Boxscore (pdf)

EDWARDSVILLE, Ill. (December 20, 2014) – Host SIU Edwardsville (2-7) shot 60 percent from the field in the second half and held on for a 61-56 victory over visiting University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee (5-7) tonight at Vadalabene Center. Despite the loss, the Panthers controlled the boards, outrebounding the Cougars, 46-37.
 
"SIUE is a scrappy team and they made plays down the stretch and we didn't so you have to give them credit," Milwaukee Head Coach Rob Jeter said. "We had opportunities and just didn't make plays."
 
The first half was a struggle for both teams as Milwaukee hit just 9 of 30 shots (30 percent) while SIUE knocked down 32 percent (10-for-31) of its tries from the field in a tightly contested opening 20 minutes.
 
Neither team led by more than four points in the opening period, but Matt Tiby's continued solid play kept the Panthers afloat despite their shooting misfortunes. The 6-foot-8 junior forward totaled eight points, five boards and a block in the opening period and also drained all four of his charity tosses.
 
Akeem Springs' three-point from the corner at the 16:26 mark of the second half was Milwaukee's first of the game and gave the Panthers a 35-29 lead, their largest of the night to that point.
 
After the Cougars rallied to tie the game at 37, the Panthers rattled off six consecutive points in a minute-and-a-half span, courtesy of buckets by Tiby, J.J. Panoske and Justin Jordan, to take a 43-37 lead. That lead would be short-lived however, as SIUE used a 10-2 run punctuated by a basket by Rozell Nunn, to take a 47-45 lead.
 
Tiby countered with a big three-pointer, his first of the night, to put Milwaukee back on top, but Donivine Stewart scored six points as part of an 8-0 run that gave SIUE a 55-48 lead. The Cougars' inability to hit free throws down the stretch allowed Milwaukee to hang around and when Steve McWhorter hit a three-pointer with nine seconds left, it brought the Panthers within three at 59-56. But, Maurice Wiltz, who scored a team-high 13 points along with Kris Davis, knocked down a pair of free throws one second later to seal the outcome.
 
Tiby continued his solid play this month by producing a team-high 16 points and he narrowly missed out on a double-double by hauling in nine rebounds for Milwaukee, which shot just 32 percent from the field and 14 percent from the three-point stripe. Panoske added 12 points and six boards and McWhorter notched his second double-double of the season with 11 points and 10 rebounds to go with four steals.
 
Milwaukee continues its five-game road trip when it visits Arkansas Monday night (Dec. 22) at 8 p.m. in a game that will be televised live on ESPNU.