Jan. 31, 2008

Box Score |  Notes

DETROIT - Chris Hayes scored 20 points to lead five players in double figures as the University of Detroit Mercy captured its first Horizon League victory of the season with a 72-61 win over the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Thursday night at Calihan Hall.

Paige Paulsen had 14 points to lead Milwaukee (12-9, 7-4 Horizon), which lost for just the second time in its last 11 games.

The Titans won the game thanks to a quick second-half start that turned a one-point deficit into an 11-point lead. The Panthers could never truly get on track from there and wound up turning the ball over 18 times in the game while shooting just 39.6 percent from the field.

Jon Goode added 14 points for Detroit (5-15, 1-9), which also got 12 points from Woody Payne, 11 from Eulis Stephens and 10 plus 11 rebounds from Michael Harrington.

"It was clearly a game where turnovers set the tone," UWM head coach Rob Jeter said. "There is no excuse for it."

Detroit's quick second-half start saw the Titans score the first seven points to build a 31-25 lead. After UWM pulled back to within 35-31, the Titans responded with seven more points in a row for a 42-31 advantage with 12:33 remaining.

The Titans still led 50-39 with 9:38 remaining before the Panthers made a brief run. A three by Paulsen pulled Milwaukee within 50-44 and another three by Paulsen made it 52-47 with 6:30 left. But, the Panthers would get no closer as the Titans converted on 14-of-18 free throws in the second half to seal the win.

The Panthers had overcome a sluggish first half to grab a 25-24 lead at the break. In fact, UWM committed 12 turnovers in the first 20 minutes, more than negating a solid 45 percent shooting half.

"The game was not heading in the right direction from the beginning," Jeter said. "Our inability to get to loose basketballs, rebounding, turnovers ... it was just a weird game. It was uncharacteristic for us based on how we have been playing lately."

The Titans jumped out to a 9-3 lead in the early going and eventually pushed their edge to 12-5 before the Panthers bounced back. UWM pulled within 18-17 on a three-pointer by Deion James with 8:40 left and then took a 19-18 advantage on a basket by Deonte Roberts with 6:21 remaining.

Both teams went cold from there, as Detroit actually went eight minutes without a field goal while Milwaukee went more than five minutes without a basket. The Titans eventually built a 24-21 lead in the final minutes of the half, but a three-pointer by Allan Hanson followed by a single Charlie Swiggett free throw gave UWM a 25-24 lead at the break.

The Titans then came out of the locker room strong to start the second half and never let the Panthers find their stride.

"It proves the point that you have to take care of the basketball and do the little things that give you an opportunity for success," Jeter said. "We clearly did not do those things tonight."

UWM continues its weekend road trip Saturday night in Dayton, taking on Wright State at 6 p.m. CST. The game will be shown live in Milwaukee on Time Warner Sports as well as nationally on ESPN Full Court and ESPN360.