Feb. 21, 2007

Box Score |  Notes

CHICAGO - Othyus Jeffers scored 15 points to lead four players in double figures as the University of Illinois at Chicago claimed a 72-59 win over the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Wednesday night at the UIC Pavilion.

The short-handed Panthers led by seven early in the second half but were overwhelmed by the Flames' interior play down the stretch. Milwaukee played with just nine scholarship players as Paige Paulsen (stomach flu) and Kaylan Anderson (severe bronchitis) did not dress for the game.

Freshman Roman Gentry led Milwaukee (8-21, 5-10 Horizon) with a collegiate-best 17 points and nine rebounds.

Jovan Stefanov (13 points), Scott Vandermeer (12 points) and Josh Mayo (11 points) also pitched in for the Flames (12-17, 6-9), who claimed 12 offensive rebounds and scored 13 second-chance points.

"The guys that were available to play did it for 20-something minutes, but just couldn't do it for 40," UWM head coach Rob Jeter said. "It came down to them getting some stops defensively and their size was a factor. I've got a point guard (Ricky Franklin) down at the four spot because of who I have available, and their size - those second-chance points - that's where it shows up."

The Panthers trailed most of the first half before a late rally gave them the lead after 20 minutes. In fact, UIC looked poised to blow the game open in the first 10 minutes, building leads of 17-8 and 20-11 before Milwaukee came alive.

A pair of true freshmen were responsible for the run, with a Ryan Thornton three pulling UWM to within 22-18 with 7:00 remaining, setting the stage for Gentry to explode. He knocked in back-to-back threes to pull UWM to within 27-26 with 3:43 remaining before a basket by Avery Smith gave the Panthers a 28-27 lead. Baskets by Allan Hanson and Gentry then pushed the edge to 32-28 before a late basket by Stefanov brought the Flames back to within 32-30 at the half.

UWM pushed its lead to seven at 40-33 following a Smith steal and dunk with 16:55 remaining. But, the Flames took the lead for good on a Mayo basket with 7:38 remaining and then finished the game on a 19-5 run.

The Panthers close out the regular season Saturday at UW-Green Bay. The game tips off at 7 p.m. CST and can be seen live in Milwaukee on WMLW.