December 7, 1998

MILWAUKEE - The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee men's basketball team travel to downtown Milwaukee tomorrow night to take on crosstown rival Marquette University in the Bradley Center at 7 p.m.

Both teams are coming off losses on Saturday, with the UWM Panthers (2-4) dropping to the visiting Sam Houston State Bearkats, 59-58, and the Marquette Golden Eagles (5-3) falling to Tulsa, 67-51, in the championship game of the Blue & Gold Coca-Cola Classic.

The Panthers look to earn their first win over the Golden Eagles, something that has eluded them in their previous 34 meetings. In their most recent meeting on Dec. 14, 1997, Marquette defeated UWM, 69-56. The first time these two teams met was in 1902.

The Coaches

Ric Cobb-UWM Head Coach (Marquette '70): Cobb is entering his fourth season at the helm of the UWM mens basketball program, Ric Cobb feels confident this season will see the Panthers move into the next level. For the first time since taking over the UWM program, Cobbs roster lists only his recruits - a group that includes a young and experienced squad of returnees, as well as a handful of new talent.

Mike Deane-Marquette Head Coach (Potsdam State '74): Year Five of the Mike Deane Era at Marquette begins in 1998-99. Deane has etched his name in Marquettes record book by posting the most wins by a coach in his first four seasons. He has registered an 86-40 record, good for a 68.3% winning percentage, since starting his Marquette career in the 1994-95 season.

About Marquette

The Golden Eagles played in the championship game on Saturday of the Blue & Gold Coca-Cola Classic, but unfortunately they had no answers for the Tulsa Golden Hurricane. MU shot only 29% and were handed its third defeat of the season, 67-51. The loss leaves Marquette 5-3 as they prepare to play UW-Milwaukee on Tuesday at the Bradley Center.

Marquette got out of the gate first grabbing a 5-1 lead in the opening minutes of the contest. An Eric Coley layup gave Tulsa their first lead at 8-7 with 14:11 to play in the first half. Tulsa would never trail again. The Golden Hurricane built their lead to 13 at the half, 35-22.

In the second half the lead grew to 19 points before several brief runs by MU cut it to 13, but MU could get no closer.

Cordell Henry and Jarrod Lovette were MUs lone bright spots in the game. Henry finished with 21 points and Lovette added 13. Each player made the All-tournament team.

As a team, Marquette was badly out rebounded, 49-36. MU also had more turnovers than assists, a problem that has been prevalent in several games this season.

The star of the game was Michael Ruffin for Tulsa. Ruffin finished with 16 points, 17 rebounds and seven blocked shots. He was named the tournament MVP for his efforts.

Marquette will try to regroup on Tuesday as they take on cross town rival UW-Milwaukee at the Bradley Center at 7 p.m.

Game Notes

UWM head coach Ric Cobb played basketball for Marquette under legendary coach Al McGuire in 1968-70, where in both his seasons with MU he led the team in rebounds and was a member of the 1970 NIT Championship Team, which is being inducted into the M Club Hall of Fame this year. Marquette's Brian Wardle is tied to UWM through his sister, Amy, who is a senior forward on the Panther women's basketball team.

Panthers on the Radio

The game against Marquette will be broadcast live in Milwaukee on WEMP 1250-AM. The play-by-play will be handled by Dwayne Mosely, with his pregame show beginning at 6:45 p.m.

Last time out for the Panthers

In its final game of the week on Saturday, UWM lost, 59-58, to the visiting Sam Houston State Bearkats in the final minute of the game, dropping its overall record to 2-4. Although the Panthers went into the lockerroom at halftime with a 5 point lead, the Bearkats came out and poured on the defense in the second half, keeping pace with the Panthers for the entire half and finally winning the game in the final minute.

The Panthers were led by sophomore Chad Angeli who scored a season-high 21 points. Sophomore Jared Hardwick was the only other Panther to score in the double digits with 14, matching his previous season-high against Stony Brook last Saturday. He also upped his season-high steals to 3, and matched his previous season-highs in 3-point field goals and assists with 1 each.

Next up for the Panthers

The Panthers return home on Saturday to take on the visiting University of Missouri-Kansas City Kangaroos at 3 p.m. in the Klotsche Center.

Panthers named MCC Players of the Week

Cyrus Caldwell was named the MCC Player of the Week for the week of Nov. 23 when he led the Panthers to their first win of the young season on Saturday, Nov. 21, over Central Michigan, matching his career-best 21 points. He also had 9 assists, grabbed 4 rebounds and had 1 steal. His three-point shooting percentage was a .667.