“It’s great for Traci (Edwards) to have a game like this. We push her a lot in practice, and she may think we are relentless, but we know how good she can play. She showed that today.”

Upon entering Horizon League play the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee women’s basketball team stood on shaky ground. Due in large part to a tough non-conference schedule, the Panthers held an overall record of 4-9 and were riding a disappointing three-game losing streak.

To say the team was less than confident entering its Dec. 28 contest against Loyola would have been more than appropriate.

If only the Panthers knew at the time, however, that conference play would cure any and all doubts they may have had.

Senior Megan Rogers contributed 17 points off the bench, including a three-point basket with just four seconds left to secure a 73-72 victory over Loyola.

The Panthers held the lead for most of the night until a flurry of turnovers late opened the door for a Rambler comeback. Trailing 72-70 with nine seconds left, Rogers nailed her first attempt from downtown on the night. Sophomore Traci Edwards had 18 points and 10 rebounds, while junior Aubri Rote notched 14 points of her own.

The Panthers continued their winning ways, defeating the University of Illinois-Chicago 86-79 on Dec. 30, improving to 2-0 in league play for the first time since the 2003-2004 season.

Despite a season-high 25 turnovers, the Panthers relied on a stellar offensive effort to produce the win. Milwaukee shot 53 percent from the field, 50 percent from three-point range, and connected on 29 of their 36 free throw attempts.

The Panthers were led by Edwards, who dominated the game with 28 points and 20 rebounds en route to being named Horizon League Player of the Week.

The effort showed head coach Sandy Botham what Edwards is capable of.

“It’s great for Traci to have a game like this. We push her a lot in practice, and she may think we are relentless, but we know how good she can play. She showed that today,” Botham said.

The Panthers opened the new year just like they ended 2006, with a victory, 77-67 over Detroit. UWM (7-9, 3-0 in Horizon League) were once again led by Edwards, whose 25 points, eight rebounds and six assists paced the emerging Panthers squad.

Senior guard Aubrey Hampton scored a career-high 19 points, connecting on her first five three-point field goal attempts.

The match-up was a game of runs, with the Titans going on runs of 11-2 and 9-4, while the Panthers had 14-4 and 19-9 scoring bursts of their own.

Botham gave her team credit for staying focused during the up and down battle.

“Our players showed poise and got the stops when they needed them. We were able to stop their runs and go on runs of our own. That was the difference in the game today,” she said.

Milwaukee next traveled to a tough road contest at the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay, also undefeated in conference play.

The results weren’t to their liking as the Panthers fell to the Phoenix 85-70, snapping a three-game conference winning streak.

UWM never held a lead, falling behind by as many as 29 points.

“We didn’t have that fighter’s mentality,” Botham said. “To beat a team as talented as Green Bay, you need that fighter’s mentality.”

Once again the Panthers were paced by the play of Edwards, who recorded 18 points. Senior Aubrey Hampton put up 17 points, and for the second straight game knocked down 5 of 6 attempts from three-point range. Sophomore Emily Markert scored a career-high 16 points.

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