Wis.-Milwaukee 71, Ill.-Chicago 63

3/6/2006 7:08 PM

MILWAUKEE (AP) - Traci Edwards scored 24 points to help Wisconsin-Milwaukee beat Illinois-Chicago 71-63 Monday in the Horizon League championship game and earn an NCAA tournament bid for the second time.

Wisconsin-Milwaukee (22-8) last played in the NCAAs in 2001. Edwards, a freshman, was named the tournament MVP.

Nichole Drummond added 11 points and Molly O'Brien had 10 points and 10 rebounds for the Panthers, who were 9-for-12 from the free-throw line in the final 51.4 seconds.

Jacquay Holmes had 17 points to lead Chicago (16-14). Chrissy Dizon scored six straight points and sophomore Nicole Rinaldi made a lay-up off a miss by LaShonda Grant to pull the Flames to within 44-42 with 10:25 left.

After a basket by Edwards, Meredith Onson made a 3-pointer from the left corner to extend the Panthers' lead to 49-43 with 8:21 left.

Chicago pulled to within four points five times before Milwaukee opened to a 60-54 lead when Edwards found O'Brien cutting off a screen for a wide-open lay-up with 2:33 left.

Krystal Hugelier made a 3-pointer from the left wing for Chicago to make it 60-57 with 2:23 left, but Edwards scored off a pass by Drummond for a 62-57 lead with 1:15 left.

Milwaukee's Emily Markert made two 3-pointers and Drummond added another one during a 19-1 run that put the Panthers up 33-18 with 40 seconds left in the first half before Holmes' layup with three seconds left made it 33-22.

Milwaukee extended a school record for wins in a season with 22, topping the previous high when the team was 20-8 in 2002.

Chicago had prevented Wisconsin-Green Bay from making its 11th straight trip to the league final with a 74-62 victory Sunday.