Dec. 4, 2000

CHICAGO - Clay Tucker scored 25 points to lead three Panthers in double figures as UWM downed Chicago State 72-55 Monday night.

The Panthers built a 13-point halftime advantage and led by as many as 23 in the second half.

Chad Angeli scored 15 points, James Wright added a career-high 12, and Jason Frederick added 9 off-the-bench to lead the Panthers (5-2). UWM won for the third straight time, its first three-game winning streak since 1999. At 5-2, the Panthers are off to their best start since the 1992-93 season.

"We took care of the ball," Panther coach Bo Ryan said as UWM committed just nine turnovers. "We took them out of what they wanted to do offensively. There were a number of possessions where they didn't get it inside like they wanted to do. We disrupted them."

The Panthers used a 20-7 run during a nine-minute stretch of the second half to break the game open. A Tucker three capped the run, giving UWM a 57-35 lead at the 8:25 mark.

UWM used a 15-2 run over four minutes of the first half to turn an 11-5 deficit into a 20-13 lead. Tucker dropped home a pair of three-point baskets in that stretch, which saw the Panthers break out of a 2-for-14 start from the field. The Panthers wound up outscoring the Cougars (1-4) 30-11 over the final 11:27 of the half.

UWM's defense surrendered a season-low 55 points.

"We were active defensively with our hands and our feet," Ryan said. "I liked the way our guys picked each other up."

The Panthers return to action Wednesday night at ninth-ranked Illinois. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m., and the game can be seen on Midwest Sports Channel.

Box Score in PDF Format
Download Free Acrobat Reader

Composite Stats in PDF Format
Download Free Acrobat Reader