March 2, 2010

Box Score
Milwaukee Postgame |  UIC Postgame
Jeter at Major Goolsby's

MILWAUKEE - Four players scored in double figures as the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee advanced to the second round of the Speedway Horizon League Men's Basketball Championship with a gutsy 73-67 win over UIC Tuesday night at the U.S. Cellular Arena.

The Panthers (19-13) survived in spite of playing long stretches of the second half without all-league senior Ricky Franklin. He picked up his fourth foul with 12:28 remaining and then fouled out with 1:51 left, having played just 25 minutes.

But, a variety of players pick up the slack. Freshmen Lonnie Boga and senior James Eayrs shared team-high scoring honors with junior Anthony Hill, as each player scored 12 points. Jason Averkamp added 10 points while Ja'Rob McCallum had seven. In all, the Milwaukee bench accounted for 32 points.

For extended spells of the second 20 minutes, UWM fielded a lineup with four freshmen, as Patrick Souter (10 minutes) and Riley Walker (seven minutes) joined McCallum and Boga on the floor.

Still, Milwaukee found a way to hang on and claim its 19th win of the season, equaling the 10th-most wins in the 113 years of basketball at the school.

The win sends UWM into a second-round matchup with Cleveland State Friday at 8 p.m. EST/7 p.m. CST at Butler's Hinkle Fieldhouse.

Milwaukee led by as many as nine points with under five minutes remaining in the game, but saw the lead cut to one with 1:28 remaining. Eayrs responded with a three-point play after an offensive rebound with just over a minute to play, restoring the lead to four, only to see Zavion Neely score with 22 seconds left to make it 69-67. But, after McCallum missed two free throws with 20.3 seconds left, Eayrs got another offensive rebound and was fouled, helping to seal the win.

UWM trailed by as many as eight points in the first half but rallied to tie the game at halftime. UIC led 23-15 after five-straight points from Kreps, but Milwaukee eventually tied the game at 33 on a layin by Jason Averkamp with 1:30 left. The two teams then traded baskets before halftime.

The Panthers bolted to a five-point lead early in the second half and then eventually led 59-50 on a Boga three-point play with 7:41 remaining. The lead was still 62-53 after a layin by Ryan Haggerty with five minutes remaining, but UIC steadily dug into the advantage from there.

In the end, Milwaukee hung on for the victory, advancing to Friday's rubber match with Cleveland State.