Nov. 29, 2006

Box Score |  Quotes |  Notes

MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich. - In a game that featured five ties and seven lead changes in the second half alone, the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee could not overcome a career-high 30 points from Giordan Watson, falling to Central Michigan, 76-61, on Wednesday night. The Panthers (2-6) led 57-55 with 4:27 left, but the Chippewas (3-2) scored 21 of the final 27 points of the game for the victory.

"The last 4:27, we went about nine possessions without a field goal and that was the difference in the game," UWM head coach Rob Jeter said. "We were right there in position, 57-55, I believe was the score at the time and they made some plays down the stretch, got fouled down the stretch and got to the line."

Central Michigan ended up making 25-of-37 free throws in the game, including 22-of-32 attempts in the second half.

Kevin Massiah finished with team-highs of 13 points and eight rebounds to lead Milwaukee. Ryan Thornton also had 13, finishing with a career-high that included 3-of-4 from three-point range in just 10 minutes. Avery Smith scored 11 points and added seven rebounds off the bench.

It was Smith that gave Milwaukee that 57-55 lead, only to see the team go cold down the stretch. The Panthers made just one of their final eight shots from the floor, while CMU went 11-for-12 at the free throw line during the same stretch.

"You look at turnovers and they were about the same. You look at rebounds and we out-rebounded them," Jeter said. "You look at the free throws - they got to the line 13 more times and made a better percentage, that's how you win games."

The teams traded leads down the stretch after the contest was tied 41-41 with 10:39 to go. Massiah made two free throws to tie the game at 50-50 with 6:35 remaining. After a Chippewa basket, Thornton made two free throws to tie it up again.

On the next CMU possession, Robbie Harman hit a leaning jumper from the corner with the shot clock expiring to jump back ahead. Smith then followed with a three-pointer to give UWM the 55-54 lead, only to see the home team tie it again at 55-55 on a Watson free throw before Smith gave UWM its final lead at 57-55.

Both squads started trading punches in the middle of the second half. Thornton came off the bench and immediately made an impact, drilling a three from the wing to tie the game at 39-39 with 12 minutes left. After CMU retook a 43-41 lead, it was Thornton again, draining a three from the corner to give UWM a 44-43 lead. On the next trip down the floor, the Chippewas retook the lead, getting a three and a lay-up from Chris Kellerman to take a five-point cushion at 48-44.

The Panthers defense controlled the game early on, making up for their 39.1% shooting from the floor in the first half. After making their first shot of the game, the Chippewas were held to just two makes on their next 12 attempts from the floor. They did not get into double-digits on the scoreboard until 7:31 remained in the first half.

Watson did his best to keep his team in the game the first, scoring 14 of the 26 points in the period. He poured in eight-straight at one point, and 10 of 12, to pull CMU back within two at 16-14 with 6:53 left in the half.

A Charlie Swiggett three-pointer gave UWM a 21-16 advantage, but two free throws from Watson made it 21-18 with just over four minutes to play. The teams essentially traded baskets from there, with Milwaukee taking a 27-26 lead into the locker room.

UWM was down early, getting behind 6-5 at the 15:50 mark. The Panthers then went on a 7-0 run to take their biggest lead of the first half at six points, going ahead 12-6 on a three-pointer from Paige Paulsen with 12:49 remaining after baskets from Massiah and Ricky Franklin.

Both squads went cold from the floor after that, going nearly five minutes without a basket. The two teams combined to miss nine-consecutive shot attempts, with Massiah giving UWM the 14-9 lead with a lay-up at the 7:55 mark.

Milwaukee stays on the road and travels to play Oakland next. The two teams are set to tip-off at 3 p.m. CST on Saturday, in a game that will also be televised on WMLW.