Dec. 6, 2006

Box Score |  Quotes |  Notes

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. - Blake Ahearn scored 26 points and Deven Mitchell added 18 as Missouri State claimed a 79-60 win over the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Wednesday night at the Hammons Student Center.

Avery Smith led Milwaukee with 21 points, while Charlie Swiggett added a collegiate-best 16. But the Panthers fell victim to a strong second-half surge by the Bears after leading much of the first half and trailing by just three with 13 minutes to play.

Missouri State (7-1) used a pair of decisive runs to claim the win. The Bears scored 16-straight points in the first half to overcome the early deficit before a 16-6 second-half run helped MSU build a double-digit advantage it would never give back.

The Bears shot 58 percent from the field and outscored UWM 40-20 in the paint. Plus, MSU forced 18 Milwaukee (2-8) turnovers and shot 18 more free throws (26-8).

"Too many turnovers and not enough points in the paint," UWM head coach Rob Jeter said. "I thought we did a good job of battling. We did some things on paper (like rebounding) that shows we were working."

The Panthers (2-8) led for the first 13 minutes of the first half before a big surge put Missouri State in front. UWM scored nine of the first 11 points of the game and maintained that seven-point edge through the early going. A three by Smith made it 14-7 and a layin by Swiggett made it 22-15 with 9:19 remaining in the half.

UWM claimed its largest lead of the half on a Kevin Massiah three with 8:40 remaining in the half, but that basket seemed to awaken the Bears. They scored eight-straight points in a 77-second span, then added eight more points from Ahearn over the next two-plus minutes to build a 33-25 lead. In all, Ahearn had 11 points in the run, which saw the Panthers go scoreless for six minutes and 25 seconds.

Milwaukee did fight back, though, pulling within three on a Swiggett steal and layin with 1:59 left. But, the Bears got late baskets from Dale Lamberth and Mitchell to claim a 39-32 advantage at the half.

UWM was still within three points at 43-40 after an Allan Hanson three-pointer with 14:16 remaining in the game. But the Bears struck back with the next six points to lead 49-40 and eventually claimed a 59-46 advantage on a Mitchell basket with 8:08 remaining. MSU then built on its lead thanks in large part to the huge disparity in free throws, scoring six-straight from the line and then adding an Ahearn layin to go up 71-54 with 4:01 left.

"It's something we've been trying to overcome all season," Jeter said of the Panthers' offensive draughts. "But when you play a team like Missouri State, it's not just an 8-0 run, it's 16."

UWM returns home its league opener Sunday afternoon as Youngstown State visits the U.S. Cellular Arena. The game tips off at noon.