Jan. 21, 2006

Box Score |  Quotes |  Notes

MILWAUKEE - Boo Davis scored 21 points and the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee limited Wright State to just five second-half field goals as the Panthers claimed a 61-54 win over the Raiders Saturday night at the U.S. Cellular Arena.

The Panthers (14-4, 7-1 Horizon) have now won 10 of their last 11 games and are in sole possession of first place in the Horizon League.

DaShaun Wood scored 17 points to lead Wright State (8-8, 4-2), which has lost two-straight after starting 4-0 in league play.

Adrian Tigert added 13 points and Joah Tucker 12 for Milwaukee, which played in front of a season-high 6,637 fans and won its 18th-straight at home.

UWM's second half defensive effort came after Wright State hit eight of its last 10 field goals in the first half to overcome an 11-point deficit. But, in the second 20 minutes, the Panthers limited the Raiders to just 19 points and then pulled away late by making eight-straight free throws in the final three minutes.

"I would say the last 10 or 15 minutes of the second half we settled in, didn't give in, didn't bail them out with any of those fouls or quick shots from three," Milwaukee head coach Rob Jeter said. "The fact that we took one three-pointer in the second half - I liked that we attacked because that's what we need to do. I was just pleased with our effort."

Wright State didn't make a field goal in the first 3:45 of the second half but its first basket, a jumper by Drew Burleson, gave the Raiders a 37-36 lead. It was the last time they would lead all night. UWM's advantage grew to 44-38 on two free throws by Chris Hill with 11:41 remaining and hit 45-38 on a free throw by Tigert a minute later.

The Raiders did pull within a single point on two occasions from there, but a 6-0 run sparked by four points from Tucker gave the Panthers a 55-48 lead with 1:06 left. Hill, Davis and Avery Smith all then hit a pair of free throws to help Milwaukee secure the victory.

After trailing most of the first half, the Raiders used stellar shooting late in the half to build a one-point lead after 20 minutes. UWM led 24-14 after a layin by Davis with 6:26 remaining. But, the Raiders made eight of their last 10 shots from the field in the half, eventually taking a 33-32 lead on a layin by Wood with 49 seconds left. The Panthers regained the lead on a Davis layin 12 seconds later but Wood hit a shot at the buzzer to give Wright State a 35-34 halftime lead.

The Raiders wound up shooting 59.1 percent from the field in the first half, helping to overcome eight turnovers. The Panthers shot an even 50 percent from the field and got 19 first-half points from Davis, but committed eight turnovers themselves and went just 5-of-10 from the free throw line.

UWM starts a four-game road trip Thursday night, traveling to Youngstown, Ohio, to take on Youngstown State. The game tips off at 6:35 p.m. CST.