Feb. 5, 2011

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MILWAUKEE - Anthony Hill scored 29 points and had 15 rebounds as the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee claimed a convincing 88-75 win over Green Bay Saturday at the U.S. Cellular Arena.

The Panthers (13-11, 8-5 Horizon) made 31 free throws and led by as many as 18 points in capturing their fourth-straight win.

Tone Boyle added 16 points, Ja'Rob McCallum 15 and Kaylon Williams 11 points, seven assists and six rebounds for UWM.

Bryquis Perine had 22 points to lead Green Bay (12-12, 6-6), which has lost 11 of its last 13 games in Milwaukee.

UWM led 33-26 at halftime and then scored a season-best 55 points in the second half. Milwaukee made 8-of-11 from three-point range and 25-of-31 from the line in the second 20 minutes.

"We knew it was going to be a tough game. We knew there were going to be some free throws shot," UWM head coach Rob Jeter said. "We knew we were going to need an inside presence, and Anthony Hill tonight was phenomenal for us around the basket."

Hill's 29 points were one off his collegiate-best, while his 15 boards set a new career mark. He was dominant even in being limited to 27 minutes by foul trouble, making 7-of-8 from the field and 15-of-18 from the line while adding three assists and three blocks.

"Coach just wanted me to go strong because the last outing we played Green Bay, I was 2-for-14," Hill said. "He got on me a little bit being a senior. He told me I shouldn't go 2-for-14 from the field. My teammates just stuck with me and we got the job done."

The Panthers broke the game open quickly in the second half, with back-to-back three-pointers from Boyle and Kyle Kelm making it 44-28 with just under 18 minutes remaining. The advantage grew to 54-36 on a tip-in by Kelm with 13:48 left and the Phoenix never got closer than eight points the rest of the way.

UWM had some big answers every time the Phoenix tried to make things interesting. When a layup by Perine cut the lead to 67-58 with 6:21 remaining, Tony Meier responded with an offensive rebound and three-pointer to restore a 12-point advantage. Three minutes later, Boyle hit a three right to counter a Perine three, with Milwaukee reclaiming 76-64 lead with 3:21 remaining

The Panthers then made 10 free throws in the final three minutes to seal the victory.

"Winning four-straight, especially winning three-straight at home, that's big because we haven't done that all season," Hill said. "It's a big confidence booster. We hit some adversity early in the season but now we're clicking together."

"We had some ups and downs early but we've able to put it together here down the stretch," Jeter said. "Now, it doesn't get any easier. We have to go on the road and face a team that beat us earlier in the year in Loyola, and then UIC. So we just have to keep plugging away."

UWM's starts its weekend in Chicago with a Thursday night contest at Loyola. The game tips off at 7 p.m. and can be seen live across southeast Wisconsin on Time Warner Cable Sports32.