Nov. 2, 2005

Box Score |  Notes

MILWAUKEE - Adrian Tigert had 12 points to lead four players in double figures as the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee claimed a 69-46 exhibition win over UW-Parkside Wednesday night at the U.S. Cellular Arena.

Eighteen different players saw action in the game, with 12 of them scoring.

Joah Tucker added 11 points while Adrian Tigert and Mark Pancratz had 10 apiece for the Panthers, who limited Parkside to just 33.3 percent shooting from the field. UWM held a distinct advantage on the glass, outrebounding the Rangers, 44-24, including 20-8 on the offensive end.

"I thought it was good to get a chance to play someone different and see how a team would react to some of the things we wanted to do," head coach Rob Jeter said. "I thought we did a lot of good things. Just take a look at the rebounding margin - that was outstanding. We were getting second shots and we were being aggressive and that's what it's going to take."

The Panthers were never really threatened after scoring the first 13 points of the game. They held Parkside scoreless for the first six minutes and 45 seconds of the contest and then steadily built on their advantage during the remainder of the half. A three-pointer by Tucker pushed the lead to 24-7 with 9:36 remaining in the half and a jumper by Chris Hill made it 30-12 with 4:01 remaining. A fast-break layup by Tucker inched the lead up to 23 points at 35-12 with 2:28 left and UWM carried a 19-point lead into the locker room.

The teams traded baskets much of the second half, with UWM's lead never falling below 17 points. The Panthers held Parkside scoreless for five minutes and 16 seconds in the second half, pushing their lead to as many 26 points as Jeter emptied the bench.

"I thought our guys did a good job of sticking with what we are trying to do, and that's just to come out with a lot of effort and stick to our defensive principles. We really made them work," Jeter said. "We did a good job of coming out early and putting the ball in the basket. They got behind and the game kind of opened up from there."

The game, albeit in an unofficial way, marked the debut of Jeter as UWM's head coach. He was warmly received by the excited crowd of 4,161, and the chant of "Rob-bie Je-ter" was prevalent in the student section down the stretch.

"It was fun, there's no doubt about it," Jeter said about making his debut on the Milwaukee sidelines. "It was exciting, and it was nice to do it in front of our fans and our students. I thought our student section was great."

LaVontay Fenderson led Parkside with 17 points.

"Anytime we get a chance to play a team that is this good, it is only going to make us better," Parkside head coach Luke Reigel said. Reigel played on the 1995 UW-Platteville team that Jeter was an assistant coach for.

"We appreciate the opportunity to come up and play UWM. To play against this type of competition is invaluable to our program. You can see they are a quality defensive opponent and they took us out of some things early."

UWM returns to action next Tuesday, hosting UW-Platteville in another exhibition contest. The game tips off at 7 p.m.