Jan. 13, 2011

Box Score | Press Conference Audio | Postgame Extra

MILWAUKEE - Tony Meier scored 22 points to lead four players in double-figures as the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee men's basketball team rolled to an 87-75 victory over UIC Thursday night at the U.S. Cellular Arena. The Panthers (9-9, 4-3 Horizon) led the Flames (5-13, 0-6 Horizon) by as many as 23 points in the second half and used an 18-4 scoring run just after intermission to open up a close game.

Meier netted the game-high 22 points on 7-of-12 shooting from the floor, with the team ending the night an impressive 26-of-48 (54.2%) from the field to top 50-percent shooting for the second time in the last three games.

Anthony Hill had 18 points and six rebounds, while Tone Boyle added 17, with 12 of those points coming in the second half. Kaylon Williams ended the night with 14 points and seven assists, missing just one of six shots from the floor.

"I was really pleased with, well, 35 minutes of our play, I thought our play was pretty solid," Milwaukee head coach Rob Jeter said. "You have to give a lot of credit to UIC. This is a team, that going into it, they could have easily been a 4-1 team - and I am not making that up. I have watched their games and watched how they battled. And, even tonight, they battled to the end. That says a lot about their coaching staff and how they are getting these guys to continue to fight. I was pleased with our guy's effort for the first 35 minutes - I thought we could have finished a little bit better than that."

Meier made four of six from three-point range to help UWM to an impressive 12-of-19 (63.2%) showing from distance in the game. That total was the fourth-highest percentage from three-point range in school history.

Robo Kreps led four Flames in double-figures, accounting for 19 points and five rebounds. Dipanjot Singh ended with 17, Paul Carter with 16 and Paris Carter had 13 points and eight rebounds off the bench. UIC ended up shooting 29-of-59 (49.2%) for the game.

With Milwaukee leading 41-36 at the half, UIC cut the margin to 43-40 at the 18:38 mark. A three from Meier ignited the scoring run that put the game away, with the 18-4 spurt highlighted by a pair of three's from Meier, three-pointers from Boyle and Williams and eight points from Hill, with his jumper at the 12:57 mark making it 65-47.

"We are attempting a higher number of three's, but they are coming out of our offense and they are good looks," Jeter said. "But, you have to have a mix. And getting to the free throw line, that is what made the game a little manageable for us, especially in the first half."

The run eventually extended to 29-9, as Boyle's three with 9:43 remaining gave the Panthers their largest lead of the night at 23 points, 72-49. UIC would cut the deficit to 10 late after UWM started emptying the bench.

The first half featured solid shooting both ways, with each team hitting half of its shots from the floor. Meier led Milwaukee with 14 in the first half, making 5-of-7 shots from the floor - including 2-of-3 from three-point range. In fact, UWM made seven of 12 from distance before intermission, punctuated by a long three at the halftime buzzer from a few feet past the midcourt stripe.

The Panthers led by as many as 10 in the first, but UIC hung close and answered many of the Panthers runs. The teams traded four-straight three-pointers to open the contest and UIC blinked first, with UWM building that 10-point advantage at the midway mark courtesy of a 10-2 run that turned an 11-11 contest into a 21-13 Milwaukee lead on a layup and free throw from Hill with just over 10 minutes to play.

The Panthers would build that lead back to seven on a pair of occasions before Kreps scored five of his team's seven points to make it 30-29 on a layup by Carter with 3:31 to play. Williams would trade three's with Kreps in the final minute before burying the long one at the buzzer to carry the momentum into the locker room.

The Panthers get right back at it, continuing Horizon League action Saturday, set for a 1 p.m. tip-off against Loyola at home.