Feb. 23, 2002

Box Score

DETROIT, Mich. - Detroit posted a 21-7 run to end the first half and added a 26-8 run to start the second half en route to an easy 94-61 victory over UWM Saturday afternoon in front of 7,127 on Senior Day at Calihan Hall.

The loss dropped UWM into third place in the Horizon League, one-half game behind the Titans (17-11, 11-5). The Panthers (15-12, 10-5) can return to a second-place tie with a win Monday at UW-Green Bay, but tiebreakers will place the Panthers no higher than the number three seed for next week's Horizon League Tournament. Butler clinched the outright regular-season league title with a win over UIC in Indianapolis.

UWM fell behind 24-15 midway through the first half, but scored seven points in a 45-second span to pull within 24-22 with 6:37 remaining in the half. The Titans countered, though, by scoring 21 of the final 28 points of the half to build a 45-29 halftime advantage.

The Titans were far from done, though, turning a 51-35 lead early in the second half into a 71-37 advantage with 12:45 to play. The Panthers would get no closer than 23 points the rest of the way.

"It's probably about as good as we can play, especially when its judged by the opponent," Detroit head coach Perry Watson said. "Milwaukee has had a great year. My hat's off to them. They can create a lot of problems with their pressure."

Greg Grays scored a game-high 26 points to lead the Titans, who avenged a 66-48 loss in Milwaukee last month, while Willie Green added 17 points and 11 rebounds and Darius Belin pitched-in 12. Detroit won for the fourth-straight time and for the 65th time in its last 67 games at Calihan Hall.

Adrian Tigert scored a career-high 18 points to lead the Panthers, the second-straight game the freshman has recorded a career-high. He converted on 8 of 10 from the field. Clay Tucker, who missed practice Friday due to a death in the family, added 11 for UWM, though shot just 4 of 18 from the field. The loss was the worst of the season for the Panthers, who previously had lost four league games by a total of nine points.

"We're obviously disappointed but not discouraged," UWM head coach Bruce Pearl said. "Detroit played probably their best game of the year in a big game. Their athleticism really stood out.

"Detroit has been in this position before. It's the first time around for our guys, as far as trying to win a championship. We'll learn a lot from it."

Detroit shot 58.5 percent from the field, converting on 38 of 65 shots from the field. The Panthers shot just 31.5 percent, including just 28 percent in the second half.

UWM closes out the regular season Monday night at UW-Green Bay. The game can be seen on WMLW-TV 41 in Milwaukee and tips off at 7:05 p.m.