November 30, 1998

MILWAUKEE- Everything fell into line for the UWM women's basketball team as it recorded the first win of the season, an 87-67 decision over Furman in the consolation game of the Coors Rocky Mountain Invitational on Saturday, Nov. 28. The Panthers fell to La Salle, 65-62, in the first round of the tournament.

With a win under their belt, the Panthers hope they can maintain the momentum when they play host to Xavier on Sunday, Dec. 6. The game is "Phones-to-Own Schedule Magnate Day."

Daryl Schaffeld (Palatine, Ill.-Fremd), who scored 15 points on five three-pointers against LaSalle and added 13 points and seven steals against Furman, represented UWM on the All-Tournament team.

Against Furman, UWM held a slight 34-32 lead at halftime. But an 11-2 run to open the second half put the game out of reach.

"At halftime, we talked about being poised and staying confident, and we were able to do that," said UWM coach Sandy Botham.

Six Panthers scored in double figures: Schaffeld and Janelle Jonason (Brooklyn Park, Minn.-Park Center) scored 13 points each; Nicole Luchsinger (Janesville, Wis.-Parker) and Kelly Lubbers each scored a dozen, and Corrin Von Wald and Teri Stoltenberg scored 10.

"Against LaSalle, we played not to lose; against Furman, we played to win," said Botham.

Against the Explorers, UWM jumped out to an early 12-4 lead and led at the half, 36-31, but LaSalle chipped away and trailed, 36-31, at halftime. The LaSalle took its first lead of the game, 52-51, with 8:20 remaining in the game.

Next up for the Panthers is Xavier. The Musketeers are 3-1 on the season, with wins over Ohio State, Wright State and Eastern Kentucky. The loss came against Toledo. Xavier returns 10 players from the team that handed UWM a 72-59 loss in Cincinnati last year.