Jan. 28, 2012

Box Score

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. - The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee women's basketball team trailed hot-shooting Butler University by just one point late in the contest, but a 12-2 run made the difference in a 76-63 loss Saturday afternoon at Hinkle Fieldhouse.

The Panthers (6-13, 2-7 Horizon League) trailed by as many as 13 points in the first half but were within one at 59-58 on a three-pointer by senior Alex Klawitter with just over seven minutes left in the contest. The Bulldogs (8-12, 4-5 Horizon League) then responded with six points in a row and scored 17 of the final 25 points of the contest to claim the victory.

Sophomore Courtney Lindfors led Milwaukee with 19 points and five rebounds. Freshman Ashley Green was the only other player in double-figures with 13. Sarah Hamm paced Butler with a career-high 30 points as part of a double-double with 11 rebounds.

"Give Butler credit, they played hard," Milwaukee head coach Sandy Botham said. "We cut into the lead and they were the ones that stayed poised and hit some big shots down the stretch. I was happy that we were able to fight back, make a game of it and put ourselves in position, but it just got away from us."

Down by seven at the half, both teams traded baskets until the final UWM rally. Sophomore Angela Rodriguez hit a big three as part of the run and Klawitter then sank her third three-pointer of the game to cut the deficit to one at 59-58 at the 7:04 mark. BU then put together that 12-2 run to put the game away.

"I thought offensively, we did a lot of good things," Botham said. "But we made a few mistakes defensively and, like any good team, they are going to make you pay."

Foul trouble played a key role, as three UWM starters were saddled with four fouls with over eight minutes remaining in the contest. In addition, the Bulldogs shot 51 percent (26-for-51) from the floor on the day, marking a season-best for them.

Klawitter did end up tying her career-high with nine points. Becca Bornhorst nearly added a triple-double for the home team, recording 10 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists.

Hamm, who netted 18 of her points in the first half, sank a three-pointer with just under two minutes to go in the half to give Butler its biggest lead at 44-31. Milwaukee would not go quietly, scoring the final six points of the half to get back within six at 44-37.

"Things were going right for them in the first half, but we did a good job to cut the deficit to seven so we had some momentum on our side," Botham said. "But we just weren't able to execute well in the second half."

Butler had quite the turnaround from its most recent game. After finishing with eight made field goals and 36 total points in a loss to Green Bay Thursday, the Bulldogs managed 16 field goals and 44 points by intermission.

Back and forth for the majority of the first, an 11-2 scoring run by Butler opened the contest up a bit. It turned a 26-25 lead into a 10-point cushion to lead, 41-31, before the Panthers would battle back.

Both teams were red hot from the field to start the game. In fact, Milwaukee made six of its first seven and Butler made seven of its first eight shots from the floor.

The Panthers shot 59.1 percent (13-for-22) from the floor for the half - its second-highest half of the season. Green and Lindfors each had 10.

The Panthers return to Milwaukee for their final non-conference matchup of the season. The team tips off against Seattle Feb. 1, set for a 7 p.m. start.