Jan. 15, 2005

Box Score |  Quotes |  Notes

MILWAUKEE - Joah Tucker and Ed McCants scored 20 points apiece as the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee seized first place in the Horizon League with an 86-56 rout of UW-Green Bay Saturday at the U.S. Cellular Arena.

The Panthers (11-4, 5-1 Horizon) have now won four-straight games and claimed their largest win ever over their in-state rival.

UWM scored 17-straight points in the first half and then outscored Green Bay 48-29 in the second half.

UWM limited UWGB (11-4, 4-1) to just 39.7 percent shooting from the field and forced 17 turnovers. Josh Lawrence scored 18 points and Benito Flores added 13 to lead the Phoenix.

Boo Davis added 14 points for the Panthers, who also got strong contributions off the bench from Mark Pancratz (8 points), Derrick Ford (6 points) and Jason McCoy (6 rebounds). Ten players played at least 10 minutes for the Panthers, who now have a half-game lead over the Phoenix in the league standings. Everyone in the league now has at least one loss.

It was pressure defense by the Panthers that made a difference, sparking the 17-0 first half burst and taking the Phoenix totally out of their offense.

"We did a couple of things to change it up," UWM head coach Bruce Pearl said of the pressure. "We used some pressure we have not shown yet and that may have been a factor when we came back to our traditional pressure. The bottom line is that the kids made plays."

"In the first half I think they had a big run against us and at that point our press offense was really the problem," UWGB head coach Tod Kowalczyk said. "We turned the ball over and made some easy opportunities for them to score. That was really the story for the first half."

UWM's 17-0 run late in the first half turned a 22-19 deficit into a 36-22 advantage and the Panthers never looked back.

UWM took the lead for good at 24-22 on a Davis three and quickly had the lead to 31-22 on a McCants three. Another three by McCants made it 34-22 and a short shot by Tucker pushed the edge to 36-22. A late three-point play by Brandon Morris and an inside hoop by Flores pulled the Phoenix within 38-27 at halftime.

Green Bay got as close as eight early in the second half but UWM launched another 9-0 run to go up 51-34. The Phoenix never got any closer than 14 the rest of the way.

"The kids really stepped up and they played great basketball. We had to do that to beat Green Bay," Pearl said. "Green Bay is tremendously improved. Their personnel is way up and they are going to make a challenge for this league title. We had to play well against them and our kids really responded."

The Panthers have little rest before their next contest, a Monday home game against Wright State. The game tips off at 7 p.m. at the U.S. Cellular Arena.