Nov. 28, 2005

Box Score |  Notes

COOKEVILLE, Tenn. - Boo Davis scored a career-high 25 points but the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee's comeback effort fell short in a 72-67 loss to Tennessee Tech Monday night at the Eblen Center.

Milone Clark had 20 points, Belton Rivers added 15 and Anthony Fisher pitched-in with 12 as the Golden Eagles (3-1) won for the 80th time in their last 85 home games.

Adrian Tigert added 17 points for Milwaukee (1-2), which battled down to the wire in a battle of defending conference champions from a year ago.

Milwaukee found itself down 64-57 following a Rivers layin with 3:10 remaining and was still down 66-60 with 1:23 left. But a five-point flurry that included a free throw by Tigert, a basket by Davis and a Tigert tip of a missed free throw by Davis made it 66-65 with 59 seconds remaining.

Then, with the shot clock winding down and the game clock under 30 seconds, Fisher buried a long three from the right wing to rebuild the lead to four, and the Golden Eagles hung on from there.

"I give a lot of credit to my guys that fought through, that stayed aggressive, that made hard cuts." Milwaukee head coach Rob Jeter said. "Consequently, we got some positive results during the comeback."

The Panthers recovered from an early 13-5 deficit to claim a 24-20 lead on a Davis three with 5:37 remaining. And, after the Golden Eagles responded with four-straight, UWM struck back with four-straight of its own to take a 28-24 lead with 2:40 to play in the half.

Tennessee Tech fought back to take a 31-30 halftime lead on a Fisher jump just before the break and the Golden Eagles then took control of the game early in the second half. An Amadi McKenzie dunk off a steal made it 40-32 with 15:36 left and eventually the lead hit 48-34 on a pair of Fisher free throws.

But Milwaukee's comeback started soon after that, as the Panthers first pulled within nine points on three occasions before making a larger run to get back in the game. Four-straight Davis free throws brought the Panthers to within 58-53 and a pair of Avery Smith free throws made it 58-55 with 5:39 remaining.

The Panthers were still within three at 60-57 after two Joah Tucker free throws before the Golden Eagles scored four-straight for a 64-57 lead with 3:10 remaining. That set the stage for UWM's final surge, which came up just short.

The Panthers return to their home court Saturday night, hosting Saint Louis in a non-league contest. The game tips off at 8 p.m.