Jan 26, 2002
Box Score
MILWAUKEE - Ronnie Jones scored 19 points and four other players scored at least eight as UWM claimed sole possession of first place in the Horizon League with a 66-48 win over Detroit Saturday night at the Klotsche Center.
The Panthers (12-8, 7-1 Horizon League) won for the fifth straight time and moved alone atop the league standings thanks to Loyola's loss at home to Wright State.
UWM used an early 11-0 run to claim a 24-13 advantage, then added another 10-2 run to end the first half to build a 15-point halftime edge. Detroit (11-9, 5-3) would get no closer than nine points in the second half and the Panthers held a 19-point edge on two occassions.
"It feels great to be in this position because we control our own destiny," head coach Bruce Pearl said. "But this is just the halfway point. The good news is we're getting better."
The Panthers caused trouble defensively for Detroit all night long. The Titans shot just 29 percent from the field and Greg Grays scored 29 of Detroit's 48 points.
"Basically all I can say is Milwaukee put an old-fashioned whooping on us tonight," Detroit head coach Perry Watson said. "Greg Grays stepped up and kept up his good play. We just didn't have performances from some people we needed."
UWM's five-game winning streak is the longest since the 1992-93 season, and the seven league games UWM has won equals the most a Panther team has ever won in a Division I league. For redshirt juniors Clay Tucker and Ronnie Jones, it's a long was from the 8-19 season they suffered through as redshirts only three years ago.
"It feels great to be in first place," Tucker said. "We've gone through thick and thin. Three years ago, we just couldn't walk around campus the way we can now. We just have to maintain our composure and do what we can do. We still have a lot more work to do."
Watson also left impressed with the Panthers.
"Tonight they certainly looked like one of the best teams in the league right now," Watson said. "They're playing as well as anyone."
Dylan Page scored 10 points off the bench for the Panthers, while Dan Weisse added nine, Tucker and Adrian Tigert added eight and Justin Lettenberger pitched-in with seven.
The schedule gets no easier for the Panthers. Wednesday night, Butler visits the Klotsche Center looking for revenge after the last-second loss to the Panthers a week ago at Hinkle Fieldhouse. The game tips off at 7 p.m.
