in a row were followed by a pair of layups before freshman Kiki Wilson's three-pointer made it a 10-point contest at 62-52 with under two minutes to play. UWM held defensively again and added another on a layup by sophomore Kimee Chandler before Cleveland State added a free throw. Freshman Janna Swopshire's layup cut it to seven with about a minute remaining, but that was as close as UWM would get.

"Our goal is to be consistent across the board," Botham said. "We have been inconsistent in different areas, but we are working to put it all together. It's not how you start, but how you finish and that's been a phrase we have been using the past two weeks. We just have to keep believing, keep working hard and learn from these things."

The Vikings led 38-26 at the half, but it was a quick start that fueled the advantage. CSU sprinted out to a 14-3 lead by making six of its first 10 shots. It went inside early and often, finishing the first half with 20 points in the paint.

"It's a mentality, to be focused and ready from the start," Botham said. "That might be a little bit of youth or a little bit of confidence. It is hard to lose by 10 and get down early like that. It's an area we need to get stronger at."

After falling behind 11 at the 15:35 mark, UWM righted the ship and played Cleveland State evenly the rest of the half. Green played a key role, scoring 10 points in the first half alone by making four of her first six shots from the field. Turnovers hurt UWM in the first, as CSU turned 13 miscues into 11 points.

Down, 14-3, Green hit a three and added a layup to start the comeback and her layup at the 12:24 mark trimmed the deficit to its lowest at six at 16-10 on the scoreboard. CSU then went on a spurt of its own, pushing the lead quickly back to 11 with five straight points before eventually leading by as many as 13 in the half on 48.4 percent (15-of-31) shooting from the field.

The Vikings would finish the night shooting 46.2 percent (24-of-52) from the floor, including 43.8 percent (7-of-16) from three-point range. Milwaukee ended at 35.1 percent (20-of-58) but did shoot 75 percent (15-of-20) from the free throw line and outrebounding its opponent, 40-33 overall, including 18-11 on the offensive glass.

Tucker chipped in with five points and seven rebounds, with Wilson finishing with seven points, five rebounds and three assists. Cori Coleman was the only other CSU player in double-figures, making 4-of-5 three-pointers as part of an 18-point night.

The Panthers remain at home for the weekend, hosting Youngstown State Saturday. Tip off is set for 2 p.m. with the annual Alumni Game set to take place before the contest.