March 5, 2010

Box Score
Milwaukee Postgame Audio |  Video Highlights and Postgame
Audio Highlights

INDIANAPOLIS - Six players scored in double figures and the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee shot a season-best 55.3 percent from the field to claim an 82-75 win over Cleveland State Friday in the second round of the Speedway Horizon League Men's Basketball Championship at Hinkle Fieldhouse.

With the win, the Panthers (20-13) advance to Saturday's semifinals, where they will face top-seeded Butler. The game tips off at 8 p.m. EST/7 p.m. CST and can be seen live on ESPNU.

UWM led by as many as 20 points in the second half before hanging on for the win.

Anthony Hill and Ja'Rob McCallum scored 14 points while Ricky Franklin added 13.

Ryan Haggerty (12), James Eayrs (11) and Jason Averkamp (10) also reached double digits for Milwaukee, which won for the seventh time in the last eight games and has now won 20 games for the 10th time in 113 years of basketball at the school.

Tim Kamczyc scored 20 points to lead Cleveland State (16-17).

Milwaukee extended a 32-24 halftime lead to 50-35 on a three-pointer by McCallum with 13:38 remaining and eventually led 62-42 after a pair of free throws from Hill with 9:55 remaining.

Cleveland State rallied to within 64-55 on a layin by Kamczyc with under six minutes left, but Milwaukee scored seven of the next eight points to restore a 71-56 lead four minutes remaining.

The Vikings fought back once more, with a basket by Charlie Woods making it 71-64 with 2:43 left. CSU could never get any closer, though, with seven free throws and a layup helping to wrap things up for Milwaukee.

The Panthers played a solid first 20 minutes of basketball and carried an eight-point lead into the locker room. UWM scored eight of the first 10 points of the game, with a three-pointer by Franklin giving Milwaukee an 8-2 lead just over three minutes into the game.

A layin by Averkamp and a single free throw by Haggerty pushed the lead to 16-6 before a basket by Hill made it 20-9 with just under 10 minutes to play. CSU was able to close the gap to six points down the stretch of the first half before a layin by Haggerty restored a 27-19 lead. A three-pointer by Eayrs pushed the lead back to 32-22 with two minutes left and UWM led 32-24 at the break.

After Cleveland pulled within six early in the second half, the Panthers went on an 18-6 run to build a 53-35 lead with 13:02 remaining. After UWM led by as many as 20, CSU would pull within nine and even seven, but could never get closer.