Dec. 23, 2009

Box Score

MADISON, Wis. - Jon Leuer scored 25 points and made 11 of 14 shots from the field as the University of Wisconsin claimed a 68-58 win over the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Wednesday night at the Kohl Center.

The Badgers (9-2) outscored the Panthers, 19-7, over the final 7:37 of the first half to build a 12-point halftime lead but then could never truly put Milwaukee (8-5) away in the second half.

In fact, UWM was still within 10 points with six minutes to play, though the Panthers could never get any closer.

Ricky Franklin had 13 points and Anthony Hill 12 to lead Milwaukee, which did shoot a solid 46 percent from the floor but was outscored 18-6 from the free-throw line.

Keaton Nankivil and Jordan Taylor contributed 14 points apiece for Wisconsin.

Milwaukee simply couldn't overcome the final seven minutes of the first half, when it made just 2-of-7 from the floor and had three of its seven turnovers.

"You can survive some cold shooting stretches if you're still getting to the line. We were doing the right things, we were trying to get the ball in the paint, we were touching the post. We were posting hard but we just weren't coming away with foul opportunities," UWM head coach Rob Jeter said. "That's kind of what you expect when you play a Bo Ryan team. They're just not going to beat themselves. They're going to play hard, play together and those shooting droughts like that make it very difficult to pull out a win like we were trying to pull out tonight."

The Panthers had an 11-10 lead early and still found themselves tied at 20 and 22-apiece. But, a three-point play by Trevon Hughes pushed the Badgers' edge up to 37-28 with just over two minutes left in the half and a layin by Jordan Taylor made it 39-28 with 1:38 remaining. Wisconsin then carried a 41-29 lead into the halftime locker room.

The Badgers extended their lead to 48-33 early in the second half and led by as many as 16 points before Milwaukee surged back. A three-pointer by Jerard Ajami pulled the Panthers within 53-43 with 5:55 left and a basket by Hill 75 seconds later again made it a 10-point game. But, Wisconsin had an answer every time from there, with a three-point play by Leuer with under four minutes remaining helping to seal the win.

UWM will take an eight-day break over the holiday before returning to action New Year's Eve at Valparaiso. The Horizon League contest tips off at 7 p.m. at the Athletics-Recreation Center, with the contest televised live on Time Warner Cable's Sports 32 and ESPN Full Court.