Jan. 12, 2012

Box Score

  

MILWAUKEE - Tony Meier scored 16 points and the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee led by double digits nearly the entire game en route to a 58-38 win over Wright State Thursday night at the U.S. Cellular Arena.

The Panthers (12-6, 5-1 Horizon) lived up to their reputation as one of the top defensive teams in the Horizon League, limiting Wright State to just 25.5 percent shooting for the game.

It was also the second time this season Milwaukee held an opponent to just 38 points (Texas Southern), with the 38 points the fewest the Panthers have ever allowed in a Horizon League game. UWM held the Raiders' leading scorer Julius Mays to three points.

James Haarsma added 13 points while Kaylon Williams had nine assists to lead the Panther offense, which shot better than 52 percent in the first half and wound up at 46.8 percent for the game.

A.J. Pacher scored 10 to lead the Raiders (9-10, 4-3), who have lost 14-straight times to the Panthers in Milwaukee.

"I thought our sense of urgency from the beginning set the tone and never allowed Wright State to feel good about what they were trying to accomplish," UWM head coach Rob Jeter said. "I was really proud of our team effort and how our guys, as a group, made it tough on Mays and (Armond) Battle and (Reggie) Arceneaux and the rest of the crew because coming in there were a lot of concerns."

Ryan Allen drew the assignment of slowing Mays, but gave much of the credit to his teammates.

"As a team we brought our A-game. It was just another team effort," Allen said. "I was up front and he saw the guys behind me, and that's what made the difference."

Milwaukee also set the tone from the outset with a solid effort on offense. The Panthers hot start included an 8-0 run to open the game, as a layin by Allen made it 8-0 less than four minutes in. The advantage grew to 14-5 on a three by Meier and Milwaukee then followed a Wright State basket with 11 in a row to take a commanding advantage. Meier had a pair of threes during the burst, with his second one making it 25-7 with 7:30 remaining.

The lead eventually hit 27-8 before the Raiders started to make some progress. But, Milwaukee still carried a 31-17 lead into the break.

The Panthers extended the edge back out early in the second half, with a layin by Meier making it 42-25. A basket from Shaquille Boga extended the advantage to 20 at 47-27 and UWM wound up leading by as many as 25 points late in the game.

Milwaukee wraps up its three-game homestand by welcoming Detroit to the U.S. Cellular Arena Saturday night. The game tips off at 7 p.m.