The Panthers took an overtime loss, 76-71, in their final home game on Friday night at the UWM Panther Arena against IUPUI.
“Give our guys credit,” head coach Pat Baldwin said. “Towards the end of the first half and the middle of the second half, we battled and fought our way back to get the thing tied up at the end of regulation with an opportunity to win it. Then in overtime, we just didn’t have enough juice to complete the comeback.”
The night was filled with excitement, as it was also “Senior Night” for the Panthers. UWM has only two Seniors on their squad, Brett Prahl and Alex Prahl.
The first Prahl poured in 22 points on 9-11 shooting, adding seven rebounds and three blocks for his senior night.
Jeremiah Bell led all Panthers with 29 points, four steals, three rebounds, and one assist. Carson Warren-Newsome came off the bench with 10 points.
Bryce Nze was one rebound shy of the school record with 17 and also one point shy of a double-double with nine points.
Bell went coast to-coast on the Jaguars from start to finish, coming out with the first points for the Panthers and having the final shot attempt in overtime.
“Well, we look for Carson off the bench to give us a spark and a lot of energy, and we know he’s capable of going out and putting the ball in the basket,” Bell said of Warren-Newsome. “Brett, I know he was going to be fired up and ready with this being his last home game.
“My coaches and my teammates put me in a position to be successful, but that and the numbers don’t really tell the full story of my game and the way I played tonight. I have to be better on the defensive end for my team and too many turnovers on my part as well.”
The Bell-Newsome-Prahl trio wasn’t enough to slow down the fast-paced offense of the Jaguars. IUPUI gained an advantage early, leading all the way in the first half and by as much as 13.
Evan Hall led the Jaguars with a double-double of 20 points and 10 rebounds. T.J. Henderson added 14 points.
IUPUI outshot Milwaukee, 45.7 percent to 41 percent – and won advantages in points in the paint (48-36) and points off the bench (23-10).
UWM came back with effective scoring, which helped cut the trail multiple times in the game. The Panthers gained a spark at the end of the first half with a steal and two by Carson Warren-Newsome that would carry over into the second half.
The two Horizon League competitors went head-to-head in the second half, foreshadowing the thriller at the end of regulation. IUPUI didn’t look to stop their offense, but the Panthers managed to get crucial stops while also pushing their offense.
Bell took charge again and opened the half with a pair of triples. 18 of the total 29 for Bell came in the second. Milwaukee persisted and the game went into overtime all tied up at 64-64.
Overtime saw more of the two halves, as the Panthers and Jaguars played back and forth until IUPUI’s offense took off and pulled away.
A dagger triple from Henderson for the Jaguars put them ahead at 73-71, then there was a trip to the free throw line for Jaylen Minnett. After a couple of shot attempts with mere seconds left to tie, the buzzer sounded off.
The Panthers are now 7-9 in the Horizon League and 14-15 overall.
“I’m only disappointed because we’re trying to continue to move up in the standings,” said Baldwin. “Not only are we playing for the standings in each game, we are trying to play to maintain our confidence going into the tournament. There was a lot at stake in this game. We have to keep on playing and win to propel ourselves in the tournament.
“Our practices next week will be really focused and preparing us for what’s ahead.”
The Panthers have matchups against Detroit and Oakland to conclude the season, then it’s off to tournament play, which will kickoff in two weeks at the Little Caesars Arena in Detroit.