Jan. 15, 2011

Box Score |  Audio: Postgame Press Conference |  Postgame Extra

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MILWAUKEE - Geoff McCammon scored 21 points and Loyola made 68 percent of its shots from the field in the second half en route to a 71-65 win over the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Saturday afternoon at the U.S. Cellular Arena.

Anthony Hill scored 19 points and Kaylon Williams added 17 for Milwaukee (9-10, 4-4 Horizon), which led by 13 points late in the first half but could not hold off the Ramblers (11-8, 2-6) in the second 20 minutes.

The Panthers made 13 of their first 25 shots from the field in building their double-digit advantage but then made just 12 of 38 the rest of the way. UWM also shot just 11 free throws in the game in spite of consistently pounding the ball in the post to Hill, who attempted 18 shots from the field but made just six trips to the foul line.

Meanwhile, in addition to making 15-of-22 shots in the second half, Loyola made four of its final six attempts in the first 20 minutes, scoring 53 points in the final 23-plus minutes of the game.

"The tougher team today was going to get this done and I thought Loyola was tougher than us," UWM head coach Rob Jeter said. "I look at it that it's a 50-50 ball and you can come up with it, but we didn't get them. There were a few of those where the ball was in the balance there and we just never came up with it. We got the ball in the right spots, near the rim or under the rim, but we just couldn't get it over the rim or couldn't come back with a second rebound."

Milwaukee wound up making 39.7 percent of its shots overall and 10-of-28 from three-point range. That was not enough against a Rambler team that shot 55.1 percent from the field.

"We had some open looks that we didn't knock down but you can't always rely on those," Jeter said. "That's why toughness was the key for the day."

The Panthers looked like they might run away with the game in the first half, with threes from Tony Meier and Ja'Rob McCallum along with a layin by Hill making it 31-18 with 3:30 remaining. But, Loyola struck back quickly, scoring nine in a row to get within 31-27 before trailing by just six at the break.

Loyola carried that momentum into the second half, taking its first lead of the game at 40-38 on a Ben Averkamp basket with 15:45 to play. The lead eventually grew to 46-40 on an Andy Polka jumper with under 13 minutes remaining before Milwaukee rallied, with five-straight points by Williams making it 48-all with 10:40 left.

But, an Averkamp layin on Loyola's next possession gave the Ramblers the lead back for good. Milwaukee did pull within 52-51 on a Tone Boyle and another Boyle three made it 64-62 with 3:15 left. Meier did have a three-pointer rim off that would have tied the game with 45 seconds remaining and the Ramblers made five of their final six free throws of the game to seal the win.

UWM collected 14 offensive rebounds but scored just four second-chance points, while the Panthers turned it over just 10 times but saw Loyola score 16 points off those turnovers..

The Panthers head back on the road for a pair of games this weekend. UWM will play at Valparaiso Friday night and Butler Sunday afternoon.