Nov. 16, 2008

Box Score |  Notes

Jeter Postgame Comments |  Smith Postgame Comments

AMES, Iowa - Craig Brackins scored 18 points and Iowa State made a school-record 15 three-point baskets to claim a 79-61 win over the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Sunday night in the final game of the World Vision Classic.

The Panthers were within four points four different times in the second half but could not overcome the hot perimeter shooting by the Cyclones (3-0).

ISU wound up 15-of-27 from three-point range for the game.

Ricky Franklin scored 14 points, Tone Boyle 13 and Anthony Hill 10 for Milwaukee (2-1), which shot just 33.8 percent from the field. UWM played without starting freshman Tony Meier, sidelined by the flu.

The Panthers closed within four at 58-54 on an inside basket by Hill with 9:44 remaining, but the Cyclones scored 13 of the next 16 points to pull away.

Iowa State made nine 3-pointers in the first half, running out to a 14-point lead. ISU still led by 10 at the half but the Panthers struck back immediately in the second half. They got the lead down to four within the first four minutes and the game went back and forth for the next six minutes before ISU's final surge.

"We had our opportunities," UWM head coach Rob Jeter said. "What jumps out at you is that we attempted 27 threes and so did they, but they made 15 of them. I thought their size and strength down the stretch, in the last 10 minutes of the game, really just wore us down. We were just chasing so hard, and our bigs were working hard to recover, and they missed some shots they would normally make."

The game also marked the return of UWM's Avery Smith, who played in a regular season game for the first time in nearly 20 months, scoring eight points.

"I had a lot of energy, being able to play 20-plus minutes after not playing all weekend. I had some fresh legs," Smith said. "We played hard and we played as a group. We missed some shots down the stretch. I think battling physically on the defensive end was a reason why we missed those shots down the stretch when they made their run."

The Panthers will return to action Wednesday night, opening their home schedule with a contest against Upper Iowa. The game tips off at 7 p.m. CST at the U.S. Cellular Arena.