Feb 9, 2002

Box Score

MILWAUKEE - Clay Tucker and Jason Frederick scored 23 points apiece Saturday night as UWM scored a 96-76 victory over Youngstown State to retain a share of first place in the Horizon League.

The Panthers (14-10, 9-3) converted on 16-of-29 shots from three-point range in leading by as many as 22 points en route to the win.

Frederick knocked down a career-high six three-point shots while Dan Weisse was a perfect 4-of-4 from beyond arc as UWM riddled the Penguins' zone defense throughout the night.

"The first three shots I missed, they felt good coming out of my hands," Frederick said. "My teammates found me when I was open. I had good looks at the basket and I knocked down some shots."

Youngstown State (3-19, 1-11) was led by 16 points from Doug Underwood. Jimmy Moore added 15, Ryan Patton 13 and Stephen Flores 11 for the Penguins, who lost for the 10th straight time.

The win, which UWM needed to stay atop the league with Butler after the Bulldogs claimed a 70-45 win over Cleveland State earlier in the day, allowed the Panthers' to complete a busy stretch of three games in six days with two crucial wins.

"I've been talking about this game for a week because of where it sat on the schedule and the potential to overlook Youngstown State," UWM head coach Bruce Pearl said. "But they are so well-coached and they played so hard. They challenged us. We had to make a lot of plays to win the basketball game."

UWM never trailed in the game and built a 10-point advantage at 20-10 just over six minutes into the game. Youngstown State would get no closer than six points in the first half and the Panthers carried a 16-point lead into the locker room. The lead never dipped below 12 points in the second half.

"I give Milwaukee a lot of credit," Youngstown State head coach John Robic said. "They played really well. They shot the ball terrifically. I thought the difference in the game tonight was Frederick. He played really well."

Robic also left Milwaukee impressed with the Panthers and their fans, who pushed UWM past a season total attendance record Saturday night.

"These kids fit in really well with Bruce's style," Robic said. "It's a style I enjoy because it's how I'd like to play. It was a great atmosphere, too. It was impressive."

Ronnie Jones added 13 points, Weisse 12 and Adrian Tigert 10 as the Panthers put five players in double figures for the third time this season. UWM also collected 26 assists, three off a single-game school record.

"The fact that we had 33 baskets and 26 assists shows our guys are making the extra pass," Pearl said.

The Panthers return to action Thursday night, playing their final home game of the season against Wright State. The game tips off at 7 p.m.