Fargo, N.D. - Ashley Green got her senior campaign off to an impressive start, scoring a career-high 36 points and adding a double-double with a career-best 15 rebounds to help the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee women's basketball team to a 77-73 victory over North Dakota State University Sunday afternoon at Bentson Bunker Fieldhouse.
 
"It came down to energy and our defense in the second half," Milwaukee head coach Kyle Rechlicz said. "I thought that we really came together and really stepped up. The fire that was in their eyes, the togetherness they showed on the court – and even from the bench – I am really proud of how we came together, especially in our first game."
 
Green had a great day to lead the Panthers (1-0) to the victory over the Bison (1-1) in a contest that marked the 2014-15 season opener for UWM.
 
"Ashley has been playing like this for the last three weeks and I just couldn't wait for everybody else to see her play like this," Rechlicz said. "She is one of those players that we can rely on and we need her to consistently step up like that this season."
 
Green's 36 points were also the most ever for a Milwaukee player in a season opener, topping the 30 that Traci Edwards netted in the initial game of 2007-08.
 
"We came into this game saying we wanted to be 1-0 after it," Green said. "We were able to do that, we came out fighting. Our energy and hustle really dictates the game for us and everyone bought into it and was playing as hard as they could."
 
Freshman Jenny Lindner played 29 minutes off the bench, finishing with 12 points and seven rebounds. Junior Jaleesa Armstrong had 10 points, six assists and just one turnover and junior Jordyn Swan added eight points and four boards to lead the offense.
 
Brooke LeMar, NDSU's top scorer, did end up with 18 points, but the UWM defense held her to just a 2-for-10 showing from the floor until the final seconds of the contest.
 
The opening minutes of the second half were a back-and-forth affair, with four ties and four lead changes marking the first six minutes.
 
A jumper by Armstrong tied it at 48-48 with 14:12 left. Green's three-pointer two possessions later made it 53-48 and really gave UWM momentum. It was Ashley again with a layup on a nice pass by Armstrong, forcing a timeout after UWM took the 57-50 lead.
 
Lindner's bank-in three-pointer from the top of the key gave Milwaukee its first double-digit advantage at 68-57 with 4:38 to go and the Panthers fended off the Bison from there.
 
The first half was entertaining for the crowd to watch, with the teams trading baskets and runs over the course of the first 20 minutes. They traded punches down the final 10, resulting in eight ties and 11 lead changes before intermission alone.
 
Green was impressive. She had 18 points and eight rebounds by half, making 7-of-10 from the floor. Her free throw with 37 seconds left gave UWM the slim 39-38 advantage going into the locker room.
 
Milwaukee led early, but could not pull away. A LeMar three gave the Bison back the lead at 14-13 and, after a basket by Green, it was three free throws by LeMar that made it 17-14.
 
A 12-2 UWM run turned the tables. Green was once again a part of that spurt and her pair of free throws at the 9:30 mark gave Milwaukee a 26-19 advantage and forced an NDSU timeout.
 
UWM shot well in the first half, hitting at over 60 percent well into the frame before finishing at 41.9 percent (13-of-31) at the break.
 
Up next, the team remains on the road for an off day Monday before taking on North Dakota Tuesday. Tip off time is set for 8 p.m. as game two of a men's/women's doubleheader.