March 24, 2005

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ROSEMONT, Ill. - Joah Tucker scored a career-high 32 points but the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee could not overcome the stellar play of Deron Williams and Dee Brown.

The pair led top-ranked Illinois to a 77-63 win over UWM Thursday night in the Chicago Regional semifinals.

Williams and Brown combined for 42 points and 10 assists. Williams had 21 points on 8-of-12 shooting and eight assists. Brown scored 15 of his 21 from 3-point range, and had two assists and two steals. Roger Powell Jr. and Luther Head added 12 each, and James Augustine finished with 11.

The top-seeded Illini (35-1) will play Arizona Saturday for a chance to go to their first Final Four since 1989.

Tucker's 32 points led UWM (26-6), but he was the only Panther who was consistent on the offensive end. UWM shot 39 percent, and leading scorer Ed McCants was 4-of-17 overall for 13 points.

UWM had stunned Alabama and Boston College with a suffocating, fullcourt press, and it gave the Illini some fits, too. The Panthers were within three late in the first half and pulled back within nine at the four-minute timeout. But the Illini converted on a pair of key possessions while the Panthers failed to score, sending the sellout crowd made up largely of Illini fans home happy.