Dec. 4, 2012

The Last Meeting

Milwaukee	65
Buffalo (BracketBusters)	80

February 19, 2011
Buffalo, NY

Hot-Shooting Bulls Snap Panther Winning Streak At Seven Zach Filzen scored 30 points to lead four players in double figures as hot-shooting Buffalo claimed an 80-65 win over the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Saturday night. Anthony Hill had 19 points, Tone Boyle 16 and Ja'Rob McCallum 15 for UWM (16-12), which saw its seven-game winning streak snapped.

Recap | Box Score

• UWM lost at Northern Iowa, 72-61, Saturday night. The Panthers had a five-point lead early in the second half but UNI took control of the game with 15-5 run.

• The Panthers have dropped four-straight games for the first time since losing six-straight midway through the 2007-08 campaign. Of course, Milwaukee followed the losing slide that year by winning nine of its next 10.

• Paris Gulley scored 24 points Saturday night in his return to the Milwaukee lineup. The senior guard missed the first six games of the season after breaking his wrist in practice during the final week of October. Gulley started 29 games a season ago and averaged better than eight points per game while knocking in 59 three-point shots.

• Kyle Kelm also made his first start of the season Saturday at Northern Iowa and collected a season-high 16 points, his third double-figure outing of the season.

• Milwaukee has won 20 of its last 21 non-exhibition games in the Klotsche Center, with its only loss coming on "Retro Night" vs. Western Michigan two seasons ago. Going further back, UWM is 47-10 in its last 57 non-exhibition contests in the building.

• Wednesday's game with Buffalo is the return game for a BracketBusters trip UWM make to Buffalo in 2011. The Panthers dropped that game, 80-65, the only time Milwaukee lost over the final 10 games of the regular season that year.

• Game #8
The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee men's basketball team finally returns home, opening a brief, two-game homestand by welcoming Buffalo to the Klotsche Center Wednesday night.

• A Quick Scout
Buffalo enters Wednesday's contest 2-7 ... the Bulls dropped a disappointing 82-79 decision at St. Bonaventure Saturday night, making 13 three-pointers in the loss ... Javon McCrea leads Buffalo at 16.2 points per game and is the only Bulls player in double figures ... this is the return matchup from the BracketBusters contest in 2011 ... the Panthers dropped that game, 80-65, the only time Milwaukee lost over the final 10 games of the regular season that year ... Buffalo has made the postseason each of the last two years, winning 20 games while claiming a spot in the CollegeInsider.com Tournament a year ago.

• Coming Home
UWM is playing all of its home games at the on-campus Klotsche Center this season, a spot the Panthers have traditionally had a distinct homecourt advantage. Milwaukee has won 20 of its last 21 non-exhibition games in the building, with its only loss coming on "Retro Night" vs. Western Michigan two seasons ago. Going further back, UWM is 47-10 in its last 57 non-exhibition contests in the building. The Panthers have not called the building their permanent home since the 2002-03 season and Rob Jeter has been the head coach for just four regular season games in the building.

• Plenty Of Time On The Road
The Panthers haven't spent much time at home early this season and are playing in Milwaukee for the first time since Nov. 17. Since then, which marked a thrilling win over Davidson, the Panthers spent a week traveling to Little Rock, Ark., and Puerto Vallerta, Mexico, before heading to Cedar Falls, Iowa, for its battle with UNI this past Saturday. In all, the Panthers will play just six of their 15 non-league games in Milwaukee. And, after the brief, two-game homestand this week, UWM plays three of its next four on the road.

• Looking To Get Back On Track
The Panthers are looking to get back on the winning track Wednesday against Buffalo. UWM is in the midst of its first four-game losing streak since the 2007-08 season, when the Panthers dropped six-straight. But, UWM responded to that streak by going 9-1 over its next 10 games. The Panthers have done a very good job of avoiding long losing streaks in recent seasons. In fact, just since the last time they had lost three in a row (2009-10), Milwaukee had nine different streaks of at least three wins in a row, including runs of five-straight and six-straight victories.

• The Last Time Out
Nate Buss scored 17 points off the bench and Northern Iowa made better than 60 percent of its shots in the second half in claiming a 72-61 win over UWM Saturday night at the McLeod Center. Northern Iowa posted a decisive 15-5 run to overcome a 41-36 Milwaukee lead before hanging on for the win. Making his first appearance of the season, Paris Gulley scored 24 points to lead Milwaukee. The senior guard has been sidelined for the last month by a broken hand. Kyle Kelm added 16 points and six rebounds while Jordan Aaron pitched in with 10 points and eight boards.

• Great To Have Him Back
Milwaukee has been looking forward to getting senior guard Paris Gulley back in the playing rotation and that day finally came Saturday at Northern Iowa. Gulley scored 24 points in his first game back from a broken hand, making 10-of-18 from the field. The guard suffered the injury in practice in late October and did not play in the first six games of the regular season. Gulley is obviously a welcomed addition to the Milwaukee lineup after averaging 8.5 points per game and making 59 three-pointers in 34 games (29 starts) a season ago.

• A New Look
The return of Paris Gulley to the active roster provoked a pair of lineup changes for Milwaukee. Gulley started in the backcourt in place of Thierno Niang, who had started the first six games of the season in Gulley's absence. And Kyle Kelm, who started the exhibition win over Parkside before taking a bench role for the first six games of the regular season, returned to the starting five. The return of those two to the opening group immediately accelerated the experience level for Milwaukee. Niang and Wolf had never started a game for the Panthers prior to this season, and Wolf had started just eight total games (at Florida Gulf Coast) in his collegiate career. Gulley and Kelm had 49 collegiate starts between them entering this season and had played in 99 Division I collegiate games combined.

• Kickin' It With Kyle
Junior Kyle Kelm certainly didn't look like someone interesting in giving back his starting position Saturday night. Kelm made his first start of the season at Northern Iowa and responded with 16 points and six rebounds. He started by making three 3-pointers then moved into the post to convert three more times. The game marked the 14th double-figure effort of his career, including his third this season. It was also his 22nd start. Kelm currently sits fourth on the team in scoring at 8.0 points per game.

• Some Improvements
Saturday's effort at Northern Iowa didn't result in a victory but the Panthers made some noticeable improvements in the game against UNI. UWM had committed 54 turnovers in its three previous games but had just nine against the Panthers. Milwaukee also had seen its three-point shooting touch go away, having made just 12-of-57 from beyond the arc. But UWM converted on 10-of-26 from three-point range Saturday. That performance was a bit more like what the Panthers posted early in the season, as Milwaukee made 34-of-82 on three-pointers in the first three games of the season.

• Threes And Frees
Two numbers jump off the season stat sheet for the Panthers, as Milwaukee has a big scoring edge over its opponents from three-point range while UWM has been outscored from the foul line. Milwaukee has made 56 three-pointers in seven games this year compared to just 24 for its opponents. The Panthers have been reasonably efficient from beyond the arc, converting on 34 percent of its chances. And, Milwaukee's three-point defense continues to be strong, limiting opponents to 24.2 percent shooting from beyond the arc. At the foul line, the story is flipped. Opponents have outscored UWM, 128-80 from the charity stripe, taking advantage of 55 more attempts from the line.

• Plenty Of Options
UWM has been displaying plenty of different options offensively. With Paris Gulley's 24-point outburst Saturday at Northern Iowa, eight players have posted at least one double figure effort and six have at least two games of 10 or more points. In all, the Panthers have seven players averaging at least 5.7 points per game.

• Hello To Harris
Senior Demetrius Harris is really starting to settle in to his spot in the Milwaukee lineup. The forward has now reached double figures in four of his last five games, highlighted by a 17-point effort in the win over Davidson and a 16-point, 12-rebound double-double in the loss to Jacksonville. Harris had just two points at Northern Iowa Saturday but did contribute eight rebounds, including six on the offensive end. Harris played in 19 games off the bench a season ago but now has become a featured part of Milwaukee's lineup this season. His 72 total points in seven games this season has easily outdistanced the 39 points he scored all of last year, while his 38 total rebounds in seven contests have caught the 33 boards he posted the entire season last year.

• Making His Point
It hasn't taken long for junior-college transfer Jordan Aaron to settle into the backcourt for Milwaukee. Aaron has been in double figures in scoring in six of UWM's first seven games, including a 28-point effort at South Carolina and a run of 13 points in a row in a win over Davidson. Aaron has already earned Horizon League Co-Newcomer of the Week honors once and has posted a pair of five-plus assist efforts. Aaron's 28 points at South Carolina were the most by a Panther since Anthony Hill scored 32 against UIC at the tail end of the 2010-11 campaign. Aaron is filling the void at point guard left by all-league performer Kaylon Williams. He played the past two seasons at Southeastern Community College and was highly sought-after before coming to Milwaukee. As a freshman at SECC, Aaron led his team to the national semifinals. Then he added 14.4 points per game as a sophomore.

• Bench Brigade
Milwaukee continues to get some nice individuals efforts off the bench. In the Nov. 25 loss to Rider, Evan Richard and Austin Arians both hit double digits. It was the first time this season Richard had scored 10 or more points and it was the second time Arians reached double figures. Kyle Kelm has also posted a pair of double-figure outings off the bench, including an 11-point effort in the win over Davidson.

• A Leader On The Horizon
The Horizon League takes on a slightly new look in 2012-13 with the departure of Butler to the Atlantic 10. That move caused a late adjustment in the league schedule, which now will not begin until early January. The Panthers are scheduled to open league play on the road at NCAA qualifier Detroit. UWM also now takes over the mantle of winningest Horizon League program over the last 12 years. The Panthers are the only school to average more than 10 league wins per season in that time and Milwaukee has been below .500 in league play just once in 12 years. UWM's 130-70 mark in 12 seasons bests Wright State (113-87) by 17 games and those are the only two schools to win at least 100 league games in that time.

• Media Watch
Time Warner Cable's Sports32 is again the official television home for Panther basketball, while the radio broadcasts return to WISN (AM 1130) as UWM and Clear Channel Radio have inked a new agreement for both men's and women's coverage. Sports32 will carry at least nine games this season, as Daron Sutton and Adrian Tigert return as the voices of Panther basketball on TV. Bill Johnson returns for his 14th season as the play-by-play man. The weekly "Panther Sports Report" radio show will also return in January while "The Rob Jeter Show" is also back on Sports32 this season.

• Looking To The Future
UWM has signed three players to National Letters of Intent during the fall signing period. Trinson White of Milwaukee, Cody Wichmann of Pulaski and Brett Prahl of East Troy will all join the Panthers for the 2013-14 season. A 6-foot-5 wing at Indian Hills, White played his high school basketball at Milwaukee Riverside, where he was an all-state performer. Wichmann is a 6-foot-5 shooting guard from Pulaski High School, where he was a Wisconsin Basketball Coaches Association First-Team All-State honoree as a junior. Prahl is a 6-foot-9 forward from East Troy High School who averaged 12.9 points per game as a junior while earning First-Team All-Walworth County and All-Rock Valley Conference recognition.

• More News And Notes
The Panthers are playing 11 games against teams that played in the postseason a year ago ... UWM lost in overtime to South Carolina, the first OT defeat for the Panthers since Jan. of 2009 vs. Green Bay ... James Haarsma tallied the first double-double of his Milwaukee career in the loss at South Carolina. The senior had 14 points and 10 rebounds ... UWM returns three starters and eight letterwinners from a team that posted a 20-14 mark a season ago ... UWM is now looking for its third 20-win season in the last four years and its third-straight postseason berth ... the Panthers were picked to finish sixth in the Horizon League's preseason poll.