Game #31 – Milwaukee 70, Valparaiso 63
Player of the Game - Anthony Hill earned First Team All-Horizon League honors earlier in the week and then certainly played like an all-leaguer Saturday. He tossed in 24 points and added 11 rebounds, keeping Valpo in foul trouble all throughout the night.
Turning Point - After a Brandon Wood basket brought Valpo to within 46-44 early in the second half, Kaylon Williams took over. He scored on a layup and, after a single Ryan Allen free throw, knocked in back-to-back three-pointers to put the Panthers up by eight. The lead hit 10 on a three-pointer from Tony Meier shortly after and Milwaukee hung on from there.
Stat That Mattered - The Panthers have effectively pounded the ball inside down the stretch, leading to plenty of chances from the foul line. That was the case again Saturday night, as Milwaukee converted on 24-of-36 from the line. Valpo made just 5-of-9 from the charity stripe.
The Notebook - Milwaukee has now won 10-straight games against league opponents … this was the first-ever league tournament meeting between the Panthers and Crusaders … UWM has now won all four of its league tournament semifinal games played at the U.S. Cellular Arena … Milwaukee is in the league title game for a fifth time … the Panthers will be playing Butler in the title contest for a third time, having beaten the Bulldogs two previous times … Anthony Hill surpassed 1,000 career points Saturday night … the double-double was his sixth of the season … this was also his sixth 20-point outing of the season … the 16 points by Kaylon Williams marked his highest offensive output since he scored 16 in a win at Butler in January … Tony Meier is averaging over 20 points per game in his last three outings … the Panthers are now 18-3 this season when shooting at least 40 percent from the field … Milwaukee is 13-1 when leading at halftime.
Up Next - Milwaukee and Butler will square off at The Cell for the Horizon League title Tuesday night at 8 p.m. on ESPN.
