Nov. 2, 2002

Box Score

MILWAUKEE - Clay Tucker had 20 points and Justin Lettenberger made all seven of his field goal attempts as UWM built a 25-point first-half lead en route to an 89-62 win over the EA Sports All-Stars in an exhibition game Saturday at the Klotsche Center.

Lettenberger scored 18 points and added seven rebounds while Dan Weisse and Ronnie Jones pitched in with 11 points apiece and Derek Huff added 10. The Panthers' two newcomers on the frontline - Huff and Rob Sanders - combined for 18 points and 12 rebounds in 35 minutes of action.

Marvin Rodgers scored 17 points and Mike Brownlee added 16 to lead EA Sports, which was starting a two-week tour that includes games at Wisconsin, Illinois, Iowa and Notre Dame.

UWM put the game away by halftime, carrying a 50-30 lead into the locker room.

"It was a really good half of basketball," UWM head coach Bruce Pearl said. "We played defense and kept them off the boards. We made some pretty passes and the transition game was really effective. I enjoyed the first half. I was entertained by the way we were playing."

The game was sloppy at times, as each team committed 27 turnovers. But UWM outrebounded EA Sports, 36-23, including 10-5 on the offensive glass, and the Panthers created numerous easy shots in hitting 53.3 percent from the field.

UWM broke free in a game that was tight for the first seven minutes with a 22-4 run over an eight-minute span of the first half. UWM's lead hit 50-25 with 1:01 to play in the half on a Sanders three-point shot as the Panthers outscored EA Sports, 16-4, in the paint and, 20-4, off turnovers in the first half alone.

EA Sports did close to within 13 points following a 7-0 run to start the second half. But the Panthers broke free again, outscoring the visitors, 12-2, over the next four-and-a-half minutes, reclaiming a 63-39 lead on a Weisse three and cruising from there.

The Panthers will play their final exhibition game Tuesday, Nov. 12, welcoming Gallos de Pelea of Mexico to the Klotsche Center for a 7 p.m. contest.