“Boo!” was the answer the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee men’s basketball team had for inter-league foe Youngstown State as senior Boo Davis terrorized the Penguins on their home court Jan. 26.

Davis dropped 16 of his 22 points in the second half as the Panthers triumphed 78-70. The win improved the Panthers record to 8-1 in conference play (15-4 overall), thanks to Davis’ spirited second-half performance.

The Panthers found and maintained their stroke from the start, shooting a season-best 54.5 percent from the field. The Panthers have won 14 of their last 16 contests, putting them at the top of the Horizon league standings.

The Penguins made a late-game charge, but the Panthers answered with stingy defense and an offense that was potent all night long. Davis’ scoring spree came mostly in the form of three-pointers, hitting six of 11, and scoring the Panthers’ first 14 points of the second half. Davis also drilled a jumper from 15 feet with only 42 seconds left, halting Youngstown’s comeback in its tracks.

“Boo is a guy that you have to allow to be aggressive,” said coach Rob Jeter. “But what Boo has done is mix in a lot of post-ups and a lot of drives. You don't see Boo just standing on the perimeter anymore, he's posting up. I like that he is making adjustments."

Adrian Tigert and Joah Tucker poured in 15 and 14 points, respectively, alleviating some pressure off of Davis.

The Panthers pulled away from Youngstown by as much as 13, leading 64-51 with 7:05 left in the second half. The Penguins waddled, slowly but surely, back into the contest when Keston Roberts drained a three-pointer, cutting the Panthers’ lead to 72-70 with 1:10 remaining.

“Basketball is a game of spurts,” Jeter said. “I told my team that they can't rely on jump shots to beat us. So, we said if they were going to take jump shots, give them one and then that's it.”

Davis’ late-game jumper made it 74-70. Scrappy guard Chris Hill then stole the ensuing inbound pass and was fouled, sending him to the free throw line where he drained his two shots. Tigert accounted for the last two points, hitting two free throws with 14 seconds left, sealing the win for the Panthers.

The Panthers travel to Wright State on Thursday, Feb. 2, in Dayton, Ohio, in the second game of a four-game conference road trip.

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