Feb. 25, 2012

Box Score

CHICAGO - Tony Meier scored 26 points and the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee shot better than 59 percent from the field in claiming a 78-69 win over Loyola Saturday afternoon at the Gentile Arena.

The win moved the Panthers (19-12, 11-7 Horizon) into a third-place tie in the final Horizon League standings and placed them as the fourth seed for the upcoming league tournament. UWM will host ninth-seeded UIC in a first round tournament game Tuesday at 7 p.m. at the Klotsche Center.

Paris Gulley added 19 points, making five 3-pointers, while James Haarsma pitched-in with 14.

Milwaukee jumped to a 15-point first-half lead but saw Loyola get within one midway through the second half. But the Panthers responded with 16-7 run to restore order and then made 10-of-10 from the foul line in the final minute to hang on for their fourth-straight win.

"I am proud of my team and how we persevered through a season and for us to finish the way we finished," UWM head coach Rob Jeter said. "We knew it was going to be a battle today."

It was an afternoon of milestones for the Panthers. Meier's effort saw him go past 1,000 points for his career as he knocked in 6-of-9 from beyond the arc. Plus, Kaylon Williams added eight points and eight assists in setting a new single-season school assists record.

For the game, UWM made 11 three-pointers and 26-of-44 shots overall. Milwaukee also pounded the ball inside after starting the game on the outside. The Panthers scored 28 points in the paint and 15 more from the foul line.

"The stat that I was hoping to really see some similarities in was points in the paint, because I know Loyola is really going to try to get it inside and I didn't want us to rely too much on the outside shooting," Jeter said. "In the first five or 10 minutes of that game we hit a lot of outside shots, and my concern was we would get away from getting it inside and getting to the free throw line. But we got back to doing that."

The Ramblers (7-22, 1-17) kept pace much of the way by shooting 54 percent for the contest. Ben Averkamp led three Loyola players in double figures with 16 points.

The Panthers rode hot shooting to a big lead early. Meier knocked down two-straight three-pointers to put UWM up 17-7 and Gulley followed with a three to make it 20-7. The Panthers weren't done, though, as Gulley and Meier each added threes on Milwaukee's next two possessions to put UWM up 26-11.

Loyola steadily climbed back in the game from there. A basket from Averkamp pulled the Ramblers within single digits and 28-19 and a pair of free throws from the junior made it 30-23. A Walt Gibler follow up basket then cut the score to 32-26 late in the half.

UWM answered early in the second half, as Meier went past the 1,000 career point mark with two free throws and then followed with a three-pointer to make it 37-26.

The Ramblers again fought back, though, pulling within 41-37 on a layin by Denzel Brito and to within 44-42 on a long three by Chim Kadima. Loyola got another point on a free throw by Averkamp but UWM responded with the next four to go back up 48-43. A three by Gulley then made it 51-45 and a three from Meier pushed the edge to 54-47 with 9:15 remaining.

Milwaukee then looked like it might be close to putting the game away, going up 60-50 on a basket by Ryan Allen and 64-53 on a layin from Gulley with 4:30 left. But, Gibler converted a layin just over a minute later, bringing the Ramblers to within 64-58.

UWM sealed the game from the foul line, though, with Haarsma making six and Meier and Williams adding two apiece to close things out.

Tuesday's first round game is being played on Milwaukee's campus instead of downtown because of a conflict at the U.S. Cellular Arena. Tickets for the game are $10 and are available in advance through the Panther Ticket Office (414-229-5886) or at the doors of the Klotsche Center on Tuesday night. UWM played a regular season game at the Klotsche Center earlier this season, knocking off Nebraska-Omaha.