â??When you shoot 20 percent in a half, that's just not going to get it done.â?

Poor shooting and too many turnovers doomed the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee men“s basketball team Jan. 29 in a 76-50 loss to Wright State University at the Nutter Center.

WSU“s DaShaun Wood led all scorers with 20 points, followed by teammates Todd Brown and Drew Burleson, who scored 17 and 15, respectively.

Kevin Massiah led Milwaukee with eight points and a career-high 11 rebounds in a game that featured no double-digit scorers for UWM.

The Panthers committed 20 turnovers to the Raiders“ nine en route to another tough road loss, which dropped the club to a dismal 1-12 away from the friendly confines of the U.S. Cellular Arena this season.

“This time of year, you can't beat yourselves and we just had way too many turnovers,” coach Rob Jeter said.

Despite what the final score indicates, Milwaukee kept it close in a first half that saw five lead changes. UWM grabbed an early 10-6 advantage, but an 8-2 surge by the Raiders put the Panthers down 14-12.

Milwaukee used a little run of its own to claim a six-point lead at 23-17, its largest of the game. WSU then responded with 15 consecutive points, including 11 straight from Wood, as part of an 18-6 run to end the half.

With Wright State up 32-23, Roman Gentry answered with five of his seven total points coming off the bench to narrow the margin, but the Raiders got it back up to six and went into halftime with a 35-29 lead.

The second half was a different story. The Raiders opened with a 17-0 run to go up 23 and virtually crush the Panthers“ hopes of recording another road victory. UWM shot just 20 percent on 4-of-20 shooting in the second half, and finished at just 29.8 percent for the game.

“When you shoot 20 percent in a half, that's just not going to get it done, especially when you play a team the caliber of Wright State,” Jeter said.

Milwaukee defeated Wright State by a count of 73-69 in their previous meeting on Jan. 21, but the Raiders got their revenge, leading the grudge match by as many as 32 points.

Avery Smith was held to just five points for the Panthers (8-18, 5-8 Horizon), who have now lost four of their last five contests. The Raiders (17-8, 10-2) edged the Panthers in fast-break points by an impressive 19-0 margin, and have now won four straight.

The Panthers will next face Loyola (15-9, 6-5) on Wednesday at the U.S. Cellular Arena in their last home game of the season, and will be expecting some Valentine“s Day love from their fans. Buses leave Sandburg and the Union regularly before the game, which starts at 7 p.m.

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