Feb. 4, 2012

Box Score

  

GREEN BAY, Wis. - Paris Gulley scored 20 points and the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee made 12 three-pointers in claiming an 81-75 win over Green Bay Saturday at the Resch Center.

Milwaukee (15-10, 8-5 Horizon) broke a 53-all tie with a 10-2 burst midway through the second half and then hung on by making 15-of-18 free throws in the game.

Kaylon Williams had 16 points and eight assists while Kyle Kelm contributed 14 points and seven rebounds off the bench. As a team, UWM made 12-of-23 from beyond the arc and shot 49 percent overall. The Panthers also outrebounded the Phoenix, 35-25, including 13 offensive boards.

"Our guys just played well together," UWM head coach Rob Jeter said. "I can't put a finger on it other than that we definitely needed a win. We know we have a difficult road ahead of us but we just wanted to get back to having some fun. We were definitely not having fun over these last few weeks."

Keifer Sykes scored 25 points to lead Green Bay (9-13, 5-7), which had beaten Valparaiso and Butler last weekend.

Gulley, who also had 18 points in the first matchup with the Phoenix and tied his collegiate-high with the six 3-pointers today, was comfortable from the outset.

"I was just trying to find my shot," Gulley said. "I was setting my feet and shooting the ball with confidence."

The Panthers had an answer every time the Phoenix surged.

"Obviously Paris hit some big shots," Jeter said. "Kyle Kelm hit a big shot. Kaylon Williams ran the team. Each guy knows their role and they played their role accordingly. And how about that - we made free throws."

Milwaukee actually grabbed a 10-point lead early in the second half, going up 42-32 on a James Haarsma layin with 18:25 to play. The Phoenix fought back to tie the game at 53 with 10:42 remaining but UWM took the lead back for good on a Tony Meier hoop two minutes later.

The lead then grew to 63-55 on a Ryan Allen steal and dunk at the 6:30 mark. Once again Green Bay closed to within three at 63-60, but Kelm and Williams responded with three-pointers in consecutive possessions to restore a 69-60 advantage.

Milwaukee then got a driving layup from Williams and made 10-of-13 free throws to capture the important road victory and the season sweep of its in-state rival.

After Green Bay scored the first basket of the game, Milwaukee led much of the rest of the way in the first half. The Panthers led 11-6 on a three by Meier and 14-8 after a Gulley 3. Green Bay did fight back to tie the game at 16 but a three by Allen restored a 24-18 advantage.

The lead eventually grew to 30-22 on a layin by Ryan Haggerty with 4:00 left and was 35-26 when Gulley hit another three with just over a minute remaining. UWM then led 37-30 at the half.

From there, Milwaukee made six more three-pointers and shot 50 percent from the field in the second half to pull out the victory.

The Panthers hit the road again next weekend, playing at Detroit Friday night and Wright State Sunday afternoon.