Nov. 12, 2011

Box Score  |  Milwaukee Press Conference Audio

MILWAUKEE - Ja'Rob McCallum and Ryan Allen scored 16 points apiece as the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee men's basketball team opened the 2011-12 season with a 71-65 win over Southwest Minnesota State Saturday afternoon at the U.S. Cellular Arena.

The Panthers, playing without preseason all-league honorees Tony Meier and Kaylon Williams, led by as many as 16 points in the second half and then hung on down the stretch.

UWM was slowed by 35 percent shooting from the field but collected 16 offensive rebounds, including 10 from James Haarsma. The junior transfer wound up with 17 rebounds overall.

Paris Gulley added 12 points and Evan Richard 10 for Milwaukee, which also turned the ball over just nine times.

Jordan Miller finished just shy of a triple-double for the Mustangs, collecting 16 points, 11 rebounds and nine assists.

"I think the one thing that I see is effort. I see sometimes a little lack of the execution but I thought it was a typical first game for both teams," UWM head coach Rob Jeter said. "Tonight we played with four starters from last year's team not on the court. That's difficult for any team, I don't care who you are, but we found a way to manage through it for this contest.

The decisive burst for Milwaukee started late in the first half and continued early in the second 20 minutes. UWM led just 25-23 with three minutes remaining in the half but embarked on a 21-7 run to take control of the contest. The burst was capped by a Richard jumper with just over three minutes gone in the second half, putting the Panthers ahead 46-30.

Milwaukee was then able to maintain a double-figure lead much of the second half, though the Mustangs did get as close as four points with two minutes remaining. The Panthers hit their free throws from there, going 9-of-10 from the line to seal the win.

UWM also got a nice spark from walk-on and former manager Mitch Roelke, who was pressed into duty as point guards Gulley and Shaquille Boga were hit with foul trouble. Roelke played nine minutes and knocked in a pair of three-pointers while not committing a turnover.

The Panthers wound up with a 41-33 rebounding edge and tallied 16 offensive boards. UWM also made nine 3-pointers and finished 22-of-30 from the line.

Milwaukee will now hit the road for the first time this season on Monday, heading to DeKalb, Ill., for a 7 p.m. contest with Northern Illinois.