Dec. 29, 2011

Box Score

  

VALPARAISO, Ind. - Kaylon Williams hit a go-ahead three-pointer with 48 seconds remaining and the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee played stingy defense to claim a 57-55 win over Valparaiso Thursday night at the Athletics Recreation Center.

The Panthers (10-4, 3-0 Horizon) trailed much of the game before building a five-point lead with six minutes to play. After the Crusaders (8-6, 1-1) reclaimed a 53-52 lead with 1:24 left, Williams countered with a three from the wing that bounced around the rim before falling through. Ryan Allen then added two free throws to help Milwaukee hang on for its 12th-straight regular season league victory.

Tony Meier led UWM with 17 points, with James Haarsma pitching-in with 12 and Williams 10.

Milwaukee also continued its string of great defensive efforts. In addition to giving up just 55 points, the Panthers allowed the Crusaders to make only 1-of-17 from beyond the arc and 9-of-28 field goals overall in the second half.

Ryan Broekhoff led Valpo with 18 points and 12 rebounds, while Kevin Van Wijk added 15 points and Erik Buggs 12. The Crusaders shot just 40 percent for the game and slowed considerably on offense after a fast start.

It took Milwaukee, which itself shot just 39.2 percent, more than six minutes to score in the second half but when the Panthers did they were down just 32-29. Milwaukee eventually tied the game at 40 on a pair of Evan Richard free throws and took the lead on an Allen basket with 7:30 remaining.

The Panthers' advantage grew to 47-42 and was 50-46 on a Haarsma basket with 3:50 remaining, but Valpo tied the game at 51 on a hoop by Matt Kenney with 2:35 left.

A pair of Van Wijk free throws gave Valpo its final lead of the night at 53-52 with 1:24 remaining. The Panthers then missed on their first chance to reclaim the lead but captured an offensive rebound to keep the possession alive. Following a Milwaukee timeout, Williams knocked in his three from in front of the Panther bench to push UWM ahead.

Allen's free throws pushed the lead to 57-53 with 32.5 seconds left and Milwaukee effectively forced Valpo to run out the clock from there. The Crusaders missed four shots when the outcome was still in some doubt before Broekhoff converted a layup at the horn to provide for the final score.

Milwaukee survived a sluggish start to pull within a point at halftime. Valpo jumped out to a 10-2 lead in the first five minutes of the game and still led 14-7 after two-straight hoops by Buggs. But, the Panthers seemed to settle in from there, scoring nine in a row to claim a 16-14 advantage.

The Crusaders countered with their own burst going up 26-20 on a basket by Richie Edwards and then still led 28-22 on a driving hoop by Broekhoff. UWM then finished the half strong, scoring the final five points before the break to pull within 28-27.

The Panthers wrap up their weekend road swing to Indiana with a Saturday afternoon contest at Butler. The game starts at 2 p.m. EST/1 p.m. CST and can be seen on Sports32 in Milwaukee as part of the Horizon League Game of the Week package.