Marquette University Athletics
Marquette University
Wisconsin-Milwaukee
Golden Eagles Outlast Wis.-Milwaukee, 67-65, in Overtime
11/27/2001 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Nov. 27, 2001
Complete Release in PDF Format
Download Free Acrobat Reader
MILWAUKEE - Marquette held off a late, feverish charge from Wis.-Milwaukee to hold on to a 67-65 victory at the Klotsche Center on the UWM campus. Marquette (2-2) led by as many as 13 with 12:01 to play before the Panthers (3-2) went on a scoring tear to force overtime.
Marquette had a sparkling first half, shooting 48.1 percent en route to a 34-27 lead. Led by sophomore forward Crystal Weaver's 10 first half points, the Golden Eagles pushed the lead to 53-40 before the Panthers charge. UWM forced a tie at 59 after Jessica Wilhite stole a pass and was fouled on the ensuing layup. She hit one free throw and UWM grabbed the rebound on the second to shoot for the lead.
UWM had three attempts in regulation to take the lead, but squandered them all. Marquette also had a pair of chances to take the lead in regulation.
"I knew it was going to be a battle tonight," said Marquette head coach Terri Mitchell. "It shows the maturity we have after playing difficult opponents like Iowa and Iowa State. I was very confident down the stretch with our defense."
Weaver hit a jumper to start the overtime period to put Marquette up by two and the Golden Eagles never trailed. Weaver finished with a career high 19 on the night.
"I was just trying to to do what I could for the team," Weaver said. "I got a lot of open looks. The team needed me to drive and create, and that's just what I did."
Wilhite, a 19.8 points per game scorer coming into the night, scored UWM's first four points of the extra session for part of her 11, but the Panthers were unable to do more than tie. In the overtime, UWM had four chances to take the lead in the overtime, but MU was able to styme the Panthers' efforts and preserve the lead.
"We stayed focused and stayed with it at the end," said UWM head coach Sandy Botham. "It just didn't go our way in the end."
Marquette continues its season on Thursday, Nov. 29 with a game at Michigan. Start time is 7 p.m. EST.
