Feb. 16, 2012

Box Score | Postgame Report | "Player of the Game" Postgame Interview: Kiki Wilson

YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio - Junior Sami Tucker and sophomore Courtney Lindfors each scored 18 points to lead four players in double-figures as the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee women's basketball team claimed a 76-71 comeback victory over Youngstown State University Thursday night at the Beeghly Center.

Freshman Kiki Wilson added a double-double of 11 points and 10 assists and classmate Ashley Green grabbed seven rebounds and scored 14 of her 17 points in the second half as the Panthers (7-17, 3-10 Horizon League) overcame a fast start by a Penguin squad (10-15, 4-10 Horizon League) that led by 11 points at halftime.

"I am really proud of our players," UWM head coach Sandy Botham said. "I thought we showed great poise. We were able to get ahead, they (YSU) went back in the lead, but we just kept our poise and really executed the offensive game plan."

UWM shot 56 percent in the game (28-of-50) and has now won 15 in a row against Youngstown State, a streak that dates back to February of 2005.

Brandi Brown led the Penguins with 20 points and nine rebounds. Sophomore Angela Rodriguez added seven points, five rebounds and a season-high seven assists in the win. Lindfors played 25 minutes in her first action after missing the past two games.

"Courtney is an important factor for us," Botham said. "We really missed her the past two games but it was great to have her presence. People are aware of where she is, so it opens things from the perimeter. I thought she played with great intensity and was an inspiration."

Tied, 65-65, with less than four minutes to play, Green scored on a jumper to give UWM the lead it would not relinquish. Up three points with under a minute to play, Tucker put the victory away on a three-pointer from the wing - on a pass that gave Wilson her 10th assist - and made the score 75-69 with just 34 seconds to play.

It was freshmen duo that combined on the final push of the comeback, with Wilson assisting back-to-back baskets by Green that gave the Panthers their first lead since 7-5, making it 65-62 with just over five minutes to play and capping a 9-1 run by the Panthers.

"Kiki did a nice job today taking care of the basketball, sharing it and making the extra pass," Botham said. "And Ashley has been very consistent for us. We got her some mismatch opportunities and she delivered."

The double-double was the first of Wilson's career and the first point-assist double-double for a Panther player in over a year (Rodriguez: 12 points/10 assists at UIC Feb. 12 last year).

Milwaukee was down, 45-34, at intermission but came out of the locker room on a mission. It scored the first six points of the second half and went on a 16-5 run that included a 10-0 spurt and tied the game at 50-50 on a pair of free throws by Lindfors at the 13:09 mark.

The Panthers came up with a couple of stops on defense but were unable to forge ahead at the time. Brown scored five in a row to stem the tide, but Tucker's three at the 10:28 mark tied it again at 55-55.

UWM forced 19 turnovers on the night and outrebounded YSU, 29-26. It also held a 38-16 advantage on points in the paint.

The Panthers shot 54.2 percent from the floor in the first half yet found themselves trailing, 45-34, at intermission. Lindfors (11) and Tucker (10) were both in double-figures by the half, but the Penguins continued to hit three-pointers at an impressive rate.

The league-leader in three's made per game coming in at 9.3 a game, YSU nailed seven in the first half alone and also held a substantial edge in points off turnovers. Despite the fact that UWM had nine compared to Youngstown's seven at halftime, the Penguins turned that into a 16-2 edge in points off the miscues.

A quick pace from the start, UWM quickly went ahead 7-2 before the tide was turned. YSU countered with a 16-2 run that included 13 points in a row at one point to build an 18-9 cushion. A jumper by Lindfors and a three from senior Alex Klawitter made it a game at 18-14 at the 12:06 mark, but YSU would build the lead back to over 10 on the strength of its three-point shooting and led by 11 at the half.

Up next, the Panthers wrap up the two-game road swing at Cleveland State Feb. 18 with a 12:30 p.m. CST tip at the Wolstein Center.