Feb. 18, 2004

Box Score

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. - It wasn't how the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee envisioned winning its first Horizon League regular season title.

About 60 minutes after suffering a 75-58 loss to Butler Wednesday night at Hinkle Fieldhouse, UWM learned UIC had beaten UW-Green Bay, giving the Panthers a share of the league title. UWM would win the outright title with a win in its final regular season league game Feb. 28 against Cleveland State. The Panthers have also clinched the number-one seed for the Horizon League Tournament for the first time in school history.

"It's like a boxing match," UWM head coach Bruce Pearl said after he heard of Green Bay's loss to UIC. "We won the first 10 rounds (going 10-0 in league play to start the season) and have suffered some punches since. But we still won the decision."

In the game Wednesday, Avery Sheets scored 23 points and Butler hit 15 three-point shots en route to the Bulldogs win.

Butler (12-12, 7-7) used a 9-0 run to break a 39-all tie and then never let the Panthers (17-8, 12-3) get closer than five points the rest of the way.

Dylan Page led UWM with 18 points but the Panthers shot just 40 percent from the field.

"It's no secret we tried to let them beat us from two and not from three," Pearl said. "Sheets was the difference. We just couldn't guard him."

The Panthers struggled the entire first half thanks to poor shooting, making just 25.9 percent of their attempts in the first 20 minutes. UWM trailed 8-0 before finally scoring on a McCants three with 15:01 remaining.

UWM pulled within 12-11 on an Adrian Tigert three with 9:29 left in the half, but Butler responded with a 15-4 run over the next six minutes to grab a 27-15 lead with 3:12 remaining. The Panthers closed to within 30-21 at the break following two Joah Tucker free throws.

UWM rallied to tie the game at 39 on a Nate Mielke bank shot with 14:22 remaining. But Butler answered with its nine-point run and never looked back.

UWM hosts Manhattan Saturday at 1 p.m. The game, part of ESPN's Bracket Buster Saturday, will be televised nationally on ESPN2.