Ramblers step up, beat UWM 76-65

Ben Averkamp scored 22 points and Jordan Hicks had a season-high 21, leading Loyola to a 76-65 victory over UW-Milwaukee on Wednesday night.Averkamp also had 12 rebounds and four assists for the Ramblers (13-8, 3-5 Horizon), who shot 53 percent from the field and outrebounded UWM 35-25. Christian Thomas added 16 points.Jordan Aaron and Austin Arians each had 17 points for the Panthers (5-17, 1-7), who have lost four in a row and seven of their last eight games. Milwaukee is 0-12 on the road this season.Loyola pulled away with 20 straight points midway through the second half, turning a 44-42 deficit into a 62-44 lead with 6:52 remaining. Cully Payne and Devon Turk hit back-to-back 3-pointers during the run and Averkamp had eight points. The Panthers went scoreless for 8:27 during that stretch.