Jan. 28, 2011

Box Score |  Postgame Extra

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MILWAUKEE - Tone Boyle scored 16 points and Tony Meier scored 10 of his 12 points over the final five minutes of the game to give the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee a come-from-behind 72-67 win over Detroit Friday night at the U.S. Cellular Arena.

The Panthers (11-11, 6-5 Horizon) trailed by 10 points with eight minutes to play and by eight with five minutes to go but rallied to pull out the victory.

Ryan Allen's inside hoop gave Milwaukee the lead for good with just under three minutes to play, and six free throws in the final minute secured the win for the Panthers.

Ray McCallum had 16 points for Detroit (11-11, 5-5), which actually led by as many as 14 points in the first half and forced 20 Milwaukee turnovers. But, the Titans made just one field goal over the final nine minutes in falling to the Panthers for the second time this season.

Anthony Hill pitched in with 13 points and eight rebounds while drawing a key charge in the closing moments. Allen also had 10 points off the bench and freshman Kyle Kelm contributed nine points and five rebounds.

"This team really, really grew up tonight," UWM head coach Rob Jeter said. "We, in front of our crowd, got big stops, charges, we were in gaps. We made some big shots, some big plays. We have to believe in each other and I thought our guys definitely believed in each other to get it done."

The game-winning surge by the Panthers really started after Chris Blake made two free throws with five minutes remaining to make it 62-54 Detroit. Meier hit a three on the next possession to bring Milwaukee within five, and then a second Meier three 30 seconds later made it 62-60 with 4:16 still remaining.

The score was then 63-62 after a confusing replay review following a foul on Allen and a technical foul on Blake. Blake hit one disputed free throw - an official's whistle blew either before or during his shot attempt, but the free throw was allowed to stand - and Meier hit two free throws on the other end. Allen then made a spectacular block of a dunk attempt by Nick Minnerath and scored inside on the other end to give the Panthers the lead with under three minutes left.

Kaylon Williams scored on a driving layup with 1:46 remaining to extend the lead to three and then Williams, Boyle and Meier all hit two free throws apiece to secure the win.

"It was a huge win and a huge statement for our guys," Jeter said. "We've been through a lot, but we still really care about each other and trust each other."

UWM looked like it might get run out of the gym in the early going, as Detroit built leads of 16-7, 30-17 and 33-19. That 14-point margin came after Blake hit a three with 7:00 remaining. But, the Panthers responded quickly, scoring the next 12 points. Threes by Kyle Kelm and Ja'Rob McCallum sparked the run, with a pair of Boyle free throws making it 33-31.

McCallum's three free throws three minutes later brought Milwaukee within 35-34, and the two teams then traded baskets before the half ended.

The Titans retook control of the game early in the second half, with four-straight points by McCallum making it 51-42 with 11:13 remaining. The lead was 56-46 after a McCallum steal and dunk and was still 62-54 when Blake hit two free throws with five minutes remaining. That's when the Panthers made their winning surge.

UWM continues its three-game homestand Sunday afternoon by welcoming Wright State to the U.S. Cellular Arena for a 1 p.m. contest.