Jan. 26, 2005

Box Score |  Notes

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - Adrian Tigert scored 17 points to lead five players in double figures as the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee claimed a 73-68 win over Purdue Wednesday night at Mackey Arena.

Ed McCants and Boo Davis added 15 apiece as the Panthers won for the eighth-straight time. They also claimed their first win over a Big 10 team since the 1992-93 season.

Milwaukee-native Carl Landry scored 26 points to lead Purdue.

Two key three-point shots in the late going helped the Panthers hang on to their lead. Mark Pancratz hit a three with 5:13 left to push the edge to 66-59 and a Davis three with 59 seconds remaining made it 69-62.

"This was a great team win," UWM head coach Bruce Pearl said. "We're best when everyone contributes and we got that."

The Panthers' second-half defense was also a story. The Boilermakers shot just 37.5 percent from the field and went through extended dry spells. Meanwhile, the Panther offense got just enough in transition to make a difference.

"We got some good stops," Pearl said. "We knew Purdue was going to be tough to score on. In open space, we were able to get some passes and some open shots. You could just tell when they guys were catching the ball they were going to make it. We were catching it in rhythm."

The Panthers actually trailed by 11 points in the first half and by four at the half before outscoring Purdue 42-33 in the second 20 minutes.

Purdue's first-half edge reached 20-9 as the Panthers made just two of their first 15 shots from the field. But, UWM recovered to pull within 30-29 on a Chris Hill layin with 1:43 remaining.

The Boilermakers rebuilt their lead to 45-37 early in the second half before the Panthers took control, turning the game with a 24-7 run. A three by McCants tied the game at 51 and a three by Tigert made it 54-51. Another three by Hill pushed the edge to 57-51 and a layup by McCants eventually gave UWM a 61-52 lead with 8:49 remaining.

From there, the Panthers methodically shortened the game, converting on the two key three-point shots while limiting the Boilermakers to just two field goals in the final 5:48 of the game.

UWM returns to action Saturday at UW-Green Bay.