March 17, 2004

Box Score

MILWAUKEE - Dylan Page scored 22 points, Ed McCants added 21 and Joah Tucker had 14 Wednesday night as the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee rolled past Rice 91-63 in the opening round of the NIT.

It was the first win ever for Milwaukee (20-10) in a Division I postseason tournament. They will play the winner Boise State in the next round, though a site and date has not yet been determined.

The Panthers, making their debut in the NIT after going to the NCAA tournament for the first time last season, rebounded nicely from back-to-back sub-40 percent shooting nights by shooting 56.9 percent from the field. UWM also got 24 points from its bench and had only one player (Page) play 30 minutes.

Brock Gillespie led the Owls (22-11) with 15 points and J.R. Harrison had 12. The last postseason appearance for Rice was in the 1993 NIT.

The Panthers trailed 20-13 early but scored 34 of the next 43 points to grab a 47-29 lead and take control of the game. UWM then led by as many as 34 points in the second half.

""It's huge with me, historically it's a big win," UWM head coach Bruce Pearl said. "It's also great to get to 20 wins - it's a milestone. We're very proud to add to the tradition of post-season play at all levels for UWM."

UWM played a stellar game defensively, forcing 23 Rice turnovers and holding the Owls to just 36.6 percent shooting.

The Panthers impressed Rice coach Willis Wilson.

"It's something that's happened to us all year long. We're a tough team and we're an athletic team but there are times where our immaturity shows," Wilson said. "We're trying to get where the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee is with their basketball program."