Milwaukee, Wis. -- The Youngstown State women's basketball team couldn't overcome a slow start offensively despite an intense comeback effort in the second half as it fell 70-49 to Milwaukee in the opening round of the Horizon League Women's Basketball Championship on Monday at the Klotsche Center.
     The Penguins, who trimmed a 23-point deficit to 15 with eight minutes left, saw their 2008-09 season end with a record of 3-27. Milwaukee moves on to play at No. 2 Butler on Wednesday in the tournament quarterfinals.
     YSU was held to 29.4 percent shooting for the game and 26.7 percent in the first half as Milwaukee built a 30-17 at halftime. Milwaukee shot 41.9 percent, including 46.7 percent in the second half, and hit 15-for-17 from the free-throw line. The Penguins were outrebounded 59-30 and outscored 19-4 in fast break points.
     Turquoise McCain had a double-double for Milwaukee, scoring 13 points and grabbing 10 rebounds. Traci Edwards scored a game-high 17 points, and Lindsay Laur scored 13 off the bench.
     Nikita LaFleur had nine points, four blocks and two steals to lead YSU.
     The Penguins scored the first four points of the second half to get within nine points, their first time within 10 since the 14-minute mark of the first half. Edwards hit two free throws to get the lead back to 11, and Milwaukee went on to score 11 straight points over the next three minutes to lead 41-21.
     UWM led by as many as 23 before a Kelsey Gurganus 3-pointer with 8:17 remaining cut the deficit to 57-42 with 8:17 remaining. Jaquetta Westley's 3-pointer at the 6:22 mark made the score 60-45, but the Penguins could not get any closer as UWM scored six of the next seven.
     YSU forced Milwaukee into 23 turnovers and converted just 13, but it could only equate that that into a 14-13 edge in points off turnovers.
     The Penguins struggled to get things going on the offensive end in the first half as they shot 26.7 percent and fell behind 30-17 at the break.
     Edwards scored eight of Milwaukee's first 12 points as Milwaukee led 12-4 after her 3-pointer at the 14:56 mark. The Panthers pushed their lead to 16-4, and, after a Kenya Middlebrooks jumper made the score 16-6, went up 20-6 on McCain's fast-break layup.
     Another Middlebrooks jumper ended a four-minute scoring drought, and the Penguins were able to cut the margin to 10 twice before the end of the half.
     Edwards scored 10 points in the first half to lead all players, and she grabbed five rebounds as Milwaukee held a 30-13 edge on the glass. Twelve of those were offensive rebounds, but Milwaukee was only able to convert them into eight second-chance points.