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UWM delivers bitter defeat
PANTHERS FINISH OFF SWEEP
(2/6/05)
MILWAUKEE—Coach Jimmy Collins and the UIC Flames received a deathblow to the chances at a Horizon League regular season championship.
Wisconsin-Milwaukee got 68 points from three of its stars as the Panthers held off UIC 85-75 in a typical physical matchup between the two hated rivals in front of an ESPN2 audience and 6,041 fans at U.S. Cellular Arena.
The Panthers (17-5, 10-2) finished off the regular-season sweep of the Flames, the defending Horizon League tournament champions, and for all intents and purposes, clinched a bye to the semifinals of this year’s conference tournament.
Meanwhile, the Flames (10-10, 5-5), still with a decent chance for a No. 2 seed in the conference playoffs, will likely be playing for third place.
“It looks like a one-team race right now,” Collins said, conceding the regular-season title to UWM.
UIC is currently in third – one-half game ahead of three teams (Wright State, Cleveland State and Detroit), two games behind Wisconsin-Green Bay in the loss column.
Guards Ed McCants and Boo Davis supported Tucker’s effort, contributing 22 and 20 points, respectively.
UIC stayed close for most of the game behind Cedrick Banks’ 29 points. Elliott Poole contributed 19 points and seven rebounds and Armond Williams added 18 points, 10 rebounds and four steals.
The Panthers appeared as if they were on their way to a blowout, running out to a 28-14 lead, thanks to its pressing defense and an 8-0 run that was capped by Tucker dunk off a lob pass and a McCants’ three-pointer with 9:14 left in the opening half.
But Banks drilled his first three-pointer of the game and the comeback was on. He scored 19 points in an eight-minute span to pull the Flames within 35-30 with 4:24 left.
Banks also got vocal, shouting at Armond Williams late in the first half.
“Ced told me, ‘We’re both from the West Side. Let’s show them how we play ball!’ ” Williams said. “He gave me some encouragement and helped pick me up.”
Banks, who finished with 22 points in the opening half, nailed a three-pointer from the right wing with 7.4 seconds left to cut UWM’s lead to 45-43 at halftime.
UIC started the second half strong as Rocky Collum nailed a three-pointer to give the Flames a 46-45 lead. Banks and Justin Bowen hit back-to-back layups to increase UIC’s lead to 50-47, but Milwaukee went on another spurt.
Davis hit a three-pointer from the left corner to tie the game at 50-50, beginning a 14-2 run that was capped by consecutive buckets by Tucker and McCants, following turnovers off the press. When the smoke cleared, UWM led 61-52.
“They answered the call,” Collins said. “That’s what good teams do. They go on runs and it tires you to have to play catch-up.”
The Flames didn’t quit, crawling to within 71-66 on Karl White’s leaner with 8:18 left. However, UWM kept a safe distance the rest of the way, only allowing the Flames to as close as seven points in the final minutes.
UWM’s press rattled the Flames more than usual, forcing 19 turnovers, and the Panthers’ defense did a masterful job of limiting Banks’ looks in the second half, holding him to just seven points on 2-of-10 after halftime.
“We came out hard on Ced in the first 10 minutes, then in the middle 20 minutes, we lost focus for whatever reason, and we then got back to what we needed to do,” said McCants, who was assigned to Banks most of the afternoon.
The Flames did out-rebound the Panthers 40-39, but the Panthers secured the key rebounds down the stretch and most of the loose balls throughout the game.
“They physically dominated when it counted,” Collins said. “There were times when we played physical, when we were able to cut the mustard. When they turned it up a notch, it stopped our momentum. They out-scrapped us most of the time.”
BOO: Davis relished playing against some his friends from Chicago. He played one of his better games of the season, shooting 7-of-12 from the field and 5-of-7 from three-point range.
“It’s exciting,” Davis said. “I like playing against UIC, because when we win, I get bragging rights when I go back home. They’ll come back at me, if we lose.”
Davis went to Marshall High School on the city’s West side and played with the Flames’ Bowen for all four years of high school.
STEFANOV INJURED: Forward Jovan Stefanov took a spill early in the second half and hit his head on the floor when Milwaukee’s Tucker plowed into him while driving to the basket. Stefanov was called for a blocking foul on the play.
The play occurred with 14:45 left in the game and Stefanov stayed down for a couple of minutes. He eventually walked to the bench under his own power, but didn’t return. The initial diagnosis was a strained neck.
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“UIC took something special away from us last year, going to the [NCAA] tournament,” said UWM forward Joah Tucker (pictured), who scored a team-high 26 points. “It’s a fact that always in the back of our mind.”
Williams (pictured) sprang into action, energizing the Flames with his defense and inside scoring. He scored eight points, including a dunk off a steal, in the final four minutes of the half.