MILWAUKEE - UW-Milwaukee forward Joah Tucker scored 15 of his game-high 23 points in the second half as the Panthers roared to an 82-71 triumph tonight in a non-conference men's basketball game at U.S. Cellular Arena. Billikens freshman guard Tommie Liddell collected a career-high 22 points as SLU fell to 2-2 on the young season.
"We got out-executed in the second half," said Billikens head coach Brad Soderberg, who watched his club yield 51 second-half points. "UW-Milwaukee has a veteran team that knows how to win, understands how to get to the free throw line and exhibited its maturity down the stretch."
The Billikens led throughout much of the first half and by as many as six as Liddell poured in 17 points. SLU shot 60 percent in the first half despite junior center Ian Vouyoukas, sophomore guard Danny Brown and senior guard Anthony Drejaj each playing 10 minutes or less while saddled with foul trouble.
Trailing 27-23, the Panthers went on a 5-0 run to claim a 28-27 lead on senior guard Chris Hill's deep threeball. But SLU junior forward Justin Johnson responded with a pair of free throws, and Liddell knocked in two straight buckets as the Bills led 33-31 at the break.
"We were confident at halftime, because we still had the lead with our leading scorer on the bench," Liddell said. "In that first half, I was able to move without the ball to get free, and my teammates found me for good shots."
Liddell started the second half with a traditional three-point play, and the Bills led 38-33. But UWM came back to tied the game at 40 on guard Avery Smith's threeball. The Bills followed with a couple empty possessions and went nearly four minutes without a basket as the Panthers began to take control of the game. Billiken freshman guard Kevin Lisch drilled a pair of free throws to pull SLU within 50-48 at the 11:46 mark, but that was as close as the Bills would get. UWM's Smith knocked in a pair of free throws to cap an 8-1 run to give the Panthers a 58-49 lead with 9:05 to play, and UWM buried 14 free throws the rest of the way to coast in with the win.
UWM's Chris Hill finished with 16 points, center Adrian Tigert added 14 and Smith totaled 11. Tucker also claimed a game-high eight boards as UWM (2-2) out-rebounded the Bills 31-25. The Panthers shot 52.4 percent from the field in the second half to finish at 47.9 percent, 47.1 percent from 3-point distance and 71.8 percent (28-39) from the line.
Vouyoukas collected 15 points and a team-high six boards, while Dwayne Polk and Lisch each had 12. SLU shot 50.9 percent for the game, 16.7 percent from the arc and 88.2 percent from the line.
"We continue to do the things that cause us to lose on the road - fail to defend well, commit turnovers, make silly fouls and give up offensive rebounds," Soderberg said. "Until we get that straightened out, we'll continue to be average."
Saint Louis (2-2) returns to Savvis Center on Mon., Dec. 5, to take on Jackson State. Tip-off is 7 p.m.
