The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Panthers prevailed at the women’s basketball opener against Chicago State Friday night, with an 88-76 victory.

After two tremendous preseason exhibition games against Beloit (102- 25), and Wisconsin AAU (76-47), they expected nothing less when playing against Chicago State.

Even though head coach Sandy Botham said she did not expect exactly the same results in Chicago, the team still pulled out a win.

“Chicago State is much more talented at every position,” said Botham.

But that was not the case on Friday against the Cougars (0-1), Traci Edwards, who was picked Horizon League Player of the Year, had a game-high 30 points and 14 rebounds, leading the Panthers (1-0) to victory.

Also adding on to Edwards’ 30, Aubri Rote tacked up 20 points with six-for-seven shooting, and Jineen Williams added 13 points and two steals.

While Chicago State out-shot UWM 53.3 percent to 42.3 percent, Milwaukee’s rebounding ability outweighed the Cougars 48-to-29, taking 28 rebounds on offense.

Equipped with many of last year’s returning players, the team was able to adapt and stay in sync with each other.

“Our talented sophomores and juniors from last season are now juniors and seniors. They are much more mature, more consistent with their actions and have shown tremendous leadership,” said Botham. “We also have a very gifted freshman class who add depth and athleticism to our team.”

Never falling behind more than two the entire night allowed the Panthers to steal the first half from the Cougars. Halfway through the first, UWM turned a 25-25 tie into a 40-27 lead with a 15-2 run, leading 48-37 at halftime.

CSU cut UWM’s lead down to nine in the second half before Milwaukee stole the game. With a 10 point margin, 54-44, the Panthers went out to a game-high margin of 23 points, making the score 70-47.

The Cougars were able to minimize the lead to 12 points by the end, but it was too late as the Panthers pulled out an 88-76 victory, their first of the regular season.

With the Panthers off to an extremely positive start this year, Botham’s expectations are high.

“They need to make the most of every moment, win all the small victories, and have a positive attitude,” said Botham. “If they accomplish this, the Horizon League Championship, NCAA berth will become a reality.”

The Panthers face Dayton on Nov. 19 at the Klotsche Center for their first home game of the season.

> Comments