Jan. 8, 2000
Box Score
GREEN BAY, Wis. - The University of Wisconsin- Milwaukee men's basketball team opened its conference season on the road with a 67-65 loss at conference rival UW-Green Bay in front of a season-high 4,326 fans at the Brown County Arena. The Panthers drop to 7-6 overall and 0-1 in the MCC while the Phoenix, snapping a two-game losing string, move up 8-7 overall and 1-0 in the MCC.
In a match-up that was billed to be a tight, competitive game, the fans certainly got their share of action. In a game that saw six ties and eight lead changes in the second half alone, it came down to who made the last shot. This time, it was made by UW-Green Bay's B.J. LaRue who sunk a 12-foot jumper with :12 seconds left on the clock. Panther freshman Jason Frederick's (Waukesha, Wis.) last-second three-point attempt fell short at the buzzer and the Phoenix walked away with the two-point win.
"This was a good basketball game for our team," said UW-Milwaukee head coach Bo Ryan. "I like the position our team was in to win this game late in the game. They hit the last one and we didn't. That's a pretty good college game right there."
Freshman Clay Tucker (Lima, Ohio) paced the team with 19 points - 16 alone in the first half -7 rebounds, four assists and a steal. Junior Chad Angeli (Wausau, Wis.) added 13, while freshman Dan Weisse (Oshkosh, Wis.) had a career-high 9 points, going 3-for-4 from three-point range.
"(Shooting well) makes for a fun ball game," said Weisse. "It's nice to play in front of family and friends. And the Panthers had a pretty nice following for a visiting team tonight."
As a team, the Panthers turned in a solid game overall. They shot 48.1 percent from the field and 40.9 percent from three-point range. They committed only 9 turnovers on 16 assists, had five steals and 26 rebounds.
Phoenix senior Jerry Carstensen led all scorers with 22 points and pulled down a game-high nine rebounds. The 6-7 forward also added 2-3 shooting from three-point range, but fouled out with 2:50 remaining.
The Panthers prepare for a two-game home series with the Chicago teams this week. They take on Illinois-Chicago on Thursday and Loyola-Chicago on Saturday. Both games are scheduled to tip off at 7 p.m. CST in the Klotsche Center
