Dec. 29, 2007

Box Score |  Quotes |  Notes

LARAMIE, Wyo. - Paige Paulsen scored 26 points and Deonte Roberts added a collegiate-best 17 points and nine assists as the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee captured an impressive 80-66 win over Wyoming Saturday afternoon at the Arena-Auditorium.

The Panthers (5-7) led nearly the entire game and withstood a late Wyoming rally after leading by as many as 25 points in the second half.

Milwaukee also got 13 points from Ricky Franklin along with eight points and eight rebounds from Marcus Skinner. Plus, the Panthers forced 20 turnovers and limited the Cowboys (5-6) to just 44.9 percent shooting from the field.

Brandon Ewing scored 24 points to lead Wyoming.

"We've pulled together a team. It might only be 11 guys, but we are a team," UWM head coach Rob Jeter said. "That's the one thing I want people to understand and talk about. Enough of the other stuff - we are a team and there are guys in that locker room that want to represent Milwaukee to the best of their abilities, and that's what I am most proud of."

Paulsen, playing in front of a large gathering of friends and family who made the trip from Custer, SD, knocked down five 3-pointers, including a huge three late in the second half when Wyoming had cut the lead to eight.

"He is playing like the senior we need him to play like, with his leadership and he is taking good shots," Jeter said. "He wants the ball in his hands and, defensively, he is doing a good job."

The Panthers looked like they put the game away with a 26-2 run from late in the first half through early in the second half. But, the Cowboys did not give up despite trailing by 25 points with 16:32 to play in the game.

In fact, Wyoming trimmed the lead all the way down to six at 69-63 but the Panthers hit seven of their next eight free throw attempts to regain control of the game.

"I liked the way our guys responded, knowing a good team isn't just going to lay down for you," Jeter said. "I just like the way our guys battled through so much. I thought when that run was happening I didn't see any fear in our guys or any second-guessing. I just saw a bunch of guys that said, `We have been through so much let's not give in now, let's just keep fighting.'"

Milwaukee led most of the way in the first half before extending its halftime edge to 14 with a late run. The Panthers jumped out to an early 13-7 lead only to see the Cowboys respond with six-straight points, tying the game at 13. But, UWM led the rest of the half, with the edge going to 21-15 on a Skinner jumper and to 25-18 on another Skinner basket.

Then, after the Cowboys pulled back to within 25-24, the Panthers finished the half on a 13-0 run. A layin by Jason Averkamp with 1:15 left gave Milwaukee its first double-digit lead of the contest and a three-pointer by Allan Hanson 40 seconds later pushed UWM into a 38-24 halftime edge.

Wyoming scored the first basket of the second half before UWM embarked on another 13-0 burst. Three-straight from long range started the burst, with Paulsen knocking down a pair of threes before Franklin followed with one of his own. Two free throws by Paulsen and a basket by Anthony Hill extended the edge to 51-26.

From there, the Cowboys started to find their stride, making the game interesting over the final 10 minutes.

The Panthers return to action Thursday, hosting Wright State in a 7 p.m. contest at the U.S. Cellular Arena. The game kicks off a busy stretch of five games in 10 days for UWM.