Jan. 4, 2007

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MILWAUKEE - Ryan Thornton forced overtime on a three-point basket with just under two seconds to play in regulation and Avery Smith hit the game-winner with 1:39 remaining in the extra session to give the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee a thrilling 65-64 victory over Detroit Thursday night at the U.S. Cellular Arena.

Smith scored 14 points and grabbed 10 rebounds to lead the Panthers (4-12, 1-2 Horizon), who recovered from a six-point second half deficit to claim their second win in three games on this homestand.

Paulsen also pitched in with 14 points, including a pair of three-pointers that helped UWM turn that six-point deficit into a tie game. He also made the key pass to Thornton in the corner for the game-tying basket late in regulation.

Brandon Cotton scored 20 points to lead the Titans (4-10, 1-2), who had won at Green Bay by 18 points on Tuesday night. But, Cotton missed a runner in the lane with seven seconds left in overtime that would have given Detroit the lead.

Despite a size disadvantage along the frontline, the Panthers posted a 49-33 rebounding edge and grabbed a season-high 23 offensive rebounds. Along with Smith's 10 boards, 6-foot-1 guard Ricky Franklin collected a season high nine rebounds to go with 10 points.

When it was all said and done, though, the freshman Thornton made the Panthers' hard work all night pay off, knocking in a key hoop to keep the Panthers alive before UWM buckled down on defense to claim the overtime win.

"I think we grew up a lot as a team tonight," UWM head coach Rob Jeter said. "We played well for 20 minutes, and then we talked about putting another 20 minutes together. We let some things slip through our hands, but we made some plays down the stretch. It was a big shot, obviously, by Ryan in the corner. But I thought, as a team, we had different combinations tonight and the guys that got in there really gave the effort and the execution to pull out this victory."

Thornton, who has played only situational minutes in his first year of college, missed a three with 16 seconds remaining. But the Panthers kept possession of the ball, got the offensive rebound again after a Smith miss with 10 seconds left, and eventually Paulsen found the freshman open in the corner.

"I really didn't feel too much pressure. This is my role on the team. When I get in there, I am expected to shoot when I am open," Thornton said. "I really can't feel the pressure, or else I am not going to succeed very much."

Neither team displayed much offense in overtime, with UWM taking the lead on two Franklin free throws with 4:36 left and Detroit taking its only lead of overtime on a single Ryvon Covile free throw with 2:08 left. But, Smith scored on UWM's next possession to give the Panthers the 65-64 lead and Milwaukee got a pair of stops to cinch the win.

The Panthers looked like they might be able to run away with the game in the first 20 minutes, building a 30-20 halftime lead. UWM jumped out to an 8-2 lead after a layin by Smith and eventually pushed the lead to 16-5 on another basket by Smith just over eight minutes into the game.

UDM rallied, scoring nine-straight points over the next four minutes to pull within 16-14. But, the Panthers responded with seven of the next nine points to rebuild a 23-16 advantage and then used two free throws from Kevin Massiah and a single free throw by Franklin to carry a 10-point lead into the locker room.

The Titans found their touch early in the second half, though, scoring 24 points in the first nine minutes of the half and eventually claiming a 51-45 lead on a Zach Everingham three with 5:45 left.

But, Paulsen struck with threes on each of UWM's next two possessions and the Panthers hung in from there before tying the game again at the end of regulation.

UWM returns to action Saturday afternoon, starting a stretch of three-straight road games with a 3 p.m. contest against preseason league favorite Loyola.