At last. After a year of hills and valleys, the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee men's basketball team overcame an early deficit to topple Butler University, 87-71, in the Horizon League Tournament championship game on Tuesday, March 7.

Led by senior Adrian Tigert, who garnered Tournament Most Valuable Player honors, the Panthers made a run to end the first half and never looked back.

The victory gave UWM its third tournament championship in the past four years, going along with a three-peat of regular season titles.

Milwaukee returned to the style of play it thrived under before Tigert went down with an injured back against Cleveland State University. Outscoring Butler 56-24 in the paint, the Bulldogs had to move to the outside to keep it close.

Butler Senior Avery Sheets drained five of 11 three-pointers, but the rest of the team shot 6-for-16 from beyond the arc, and UWM's lead slowly expanded, maxing out at 19 with 3 minutes, 17 seconds left in the game.

The Panthers not only had to deal with a determined Butler team, but also senior forward Joah Tucker drawing his fourth personal foul early in the second half, sending himself to the bench.

The bench time limited Tucker to only 25 minutes in the game, albeit 25 productive minutes. Tucker scored 15 points, grabbed four rebounds and sank all four of his free throws.

In Tucker's wake, several key contributions were made by players off the bench. Derrick Ford was explosive, adding two blocks to an impressive career tally. Mark Pancratz hit every shot he took, as well as played tight defense, drawing a charge in the game. Nick Hansen, the junior walk-on, sank a three-point shot, extending the lead and sending the Klotsche Krazies into a frenzy.

As time wound down in the game, the Panthers caught a break when Butler star Brandon Polk committed an offensive foul. The penalty was his fourth of the game and Polk's usual physical style of play took a backseat to a more passive approach and his impact was diminished.

Avery Sheets, a player who once defeated UWM on a last-second shot as a freshman, turned in 40 minutes of solid play, but it wasn't enough as four Panthers scored in double figures.

Time expired, and the celebration was on. The wait for thousands of Klotsche Krazies was finally over, and they had the chance to make their feelings known. The student section stormed the court, and validation for a tougher-than-advertised season was earned.

The Panthers will face the Oklahoma Sooners in the first round of the NCAA Tournament on Thursday, March 16, in Jacksonville, Fla.

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