Jan. 4, 2003

Box Score

CLEVELAND, Ohio - Clay Tucker scored 21 points and the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee used a 17-6 run midway through the second half to take control of a tight game en route to a 70-58 win at Cleveland State Saturday night.

The Panthers (11-3, 3-0) have now won 10 of their last 11 games and are 3-0 in league play for the first time in school history. UWM also swept its annual road swing to Detroit and Cleveland State for the first-time ever.

Dylan Page added 12 points while Jason Frederick and Justin Lettenberger had 11 apiece to pace a balanced Panther attack.

Tahric Gosley had 12 points to lead the Vikings (6-8, 1-1), who committed 21 turnovers and shot just 35 percent in the second half.

"Road wins are so sweet because they're so tough to get," UWM head coach Bruce Pearl said. "We're starting the league season with four opponents that beat us in the same spots last season, so we felt like this was an opportunity to get something back on last year.

"We're just a little more mature and the experience is showing. We're a long way away, but we're playing well enough to win."

The game was tied at 44-all with just over 14 minutes to play before the Panthers took control. They took the lead for good at 46-44 on a Nate Mielke follow-up dunk with 13:49 remaining and eventually grabbed their first double-figure lead of the night on a Tucker basket off a steal with 7:46 remaining. A Ronnie Jones three from the top of the key made is 61-50 with 5:12 remaining and Cleveland State could get no closer than six points the rest of the way.

The second-half burst helped the Panthers overcame a slow start, falling down 8-0 and commit 12 turnovers in the first half. UWM rallied to tie game at 33 by halftime and, after trailing by five again early in the second half, controlled the second 20 minutes of play.

"I was glad to be in the game," Pearl said. "We didn't play very well and we were fortunate to be in the game."

UWM controlled the glass, holding a 37-24 edge on the boards, including a 20-10 edge on the offensive end. Plus, Frederick, the Horizon League's leading three-point shooter, hit three more threes while scoring all 11 of his points in the first half.

"Jason Frederick has unlimited range and you have to get out there on him," Pearl said. "I thought we showed good patience in the kind of threes we took. We also had several offensive rebound baskets. I think our size was a factor."

The contributions of Lettenberger, who grabbed seven rebounds to go with his 11 points, and Dan Weisse, who scored five points and had two assists in 18 minutes, did not go unnoticed by Pearl.

"Justin Lettenberger and Dan Weisse had terrific ballgames," Pearl said. "The stats aren't always telling. We play better with those guys playing well coming off the bench."

The Panthers trailed 8-0 in the first four minutes and did not record their first points until Lettenberger hit a three with 15:32 remaining in the half. Cleveland State still led 13-7 with 11:34 to play before the Panthers began to rally, tying the game at 21 on a Lettenberger layin with 5:15 to play.

The two teams then traded the lead over the final five minutes of the half. The Panthers grabbed a 25-21 advantage with 2:42 to play on a Tucker jumper from the baseline as Cleveland State went 5:16 without a field goal, but the Vikings rallied again, scoring seven-straight points to grab a 28-25 lead with 1:25 left. UWM struck back again, grabbing a 33-30 advantage on a Frederick layin off of a steal, but Pape Badiane's hoop and free throw knotted the game at 33 just before halftime.

UWM returns to action Thursday night, traveling to Chicago for a 7 p.m. contest with UIC. The Flames fell to Butler, 68-65, Saturday afternoon.