Dec. 14, 2002

Box Score

ITTA BENA, Miss. - Dylan Page recorded career-highs in both points and rebounds and the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee held off a second-half rally to claim an 83-75 win over Mississippi Valley State Saturday night at the Harrison HPER Complex.

Page had 27 points and 10 rebounds to spark UWM (7-2), which is off to its best start since the 1992-93 season and has now won six games in a row, the best streak since that same season.

Ronnie Jones added 16 points while Dan Weisse and Jason Frederick pitched-in with 11 as the Panthers overcame the absence of senior standout Clay Tucker, sidelined with back spasms.

"When you have an injury and other guys step up, you become a better team," UWM head coach Bruce Pearl said. "We're not playing great basketball, but we're finding ways to win. For now, we'll take it."

After holding a 17-point first-half lead, the Panthers saw their lead trimmed to five at 48-43 on a D'Jamel Jackson three with 13:59 remaining in the second half. UWM rebuilt a 14-point edge at 67-53 on a Frederick three, but the Delta Devils (1-5) rallied again, pulling within 71-65 on a Michael Archie free throw with 4:45 remaining.

But Page, who is the first Panther to collect a double-double since Adrian Tigert did it against Butler last year, knocked down a three-point shot with 3:13 remaining as the shot clock expired to restore a nine-point lead. Jones then hit nine free throws in the final 1:13 to secure the victory for the Panthers.

"Dylan Page was the difference," Pearl said. "They have a terrific perimeter game but they had no one that could stop Dylan inside."

UWM collected 20 offensive rebounds and outrebounded MVSU, 40-27, for the game.

Edward Mack has 17 points off-the-bench to lead the Delta Devils, who were swept in the season series by the Panthers.

Weisse made 3-of-6 three-point shots in his first start of the season, while Jose Winston played a season-high 26 minutes off the bench and had five assists, five rebounds and two steals.

"Jose coming on and being able to play the point gives us another dimension defensively and athletically," Pearl said. "It has let Dan move to the '2' and he is shooting the ball so much better than last year."

The Panthers appeared to take control in the first half, turning an 8-6 advantage into a 26-9 lead thanks to an 18-3 burst over a 7:26 stretch of play. The run started with three-straight layups before a Page dunk off a turnover pushed the advantage to 16-6. The lead hit 24-9 on a Page layup with 9:38 left and peaked at 26-9 following two Rob Sanders free throws.

MVSU pulled back to within seven at 28-21 with 5:23 remaining, but a Frederick three pushed the lead back to 39-28 with 1:35 remaining and a Page hoop in the final minute gave UWM a 41-29 advantage heading to the locker room.

UWM returns to action Tuesday night, hosting UW-Parkside at the Klotsche Center. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m.