UW-Milwaukee Advances To Horizon Championship Game

March 4, 2006

Box Score

MILWAUKEE (AP)- Joah Tucker and Boo Davis scored 20 points apiece to lead Wis.-Milwaukee to an 80-66 victory over Loyola of Chicago in a Horizon League Tournament semifinal game Saturday night.

Milwaukee (20-8), the No. 1 seed and defending champion, will host the tournament title game Tuesday night against second-seeded Butler (18-11). The Bulldogs defeated Wis.-Green Bay 73-51 in the first semifinal.

The winner gets an automatic berth in the NCAA tournament.

In 2003, Milwaukee defeated Butler 69-52 to go to the tournament for the first time in school history. The Panthers also won the 2005 tournament, advancing all the way to the Sweet Sixteen under former Coach Bruce Pearl.

Adrian Tigert, who missed the last two games with a back injury, gave the Panthers a lift by returning to score 17 points and grab six rebounds.

Fourth-seeded Loyola (19-11) was led by Blake Schilb with 22 points, J.R. Blount with 17 and Majak Kou 12. The Panthers have beaten the Ramblers 11 consecutive games including 94-76 in last year's tournament semifinals.

Davis scored 13 of his team's first 18 points to lead Milwaukee to a 38-27 halftime lead they would never surrender.

The Panthers used a 9-0 run midway through the first period to go ahead for good at 24-17. Davis ignited the decisive run with a three-point play with 11:43 left for an 18-17 lead.

Davis stole an inbounds pass under his own basket, scored and then made a free throw because he was fouled. Jason McCoy ended the scoring spurt with a basket with 8:01 left.

Schilb made two free throws to open the second half and cut Milwaukee's lead to 38-29.

But the Panthers reeled off eight straight points and the Ramblers never got that close again.

Mark Pancratz ended the surge with a layup with 15:08 remaining.