“And now, your Milwaukee Panthers starting center…” Jason Averkamp?

No offense to the young man from New Berlin, but if you were to tell the average University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee basketball fan that walk-on Jason Averkamp would be the starting center for the second to last game of the season, you might get a puzzled look in return.

After one player packed his bags early, another not-so-voluntary packing of bags and a slew of injuries, the 6-6 sophomore who started the season sixth on the depth chart found himself on the floor for the opening tip-off Thursday night.

This was the sixth different starting lineup head coach Rob Jeter used this season.

“I tell them, I’ve been asking a lot of you guys,” said Jeter. “But I’m going ask for some more. They really play hard for each other, and it shows in moments like this.”

The Panthers seemed to rise to Jeter’s request, controlling Loyola for the majority of the game.

The most impressive aspect of the victory had to have been UWM’s shooting outbreak. Following numerous games in which they had lengthy scoreless spells, the Panthers never struggled from the floor on Thursday, as they lit up the Ramblers with 11 three-pointers.

Ricky Franklin and Allen Hanson added 16 and 13 points, respectively, but the resurgence of senior Paige Paulsen’s ability to find the bottom of the net was key in this victory.

Having come off individual and uncharacteristic low offensive performances the past two weeks, Paulsen finished with 16 points, including back-to-back three’s capping an 11-0 run early in the second half.

“[The injuries] affected my confidence a little bit,” said Paulsen commenting about his sore thumb and being poked in the eye the previous game. “I knew once I could get over that little hump my confidence would be back and I would be just fine.”

The win assures the Panthers of a fourth-place finish, and gives them a home game in the Horizon League Tournament.

“We know we have at least another game left,” said Jeter. “We were projected fourth with the team we started with, and now we have an entirely different group of guys. I take the team, and we have a team. These guys have found a way when there was no way. You have to give a lot of credit to Paige and Al and Marcus for bringing the group together.”

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