Jan. 5, 2004

Box Score

MILWAUKEE - In a game of comebacks, the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee withstood the final one.

Detroit scored the first 13 points of the game, only to see UWM grab a one-point lead by halftime. The Panthers then led by as many as 14 points in the second half before the Titans rallied to within three on several occasions.

But, in the end, a three by Ed McCants with the shot clock running down restored the Panthers' lead to six with 1:30 remaining and UWM held on for an 82-74 win over Detroit Monday night at the U.S. Cellular Arena.

UWM is now 2-0 in league play for the third-straight season and will look to make it three-straight when Butler visits Thursday night.

Dylan Page led five Panthers (7-5, 2-0 Horizon) in double figures with 24 points while McCants added 22.

Rulon Harris scored 16 points and Jimmy Twyman added 15 for the Titans (7-5, 1-1), who lost in Milwaukee for the fifth-straight year.

The Panthers, coming home after a three-game, six-day road trip, struggled out of the gates, falling down 13-0 and going the first 7:28 without a basket.

But, UWM outscored Detroit, 65-38 over the next 25 minutes to build a 14-point lead and then hung on during a late Titan rally.

"I want to give Detroit a lot of credit for the way they came in here and played," UWM head coach Bruce Pearl said. "I'm really proud of the way my players hung in there early and didn't panic. A lot of guys stepped up and gave us contributions once we settled down."

The Panthers shot 50 percent from the field and converted on 28-of-33 free throws. Joah Tucker and Adrian Tigert tossed in 12 points while Kalombo Kadima added a season-high 10 off-the-bench.

"We're going to go inside. That is where our bread is buttered," Pearl said. "Dylan Page, Joah Tucker, Nate Mielke, Adrian Tigert ... we're going to go to them. The fact that we got to the foul line is significant."

UWM's lead hit three early in the second half and, after the Titans reclaimed a one-point lead, the Panthers ran off seven-straight points for a 45-39 edge with 16:20 remaining in the game. The lead eventually grew to 52-42 on a Tigert layin with 12:30 remaining.

UDM recovered to pull within five, but the Panthers rattled off the next seven points, capped by two Nate Mielke free throws, to give UWM a 61-49 lead with 8:45 left. The Panthers eventually extended the advantage to 65-51 following back-to-back hoops by McCants.

The Titans recovered, pulling within six on a three by Twyman with 5:25 remaining and a Willie Wallace jumper with 4:15 left made it 68-65.

Detroit was still within 72-69 on a Wallace layin with just over two minutes remaining. But McCants knocked down a three from the top of the key with the shot clock running down to restore the lead to six and the Panthers held on from there.

UWM started slow, seeing Detroit score the first 13 points of the contest while holding the Panthers scoreless for the first 7:28 of the game. A Tucker jumper from the baseline finally broke UWM into the scoring column, but the Titans eventually pushed the lead to 17-4 with 10 minutes left in the half on a dunk by Ryvon Covile.

UWM pulled within 17-10 on back-to-back 3's by McCants within 19-14 on two free throws by Tigert with 6:52 remaining. A Rulon Harris three pushed the lead back to 27-16 but Tigert responded with a three to make it 27-19. A Page three pulled UWM within 30-23 with four minutes remaining in the half and two Tigert free throws pulled the Panthers within 30-25 with 3:32 left in the half.

Page converted on a lob from Tigert and then knocked in a free throw for a three-point play to pull UWM within 30-28 with 2:40 remaining before two Page free throws tied the game at 32 with 1:40 remaining. Two Kadima free throws with 1.9 seconds remaining gave UWM a 36-35 lead at halftime.

UWM returns to action Thursday night, hosting Butler at the U.S. Cellular Arena in the second half of a women's/men's doubleheader. The game tips off at approximately 7:30 p.m.