Balanced Attack Sends Flames Past Panthers -- Wednesday, February 28 2007
CHICAGO - Josh Mayo made all 14 of his free throws and scored 22 points to lead the University of Illinois at Chicago to an 83-77 win over the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee in a Horizon League Tournament First Round game Tuesday night at the UIC Pavilion.

With the win, UIC (14-17) advances to face third-seeded Loyola Friday at 5 p.m. CST in Dayton, Ohio, in the quarterfinals. UWM sees its season end at 9-22.

Paige Paulsen scored 17 points and Ricky Franklin added 16 to lead the Panthers, who led by as many as 10 in the first half but could not hold off the Flames in the second 20 minutes.

Robert Bush added 21 points for UIC, which made 29-of-33 from the free throw line to hold off a late UWM comeback.

The Flames took the lead for good at 41-40 on a Bush three-pointer with 17:32 remaining in the game and eventually led 56-46 with 9:45 remaining. The Panthers did fight back to within two at 68-66 with 1:54 left and again to within three at 77-74 with 24.1 seconds left but could never completely close the gap.

"We started off shooting the ball well and I thought the extra pass is what we really wanted to get done," UWM head coach Rob Jeter said. "I thought we got away from that a little bit in the middle part of the first half. We settled for a couple of shots there instead of making the extra pass. So, instead of coming into the half up by two, we were hoping to have a little more cushion than that and be in a little better position based on how we started the game."

The Panthers were in control of the game for much of the first half before a late run got UIC back to within two points at the break.

The Flames took their only lead of the half when a Bush three made it 8-7 with 17:54 remaining in the half. The Panthers responded to that with a 10-run over the next four minutes, building a 17-8 edge on a Franklin layin with 14 minutes to play.

<A TARGET="_blank" HREF="http://ad.doubleclick.net/click%3Bh=v8/3507/3/0/%2a/i%3B67059438%3B1-0%3B2%3B13685512%3B4307-300/250%3B20045490/20063384/1%3B%3B%7Esscs%3D%3fhttp://altfarm.mediaplex.com/ad/ck/1603-45778-15498-2?ck=2"><IMG SRC="http://m.2mdn.net/1363830/RAD_NCAA300x250.gif" BORDER=0></A>



UWM then held 10-point leads on four different occasions, with the final one coming at 31-21 with 6:10 remaining. But, the Flames finished the half on a 13-5 run, capped by a Jovan Stefanov three with 1:03 left, to pull within 36-34 after 20 minutes.

The Panthers rebuilt a four-point lead in the first 49 seconds of the second half but gave the lead up for good about two minutes later. UIC's 56-46 lead came on another three-pointer by Bush and the Flames still led 67-58 on a three-point play by Scott Vandermeer with 5:05 left.

UWM's late rally was sparked by seven-straight points from Avery Smith, with his three-point play bringing to Panthers to within two at 68-66 with 1:53 remaining. But, the Flames responded with a dunk from Vandermeer after breaking UWM's press and Mayo hit eight free throws in the final 1:30 to allow UIC to seal the win.

"Although we made mistakes, I thought we did it with some aggressiveness. Now, we just have to get back to developing better habits," Jeter said. "That's where this team is at. The effort is there, but the execution is slightly sloppy at times."

Paulsen Earns League All-Newcomer Team Nod -- Monday, February 26 2007
MILWAUKEE - University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee junior transfer Paige Paulsen has earned a spot on the Horizon League's All-Newcomer Team.

The full compliment of league postseason awards were announced today after voting by the league's head coaches, sports information directors and media members.

Paulsen, who played two seasons at Northern Illinois before transferring to UWM, averaged 11.1 points and 5.8 rebounds per game during the regular season, with 60 of his 168 rebounds coming on the offensive end.

He scored the game-winning basket in UWM's win over Green Bay Saturday, giving him 12 points for his 16th double-figure scoring effort of the season. Paulsen finished the regular season 17th in the league in scoring and 11th in the league in rebounding. He is the first person to earn all-newcomer honors for the Panthers since Joah Tucker and Ed McCants were each honored following the 2003-04 season.

Regular season co-champions Wright State and Butler split the major awards. The Raiders' DaShaun Wood earned league player of the year honors while Butler's Mike Green was the league newcomer of the year and Todd Lickliter was the coach of the year.

UWM opens Horizon League Tournament play Tuesday night at UIC. If the seventh-seeded Panthers can pull out a win, they would face third-seeded Loyola Friday in Dayton.

Milwaukee Claims Fourth-Straight Indoor League Track Title -- Monday, February 26 2007
ANN ARBOR, Mich. (Feb. 25, 2007) - The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee men's track and field team won eight events on day two to run away with its fourth-straight Horizon League Indoor Championship, Sunday in Ann Arbor.

Milwaukee won the meet going away with 175 points, 79 points over Youngstown State in second place. Butler was a close third with 94 points, while Loyola was fourth with 76. UIC scored 71 points to take fifth and Detroit rounded out the field with 40 points in sixth.

Senior Jeremy Majors was named the Outstanding Running Performer of the meet after winning the 400m and 800m events Sunday and running with the first-place 4x400m relay. Freshman Quinn Mongoven was named Field Newcomer of the Year and head coach Pete Corfeld picked up the 28th Coach of the Year title of his tenure at UWM.

Majors led four Panther scorers in the 400m, crossing the line in 49.56. Freshmen Isaiah Adams in third (50.06) and Tyler Bucholz in third (50.17) rounded out the top three. Sophomore Pat Casey took sixth in 50.85. Majors finished the 800m in 1:56.86 and was joined by Casey, senior Trentin Edwards and junior Lynn Koepke in running a time of 3:22.24.

Edwards won an individual event of his own, crossing the line in the 200m in a time of 22.01. Adams tied for fourth in that event with a time of 22.52.

Mongoven was victorious in the high jump with a final height of 6-7 1/2. He was joined in the event by junior Justin Bohler in sixth with a height of 6-1 1/2. Bohler also took second in the heptathlon with 3,710 points and sophomore Adam Podd was third with 3,348.

Sophomore Adam Schleis, Saturday's long jump champion, won the 60m hurdles on Sunday and took second in the triple jump. His 60m hurdle time of 8.27 was just 0.01 seconds off the league record. Bohler was third in the hurdles in 8.52. Schleis' triple jump of 44-8 3/4 trailed only teammate Darren Cole's leap of 47-3 3/4. Cole won the event for the second-straight season and gave UWM its ninth indoor triple jump champ in 11 years.

The Panthers claimed another strong showing in the throwing events, with senior Nick Gretz winning his third-straight title in the shot put with a throw of 54-8 1/4. Junior Larry Ehrhorn, who took second in the weight throw with a school record Saturday, took fourth at 50-11 and senior Nick Wichert threw 46-11 3/4 for sixth.

For the majority of the Panthers, the indoor season has come to a close, while a select handful of athletes will return to action next weekend at the Alex Wilson Invitational in hopes of qualifying for the NCAA Championships.

Panthers Repeat As Indoor League Champions -- Monday, February 26 2007
ANN ARBOR, Mich. (Feb. 25, 2007) - Senior Timeka Walker won two events on day two to lead the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee women's track and field team to its second-straight Horizon League Indoor Championship Sunday in Ann Arbor.

The Panthers owned a 10-point lead after day one and expanded it to 18 to take first over Youngstown State 170-152. UWM and YSU distanced themselves from the field as Butler took third with 83 points, ahead of Loyola with 69. UIC took fifth with 33 points and Wright State (30 points) and Detroit (21) rounded out the field.

Head coach Pete Corfeld was named Horizon League Coach of the Year for the second-straight season.

Walker repeated as league champion in both the 60m and 200m. She finished the 60m in 7.71 and crossed the line in 25.41 in the 200m. Freshman Stef Ross also scored in the 60m, taking fourth in 7.93. The Panthers won one more event championship on the second day, topping the field in an exciting 4x400m relay. Senior Taryn Cozine, sophomore Kicha Cary and freshmen Emily Budde and Laura Ring combined on a time of 4:02.13 for UWM's second-straight title in the event.

Cary anchored the relay, bringing UWM back from third place for the win. As she made a move around the final turn, runners from Youngstown and Loyola stumbled and Cary leapt the pair and finished the race first.

Milwaukee added second-place showings in three more events, including the triple jump where three Panthers scored. Sophomore Beth Zimmerman took second with a jump of 38-0, while Cary took fifth at 37-6 1/2. Freshman Reigna Pierce rounded out the scorers in the event in sixth with a distance of 37-5.

Junior Amber Curtis finished second in the shot put, throwing 43-1 3/4, and freshman Jamie Woods took fourth in the event with a toss of 41-9 1/4. Ring also had a second-place finish, completing the 800m in 2:19.17.

In the 60m hurdles, two athletes scored in Cozine and senior Andrea Ziebell. Cozine took fourth in 9.21 and Ziebell fifth in 9.43. There were two more events with a pair of UWM scorers with sophomore Holly Nearman taking fourth in the 3000m (10:33.37) and junior Erin Magargee in fifth (10:45.17). Senior Kourtney Nault took fifth in the mile run in 5:22.80 and junior Angie Huebner was sixth (5:29.18).

Magargee also scored in the 1000m, taking fourth with a time of 3:09.38. Sophomore Jenni Saarinen also scored on the day, taking furth in the high jump with a final height of 5-1 1/4.

For the majority of the Panthers, the indoor season has come to a close, while a select handful of athletes will return to action next weekend at the Alex Wilson Invitational in hopes of qualifying for the NCAA Championships.

Panthers Finish Second To UW-Green Bay At League Championships -- Monday, February 26 2007
CHICAGO, Ill. - The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee women's swimming & diving team was in it until the final event, but had to settle for second place at the Horizon League Championships on Saturday at the UIC Natatorium. UW-Green Bay won its third-straight league crown, finishing with 845 points. The Panthers were just behind, recording 832.5 points.

UWM went into the final event of the meet needing to win the 400 freestyle relay and Green Bay to take fourth. In the end, the team of junior Jess Kelly, freshman Megan Skiba and seniors Heather Sawatzki and Lindsay Caldwell took fourth in a time of 3:32.10, with UIC winning and the Phoenix taking second.

"Having a chance like this is the goal every year," UWM head coach Dave Griffore said. "It was fantastic that we had that opportunity already this season. The girls did just a remarkable job this season."

Caldwell, sophomore Molly Finn and freshman Shannon Berndt all contributed titles on the last day, giving the team its best finish since the 2000-01 season.

Caldwell earned the eighth individual Horizon League title of her career in the 100 freestyle, taking the victory in 51.77 to earn her third championship of the meet (50 free/200 free). Kelly was also in the finals, taking sixth in a career-best 52.60. Freshman Jamilla Edwards swam in the consolation heat, placing 14th in 54.54.

"Lindsay has been one of the best swimmers to go through the Horizon League," Griffore said. "She has really dominated, especially the past three seasons. She will be greatly missed next season."

The finish in the 200 butterfly pulled UWM into contention, making up 35 points on the lead in the second-to-last event of the evening. Finn won her second Horizon League title of the meet, winning in a season-best time of 2:06.15. The team had four of the top six, with Sawatzki in fourth (2:11.51), sophomore Kelsey McDonough fifth (season-best 2:11.82) and junior Briana Fergusson sixth (career-best 2:12.04).

The freshman duo of Berndt and Kerry Rossow did it again in the 200 breaststroke, placing one-two in the race after doing the same thing in the 100 a day ago. Berndt earned her second title of the championships in record-breaking fashion once again in 2:19.82. That time established new Horizon League (record was 2:20.08), school (2:20.20) and freshman (2:22.94) standards. The Panthers didn't stop there, taking one-two in the consolation finals as well. Freshmen Bailey Nennig was ninth in a season-best 2:26.99 and Ali Winius 10th in 2:30.66.

Senior Susan Harmsen started the night off with a bang, breaking the school record in the 1650 freestyle by over four seconds. She placed third in the race in a time of 17:31.71 to break the old mark of 17:36.10. She wasn't the only Panther to score in the event, as junior Emma McKeith took fourth in 17:37.46 and sophomore Kelsey McDonough eighth in a time of 18:03.09. McKeith's time was a season-best while McDonough's finish was a personal-best.

In the 200 backstroke, Skiba was UWM's lone representative in the finals, taking seventh in 2:10.44 after a season-best 2:09.80 in the preliminaries. Sophomore Kristina Hansen (10th in 2:09.24) and senior Katie Green (11th in 2:12.01) both touched the wall in season-best times.

Milwaukee picked up numerous awards at the end of the meet. Caldwell was named Women's Swimmer of the Meet for the third-straight season, senior Crystal Szymanski was named Diver of the Meet, diving coach Todd Hill picked up his third-straight Diving Coach of the Year award and Berndt was named Newcomer of the Year.

"The goal is to win championships," Griffore said. "To be this close in my first season is an added bonus. We're young. So, we'll get back to work and bring in more good kids and make a run at it again next season."

UWM Men Earn Best Finish At League Championships Since 2000 -- Monday, February 26 2007
CHICAGO, Ill. - After finishing in fifth place at the Horizon League Championships for the past three seasons, the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee men's swimming & diving team took third Saturday at the UIC Natatorium.

The Panthers finished with 622 points, trailing only league champion Wright State (782) and runner-up Cleveland State (700.5). UIC (547.5), Green Bay (519) and Butler (219) rounded out the order of finish.

"The guys just did an incredible job the past four days," UWM head coach Dave Griffore said. "To finish in the top three is just phenomenal. They swam very well and deserved it."

The only title of the day came from junior Chase Gravengood, who repeated as the league champion in the 200 butterfly, winning in a season-best 1:49.56 - just off the school record of 1:49.17. The team had two in the consolation finals as well, with freshman Marts Makstenieks winning the heat in 1:56.65 (following a season-best 1:55.41 in the preliminaries) and senior Karl Winderl 13th in a season-best 2:01.18.

"I was very pleased with Chase's performance," Griffore said. "When you lose such a close race [Gravengood was touched out by .05 in the 100 fly Friday], it's not easy to come back. He competed hard."

Two sophomores finished in the top five of the 1650 freestyle, with Robby Leibold taking third in 15:56.59 and David Adams fifth in 16:17.76. Adams knocked off over 14 seconds of his previous career-best of 16:31.88. Senior Karl Winderl was 10th in 16:53.40.

March Madness on Demand



UWM had three of the top five finishers in the 200 backstroke, with all three recording career-best times on the day. Junior Tyler Jefferson was third in 1:52.74, freshman Jeremy Waldhart fourth in 1:53.08 (after going 1:52.80 in the preliminaries) and junior Ross Bittner fifth in 1:53.79. Freshman Dennis Knipfer matched his teammate's career-best efforts by touching-out for the victory in the consolation final in a time of 1:55.62.

Three Panthers swam the consolation finals of the 100 freestyle, with junior David Yugo placing 13th in 47.55 and freshmen Eric Burns 14th (47.85) and Matt Mahoney 16th (48.36).

Milwaukee had two finalists in both heats of the 200 breaststroke. In the championship heat, junior Jeremy Seibel took fourth in a career-best time of 2:06.09. Freshman Lucas Tanel was right behind in fifth, touching the wall in a season-best 2:08.26. Senior Kyle Palmer ended his career on a high note, winning the consolation finals in a time of 2:13.69. Freshman Cody Smith placed 11th in 2:14.81.

"There were a lot of great swims on the night," Griffore said. "Our backstrokers were great, (David) Adams had a lifetime-best in the mile by a lot and Jeremy (Seibel) was flirting with the school-record in the 200 breast. There were a lot of highlights."

In the three-meter diving event, seniors Corey Kupfer (seventh with 238.50) and Kyle Luska (eighth with 235.50) both made finals to cap their UWM careers.

The 400 freestyle relay team closed out the night, with Jefferson, Gravengood, Burns and Yugo taking fifth in 3:07.10.

That concludes the 2006-007 season for Griffore, his first at UWM.

"Now we go back to work, make sure we do a good job this spring recruiting and get back at it and do it again. I was very happy with how the season went overall."

Butler's Hot-Shooting Sinks Panthers, 74-59 -- Friday, February 23 2007
MILWAUKEE, Wis. (Feb. 22, 2007) - The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee women's basketball team could not overcome a school-record 15 three-pointers by Butler in falling to the Bulldogs, 74-59, Thursday night at the Klotsche Center.

Butler (12-13, 9-4 Horizon) overtook the Panthers (12-14, 8-5 Horizon) for third place in the league standings, largely on the strength of a 15-for-27 (55.6%) night from beyond the arc. BU blew open a three-point game at halftime with nine 3's in the second half for the win.

"I'm disappointed with the loss. This was an important game for us in gaining in the Horizon League standings," Milwaukee head coach Sandy Botham said. "Butler came in here, showed great focus and determination. They have so many scorers, shoot the ball well. They were certainly `on' today--when it rains, it pours."

Sophomore Traci Edwards led UWM with 19 points and reached 1,000 points for her career. Her lay-up with 8:47 remaining gave her 1,001 points in just 56 career games. She is the fastest player to reach the milestone in school history and tied for the fastest in league history. She added seven rebounds and two blocks.

"Before the game someone told me," Edwards said about reaching 1,000 points. "It doesn't matter to me too much to get the 1,000th point. I knew about it, but I wasn't thinking about it."

Sophomore Jody Crumble also reached double figures in scoring, adding a career-high 13 points and seven rebounds, while sophomore Katie Fournier chipped in seven points and a career-high 11 rebounds.

Ellen Hamilton led the three-point barrage for the Bulldogs, hitting five on the night to finish with 15 points. Susan Lester scored a team-high 18 points and chipped in four 3's, while Jackie Closser and Tara Miller added two apiece and finished with eight points each.

The Panthers shot just 37.1 percent for the game, but found some success from three-point range, as well, hitting 5-of-10 attempts. BU, meanwhile, rode its hot three-point shooting to a 47.4 shooting clip for the game. UWM gained the 39-33 edge on the glass, including 16 offensive rebounds, and forced 18 turnovers compared to 17 miscues of its own.

"Butler has consistency on the border. We don't have the consistency on our perimeter," Botham said. "We need a variety of scorers. When we fall down, we try to force the ball inside and that hurt us today."

After Milwaukee cut a 10-point first half deficit to three at the break, the Bulldogs came out in the second half firing. They opened the second half on a 10-2 run to build a 43-32 lead with 15:56 remaining on a Hamilton three. Junior Meredith Onson hit a jumper and, after a Lester three, answered with a three of her own to slow the bleeding, but it was not enough.

Hamilton then hit back-to-back three's for BU as it meticulously built its lead to a game-high 20 points one a few occasions down the stretch.

"When we were trying to come back, they were hitting all their shots," Edwards said. "They weren't missing and by that time we were too far back."

Edwards was double-teamed for the entire game and suffered through a rare off shooting night, hitting just 7-of-15 from the field and 4-for-8 from the free throw line. Despite that, she notched her 18th-straight game scoring in double-digits and reached 500-point mark for the second-straight season.

The game appeared as though it would be a shootout, as both teams traded quick baskets early on. An Edwards lay-up with 11:47 to go into the half gave the Panthers their final lead of the game at 21-19, after previously holding a three-point edge three times earlier. Butler then went on a 14-2 run for a 33-23 lead with 4:55 to go in the half.

Crumble then hit a lay-up, senior Aubrey Hampton followed with a three and Edwards converted a pair of free throws to pull Milwaukee within three at 33-30 at the half.

UWM returns to action Saturday, hosting Wright State in its final regular season home game of the season. The Panthers and Raiders tip off at 2 p.m.

Caldwell Wins 50 Freestyle At League Championships For Third-Straight Year -- Friday, February 23 2007
CHICAGO, Ill. - League titles from senior Lindsay Caldwell and the 400 medley relay team highlighted the performance of the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee women's swimming & diving team Thursday at the Horizon League Championships in Chicago, Ill. Caldwell defended her title in the 50 freestyle, while the relay team won by just six-hundredths of a second to keep UWM in second place overall.

Wright State continues to lead at the midway point with 324.5 points. Milwaukee is a close second with 313.5; UW-Green Bay is third with 294 and UIC fourth at 210. Cleveland State (97), Youngstown State (97) and Butler (55) round out the field.

"We are having a lot of fun so far," UWM head coach Dave Griffore said. "The girls swam awesome and we had a great day. Down 11 is great - that means we outscored everyone today."

Caldwell won the league championship in the 50 freestyle for the third-straight season. Her time of 23.37 also gave her an NCAA "B" cut in the race for the third year in a row as well. Junior Jess Kelly was also in the championship heat, taking sixth in 24.28 after setting a career-best in the preliminaries at 24.00.

Milwaukee finished one-two in the consolation heat as well, with freshmen Jamilla Edwards and Megan Skiba touching the wall in season-best times to take eighth (Edwards in 24.70) and ninth (Skiba in 24.77).

In the closest finish of the night, Milwaukee's 400 medley relay team of sophomore Kristina Hansen, freshman Shannon Berndt, sophomore Molly Finn and Caldwell claimed a league title in 3:51.89, less than a second off of the school record of 3:51.09. They beat UW-Green Bay (3:51.95) by the slimmest of margins.

"Lindsay swam un unbelievable anchor to come back and win that relay," Griffore said. "It was great to see that."

Finn earned second team all-league honors in the 200 IM for the second-straight season, taking second in a season-best time of 2:07.46. Berndt helped out as well, knocking over three seconds off her season-best, taking fifth in 2:08.27.

The Panthers had the top two finishers in the consolation heat of the 200 IM, with freshman Bailey Nennig winning the heat in a season-best 2:12.00 and senior Heather Sawatzki taking 10th in 2:12.61.

Junior Emma McKeith was UWM's lone representative in the finals of the 500 freestyle, finishing in eighth in a season-best time of 5:07.86. Senior Susan Harmsen also scored for Milwaukee in the event, taking 10th in a career-best 5:09.96, knocking exactly four seconds off her previous-best.

Day three of the championships takes place Friday, with preliminaries beginning at 10:30 a.m. and finals starting at 6 p.m.

Gravengood Repeats As Horizon League 200 IM Champion -- Friday, February 23 2007
CHICAGO, Ill. - Junior Chase Gravengood won a league title in the 200 IM for the second-straight season on Thursday to lead the way for the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee men's swimming & diving team at the Horizon League Championships.

The Panthers remain firmly in fourth place after half of the meet is in the books with 210 points. Wright State continues to lead with 301, with Cleveland State second at 268.5 and UIC third with 226.5.

Gravengood set a school record in the 200 IM at the league championships for the third-straight year, this time touching the wall in 1:50.06 to defend his league title from a season ago. He broke his own mark for the second time this season, lowering the standard from 1:51.70 to 1:51.35 Dec. 2 to 1:50.06 today. Freshman Jeremy Waldhart also swam in the finals, taking eighth in 1:57.65.

"Chase just had a fantastic swim tonight," UWM head coach Dave Griffore said. "It's great to see him get a new school record again so he's definitely going the right way. I thought for sure we were going for the league record as well."

Sophomore Robby Leibold nearly had a school record in the 500 freestyle, swimming a career-best 4:33.30 to take third in the event, just missing the school standard of 4:32.98. Sophomore David Adams won the consolation final in 4:40.54, eclipsing his former career best of 4:44.85.

"Robby and Dave had great swims as well," Griffore said. "We needed them to step up in the 500 and they did."

Freshman Patrick Rongitsch was in the finals in the only diving event of the day, taking sixth with a season-best 265.75 points on the one-meter board. Seniors Corey Kupfer (winner of the consolation finals with a career-best 277.60 points) and Kyle Luska (11th with 245.70) also competed for Milwaukee.

Junior Tyler Jefferson was the top finisher for UWM in the 50 freestyle, placing 10th in a career-best 21.34. Freshman Eric Burns also swam in the consolation final, placing 16th while also topping his season-best in 21.98.

The 400 medley relay team of Gravengood and juniors Jeremy Seibel, Ross Bittner and Jefferson took third, finishing in a season-best 3:26.36.

"We have two more days left and I am very pleased with how we are doing at this point," Griffore said.

Day three of the championships takes place Friday, with preliminaries beginning at 10:30 a.m. and finals starting at 6 p.m.

Panthers Fall To Flames -- Friday, February 23 2007
CHICAGO - Othyus Jeffers scored 15 points to lead four players in double figures as the University of Illinois at Chicago claimed a 72-59 win over the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Wednesday night at the UIC Pavilion.

The short-handed Panthers led by seven early in the second half but were overwhelmed by the Flames' interior play down the stretch. Milwaukee played with just nine scholarship players as Paige Paulsen (stomach flu) and Kaylan Anderson (severe bronchitis) did not dress for the game.

Freshman Roman Gentry led Milwaukee (8-21, 5-10 Horizon) with a collegiate-best 17 points and nine rebounds.

Jovan Stefanov (13 points), Scott Vandermeer (12 points) and Josh Mayo (11 points) also pitched in for the Flames (12-17, 6-9), who claimed 12 offensive rebounds and scored 13 second-chance points.

"The guys that were available to play did it for 20-something minutes, but just couldn't do it for 40," UWM head coach Rob Jeter said. "It came down to them getting some stops defensively and their size was a factor. I've got a point guard (Ricky Franklin) down at the four spot because of who I have available, and their size - those second-chance points - that's where it shows up."

The Panthers trailed most of the first half before a late rally gave them the lead after 20 minutes. In fact, UIC looked poised to blow the game open in the first 10 minutes, building leads of 17-8 and 20-11 before Milwaukee came alive.

A pair of true freshmen were responsible for the run, with a Ryan Thornton three pulling UWM to within 22-18 with 7:00 remaining, setting the stage for Gentry to explode. He knocked in back-to-back threes to pull UWM to within 27-26 with 3:43 remaining before a basket by Avery Smith gave the Panthers a 28-27 lead. Baskets by Allan Hanson and Gentry then pushed the edge to 32-28 before a late basket by Stefanov brought the Flames back to within 32-30 at the half.

UWM pushed its lead to seven at 40-33 following a Smith steal and dunk with 16:55 remaining. But, the Flames took the lead for good on a Mayo basket with 7:38 remaining and then finished the game on a 19-5 run.

The Panthers close out the regular season Saturday at UW-Green Bay. The game tips off at 7 p.m. CST and can be seen live in Milwaukee on WMLW.