Dec 4, 2001

Box Score

MILWAUKEE - UWM outscored Chicago State 46-19 in the first half and the Panthers forced 30 Cougar turnovers en route to an 84-47 win Tuesday night at the Klotsche Center.

Jason Frederick scored 15 points, Clay Tucker scored 14 and Ronnie Jones added 12 as the Panthers (3-3) won for the ninth-straight time over the Cougars (1-5).

Playing at home for the first time since Nov. 17, UWM used runs of 11-0 and 19-5 in the first half to take control of the game. Chicago State could get no closer than 18 points the rest of the way.

"It's been a while since we've been at home and that our fans have had the chance to see us play," UWM head coach Bruce Pearl said. "I think you could see the work we've been doing and how the players have been improving."

UWM turned a 6-4 advantage into a 17-4 lead during a six-minute stretch of the first half. The Cougars scored a single basket to break the run, but UWM followed up by scoring 19 of the next 24 points to build a 36-11 lead with 4:04 to play.

Along with the three players in double figures, six other players scored at least five points and Dylan Page led the charge off the bench with seven points and 10 rebounds.

"The key is that we had a lot of guys contribute," Pearl said. "And this team will play better when a lot of guys are contributing."

The Panthers held a 40-29 edge on the boards and have outrebounded their opponents in all three wins this season. Along with forcing 30 turnovers and recording a season-high 17 steals, the Panthers also held Chicago State to just 34 percent shooting from the field.

"We know this is a home game that we should win. We knew that going in," Pearl said. "But I did not expect the margin to be what it was."

The Panthers return to the road Friday night, facing Louisville (2-1) in the first round of the Jim Thorpe Classic in Louisville. The game begins at 6 p.m. CST, and can be seen on WMLW-TV 41 in Milwaukee.