Nov. 23, 1999

MILWAUKEE - In Bo Ryan's home debut, the UWM Panthers fell to the Wisconsin Badgers Tuesday night at the Klotsche Center in front of a record setting crowd, 69-49. This was the first meeting between these teams in Milwaukee since the 1919-20 season.

The 4,323 fans in attendance broke the all-time record of 3,160 set Feb. 6, 1999, a 59-57 upset win over UW-Green Bay.

UWM stayed close in the first half by ending at only a three-point deficit, 31-28, despite only shooting .333 compared to the Badgers .542 clip. To add to the shooting woes, UWM's top scorer Clay Tucker (Lima, Ohio) went down with an injury just 18 minutes into the game.

But in the second half the Badgers broke it open by pounding the ball into the paint. UWM lost the rebounding battle, 44-31, and gave up 17 free throws in the half.

"We showed respect to their guys by playing hard but the story was quickness versus size," said UWM coach Bo Ryan.

Panther guard Jason Frederick (Waukesha, Wis.) led the team with 12 points, 10 of which he scored in the first half. His 2-2 from behind the arc helped keep the Panthers close in the first half.

"They found out in the first half that just because I'm a freshman, I'm not timid and I'm not scared to shoot the ball, so in the second half they got on me," said Frederick.

Badger head coach Dick Bennett made his first return to the Klotsche center since he was a head coach at the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay.

"They're a great credit to the program here in Milwaukee," said Coach Bennett. "In the short time he's been here, Bo has brought these kids together, which is a tough thing to do."

The Panthers face off against the University of Missouri-Kansas City on the road on Saturday at 1:00 p.m. CST.