Feb. 24, 2011

Box Score  | Postgame Extra

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CLEVELAND, Ohio - Tony Meier scored 28 points and the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee built a 19-point second half lead before hanging on for a thrilling 87-83 win over Cleveland State Thursday night at the Wolstein Center.

The Panthers (17-12, 12-5 Horizon) are now one win away from claiming at least a share of the Horizon League title as well as the top seed and hosting rights for the upcoming Horizon League Tournament.

Milwaukee ran out to a 17-point lead in the first half and, after Cleveland State closed to within five, rebuilt a 19-point lead with just under 13 minutes to play in the game.

The Vikings' pressure continued to take its toll, though, with two free throws from Josh McCoy bringing CSU within 86-83 with 9.6 seconds remaining. But, Meier made a single free throw with 8.8 seconds left and the Panthers hung on for the win.

Norris Cole had 27 points and Trevon Harmon added 22 for the Vikings (23-7, 12-5), which dropped into a first-place tie with both Milwaukee and Butler.

Now, Milwaukee heads to Youngstown State Saturday afternoon with the league title hanging in the balance.

"It was an incredible game," UWM head coach Rob Jeter said. "As a team, we have shown that we can play tough, and coming into this environment it's what we had to do. We knew as individuals we couldn't beat Cleveland State. We had to do it as a team and each player had to bring their set of qualities and blend it together. Tonight, as a team, we did enough together to get this win."

Indeed, Milwaukee got a wide variety of contributions, with Anthony Hill and Tone Boyle adding 16 points apiece while Kaylon Williams had nine assists. Off the bench, Ryan Allen had seven points, seven rebounds, three blocks and three steals while Kyle Kelm pitched-in with seven points and three boards.

Plus, UWM completely flipped the script from its first meeting with Cleveland State, when it fell down 23-7 and never recovered. This time, the Panthers built a double-digit lead seven minutes into the game and were in control for nearly the entire contest.

"It was key for us to get off to a good start," Jeter said. "Each team knew what was on the line tonight. The start, when you're the road team, is important. And then from there, you just have to make sure you can stay poised and stay together."

"Everybody knows what's at stake, it's no secret," Williams said. "If you get out to a great start then you know you have a chance. Since we got a lead, I thought we stayed poised, we did as we've been coached and played 40 minutes."

Meier was the biggest star for Milwaukee, contributing eight rebounds to go with his collegiate-best 28 points. He made his first four shots from the field and set the tone for the Panther offense.

"Just the quality looks I was getting through our offense," Meier said. "Knowing their pressure was going to lead to some open shots, we were just going to have to knock them down. So, it was nice to knock those in early."

The Panthers used hot shooting and stellar defense to build a big first-half lead. In fact, Milwaukee made 10 of its first 13 shot from the field. Meier scored on a drive to give UWM a 21-11 lead just over seven minutes into the game and the advantage grew to 24-11 on a Boyle three about a minute later.

The lead grew to 30-15 on three free throws from Ja'Rob McCallum with 7:58 left and hit its peak at 34-17 on two more McCallum free throws with 5:52 remaining.

The Vikings were able to steadily chip into the lead from there as Hill and Meier both went to the bench because of foul trouble. Meier did return to knock home a three that made it 37-23, but a driving basket by Trevon Harmon and a three by Josh McCoy brought the Vikings to within 41-32 at the break.

The second half saw Cleveland State close to within five early on before Milwaukee used a 20-6 run to push the lead to 61-42 with 12:45 remaining. The lead was still 67-49 with 9:15 remaining after a Hill basket but Cleveland State scored the next eight points to get to within 10 with 7:11 left

Hill fouled out with 5:45 remaining and a Cole jumper brought CSU to within 71-65 with 4:30 left. McCoy hit a three to make it 73-68 and Milwaukee was left to hang on from there. UWM's final field goal came from Meier, who had a key offensive rebound and stick-back with three minutes to play. The Panthers then hit 12 of 17 free throws to close out the game.

Other keys in the closing moments included a pair of blocks and two steals from Allen along with a block by Kelm. Milwaukee also had three offensive rebounds in the final four minutes to help keep possessions alive.

UWM's game at Youngstown State tips off at noon CST at the Beeghly Center.