Feb. 28, 2008

Box Score

MILWAUKEE - Milwaukee (14-14, 9-8 Horizon) hit 11 three-point field goals and dominated the battle of the boards, 45-31, to earn a 68-53 victory over visiting Loyola University Chicago (11-17, 6-11 Horizon) tonight at U.S. Cellular Arena. The loss snaps Loyola's two-game winning streak.

"Give Milwaukee credit," Loyola head coach Jim Whitesell said. "There wasn't one time we beat them to a ball in the second half. That was a hungrier team tonight."

The Panthers scored the first 10 points of the game as the Ramblers missed their first three shots and turned the ball over three times in that stretch before Justin Cerasoli got the visitors on the board courtesy of a jumper at the 15:51 mark of the first half. Loyola would claw its way back into the game and Leon Young's conventional three-point play with 4:44 remaining brought it within a basket, 24-22. Ricky Franklin's lay-up with 43 seconds left gave Milwaukee a 31-27 lead it took into the locker room at the break.

After the Panthers stretched their lead to nine points early in the second period, consecutive three-pointers by Ross Forman and Cerasoli, and bucket by Tracy Robinson, brought Loyola within a single point, 38-37. But from there, Milwaukee would rattle off 13 unanswered points over a four-minute stretch to take control of the game and the Ramblers would get no closer than nine points the rest of the way.

Milwaukee native J.R. Blount tallied a team-high 14 points, nine rebounds and four assists to lead Loyola, which also received 11 points and five boards from forward Andy Polka. The Ramblers' bench managed to outscore the Panther reserves, 20-5, but it wasn't enough to overcome Milwaukee's 50 percent shooting (11 for 22) from long range.

Paige Paulsen and Ricky Franklin tallied 16 points apiece to lead Milwaukee.

Loyola closes out the regular season when it travels to Green Bay, Saturday, March 1.