Jan. 31, 2013

Box Score | Postgame Report

MILWAUKEE - The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee women's basketball team came all the way back from a 15-point first-half deficit to lead by as many as eight, but could not hold on as Loyola University prevailed, 84-74, Thursday night at the Klotsche Center.

Senior Sami Tucker and sophomore Ashley Green both posted double-doubles on the night for the Panthers (5-12, 1-4 Horizon League), with Tucker finishing with 16 points and a game-high 13 rebounds and Green adding 10 points and 10 rebounds of her own.

Junior Emily Decorah led the way with a career-high 17 points, making five three-pointers. Sophomore Janna Swopshire also had a career-best in points, making 5-of-8 shots to finish with 13 while adding three rebounds and four assists.

Taylor Johnson led the Ramblers (7-12, 2-4 Horizon League) with an impressive night, setting a career-high with 33 points while flirting with a triple-double by adding 11 rebounds and seven assists. Monica Albano gave Loyola a potent one-two punch, ending the contest with 31 points of her own.

Milwaukee trailed by as many as 15 late in the first half, but ended the period on a high note by scoring the final five points heading into the locker room.

The Panthers were a new team in the second, scoring 16 of the first 22 points after intermission to take their first lead on a pair of Decorah free throws with 12:32 to play. That capped a 21-6 UWM run and gave it momentum at 52-50.

From there it was a see-saw affair. Two ties and four lead changes spanned the next six minutes, with senior Sammy Theut's three-pointer giving Milwaukee a 63-60 advantage with 6:38 to go.

Milwaukee would build that advantage to as many as eight at 70-62 on a layup by Green and a three by Decorah. It would still lead at 74-69 on a Green layup before the Ramblers took over.

Tied, 72-72, a pair of turnovers would result in a four-point Rambler lead in a span of 12 seconds and that would be the deal-breaker. The Panthers would miss their final three attempts from the floor, with Loyola not missing a shot - 5-for-5 from the floor and 6-for-6 from the line - in the final 3:07 of the contest.

Turnovers hampered Milwaukee the first half, as an 11-2 Loyola advantage in turnovers turned into a 13-0 advantage on the scoreboard.

Both teams shot close to 50 percent in the first, but a slow start hampered the Panthers efforts. In fact, after making just one of their first eight attempts from the floor - and falling behind 13-3 - UWM made 12 of its final 21 shots, 57.1 percent, until the halftime horn.

Three-pointers proved beneficial both ways, with Decorah sinking four on six tries to net 12 in the first half. But, the Ramblers were powered by Albano (18) and Johnson (17), who combined for 35 of the 44 that Loyola scored before halftime.

Up next, the Panthers are right back at it on Saturday, wrapping up a three-game homestand against Detroit with a 2 p.m. start.