Panthers Run Over RheinEnergieAug. 23, 2003 COLOGNE, Germany - The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee men's basketball team used runs of 27-6 in the first half and 18-0 in the second half to record an impressive 92-75 victory over RheinEnergie Cologne of Germany Saturday night in the third game of the Panthers' European Tour. RheinEnergie, a first-division German team expecting to compete for the league title this season, jumped out to an 18-3 lead in the first four minutes of the game but were dominated over the final 36 minutes. The Panthers took the lead for good at 27-24 with seven seconds remaining in the first quarter and led by as many as 11 in the second quarter and 25 in the fourth quarter in collecting their second-straight win on the trip. A number of Panthers contributed to the win, including Milwaukee Vincent product Marcus Conigliaro, who scored 11 points in the second half and sparked the Panthers with his outside shooting. Dylan Page was saddled with foul trouble but scored 19 points. Mark Pancratz added nine points, Chris Hill seven and Joah Tucker six. The Panthers also did much of their damage without center Nate Mielke, who slightly injured his ankle in the second quarter and did not return. Ronnie Jones, the only senior from last year's NCAA Tournament team on the trip, led the way with 22 points. The Panthers, now 2-1 on their six-game swing through Europe, did all of this while battling extensive foul trouble all night long. UWM was called for eight fouls in the first three minutes of play and had 22 fouls in the first half. RheinEnergie scored 32 points on free throws in the game but was outscored 83-43 from the field by the Panthers. "The experience that we are gaining over here is invaluable," UWM head coach Bruce Pearl said. "This team is really enjoying experiencing Europe together off the court and getting to know one another on the court. We were in tremendous foul trouble all night and as a result we played 12 guys with all 12 scoring." After UWM built a nine-point lead early in the second half, RheinEnergie pulled within four at 59-55. But the Panthers countered with an 18-0 run, sparked by two three-point baskets by Conigliaro and a three-point basket by Pancratz. The second three by Conigliaro made it 77-55 Panthers with 9:03 remaining in the game and RheinEnergie could get no closer than the 17-point final margin. UWM was knocked back on its heels in the first three minutes of play, quickly falling down 11-3 before seeing the deficit grow to 18-3. The Panthers' response started with Jones, who hit back-to-back threes to pull UWM within two points at 18-16. After a Pancratz three-point play with 1:24 left in the period gave UWM a 24-22 advantage, Rob Sanders hit a three with seven seconds remaining to give the Panthers a 27-24 lead after one period. The lead quickly grew, though, hitting 35-26 on another Jones three and 37-26 on a Page layin. RheinEnergie closed back to within 43-40 late in the half, but a Pancratz jumper at the buzzer gave UWM a five-point edge at the break.
UWM continues its tour Sunday, facing the Schwelmer Baskets of Germany at 5:30 p.m. local time. The Panthers then play two games in France next week.
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