Feb. 10, 2005

Box Score

CHICAGO - Ed McCants scored 18 points and the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee's bench contributed 26 points as the Panthers rallied for a 74-67 win at Loyola Thursday night at the Gentile Center.

UWM (18-5, 11-2 Horizon) trailed by as many as 10 points in the first half and was still down six with 7:53 remaining. But a 10-0 run made it 67-63 with 3:43 remaining and the Panthers hung on from there.

The Panther bench was especially needed on this night, as Chris Hill was sidelined with foul trouble much of the game and Boo Davis was playing just 24 hours after a dental procedure that removed two teeth. But, Mark Pancratz (10 points), Jason McCoy (6 points and 6 rebounds) and James Wright (7 points and 3 rebounds) all made significant contributions.

"Some victories are easier to explain than others. I think I'll just go to the stat sheet on this one and talk about the bench play," UWM head coach Bruce Pearl said. "Mark Pancratz has a career-high and just plays terrifically and our bench outscores them 26-7. We did a good job of scoring in the paint. We did get to the rim, not so much out of the post but by putting the ball on the floor."

Davis may have hit the biggest shot of the night, a three off a loose ball scramble with 5:58 remaining that gave the Panthers a 64-63 edge. Pancratz actually saved the ball from going out of bounds in front of the UWM bench and found Davis, who buried his only three of the night.

"It was a great pass," Davis said. "I caught the ball in nice position and when I shot it I had confidence it was going to go in."

"It's kind of the way we're all set up," Pancratz said. "Coach always talks about getting to spots so we kind of know just from playing with each other all the time that there's going to be a guy near the top of the key."

McCants hit another three just over two minutes later to extend the advantage and the Panthers then grabbed some key offensive and defensive rebounds to hold the ball and their advantage.

UWM's defense and rebounding were also keys in the game. The Panthers held a 51-33 rebounding edge and limited Loyola to just 35 percent shooting from the field, including just 25.9 percent on the second half. The Ramblers didn't convert on a field goal in the final eight minutes of the game.

The win secures no worse than second place in the Horizon League for the first-place Panthers, meaning they'll have a bye into the semifinal round of the league tournament. Plus, because of a facility conflict in Green Bay, UWM has clinched hosting rights for the second round and semifinals of the league tournament at the U.S. Cellular Arena. The Panthers still need to finish atop the league to host the tournament final.

UWM returns to action Saturday night, hosting Youngstown State at 7 p.m. at the U.S. Cellular Arena.