Talk about late-game domination.

That’s exactly what the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee women’s basketball team dished out in the last 11 minutes 41 seconds in their 67-58 win against the Loyola Ramblers on Thursday, Feb. 9. In that span, field goals were non-existent for the Ramblers due to the Panthers’ defense.

The win boosts the Panthers to 8-2 in the conference (13-8 overall) and only one game back of first place, behind perennial league power UW-Green Bay Phoenix.

Senior Nicole Drummond led the Panthers with 17 points while freshman standout Traci Edwards had 15 and nine rebounds, one rebound shy of her fourth-straight double-double performance.

Coming into the game, the Ramblers were 3-7 in league play, occupying the depths of the Horizon league standings.

“These are the kind of games that scare you most as a coach,” said coach Sandy Botham. “You get worried that your players think mentality, ‘it's a W,’ and that they are focused more on what's ahead than what's in the present.”

The Panthers took the lead for good with 9:12 left in the game after Drummond converted a lay up, making it 52-50. The Ramblers managed to stay in the game by sinking 15 of 19 free throw attempts, eight of which came in their seemingly never-ending field goal drought in the last 11:41. The Panthers ended the contest with an impressive 20-8 run.

Both teams found their shooting touch from the start with the Panthers shooting 47.2 percent in the game, including a season-best 54.5 percent from behind the arc. Loyola shot a respectable 44.2 percent from the field, but had a hoard of turnovers with 23.

“We got a little impatient and tried to force things,” Botham said. “But, I thought we settled down, turned things up defensively, took them out of some of the looks they had early and closed them out.”

After the first half, the Panthers saw their two-point lead vanish as the Ramblers rode a 7-1 scoring run. Both teams duked it out by exchanging baskets until the score was tied at 50, at which point the Panthers pulled away.

Two other Panthers managed to reach double figures, with sophomore Meredith Onson dropping in 11 points and Megan Rogers had 10.

The Panthers take on Detroit at 7 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 16, at the Klotsche Center.

> Comments