Jan. 29, 2000

Box Score

MILWAUKEE - In front of an electrified crowd of 3,186 Panther faithful -- the second-largest crowd ever to assemble inside the Klotsche Center -- the UW-Milwaukee men's basketball team fell to MCC-leader Cleveland State, 109-105, in an overtime thriller Saturday night.

UW-Milwaukee held a 19-point lead with 7:35 remaining in regulation. But the Vikings stormed back, behind a sparkling performance from senior Damon Stringer, who lit up the stingy Panther defense for 21 points during a seven-minute stretch, ultimately tying the ballgame at 94-94. He finished with a career-high 47 points.

"I just couldn't believe that somebody could make that many shots from 40-feet out," said head coach Bo Ryan. "I think that this is one of the most athletic teams in the conference. Even though they kept fouling out, they just kept pressuring us."

Leading the UW-Milwaukee attack was senior point guard Shaun Fountain (Columbus, Ohio), who tallied a career-high 26 points. Chad Angeli (Wausau, Wis.) was solid once again, tallying his third career double-double, knocking in 24 points and adding 11 rebounds.

But the difference was the Panthers' inability to hit clutch free throws down the stretch, as they missed 8 key freebies in the final 12 minutes of the contest. During that time, the Vikings converted 23-out of-24 regulation possessions into points.

"If we would have made that last free throw, they would've had to come down a shoot a three," said Fountain. "The point is we just didn't get it done."

Another big key for Cleveland State was its full court pressure, which forced 15 Panther turnovers.

"At times we broke their pressure," said freshman guard Dan Weisse (Oshkosh, Wis.). "I think that near the end, we got a little rattled."

In the extra session, UW-Milwaukee dug themselves into a five-point hole in a little over a minute. But thanks to a huge three-bomb from freshman Kalombo Kadima (Milwaukee, Wis.), the Panthers tied it and eventually took a one-point lead with 1:25 left. But the game was sealed when Stringer canned a jumper, extending the lead to three with 35 seconds left on the clock.

The Panthers take to the floor next Saturday night, as they play host to in-state rival UW-Green Bay. The Phoenix come into the Klotsche Center off a huge upset over Detroit Mercy, 71-47. Tip-off is slated for 7 p.m.