A pair of crucial wins over the weekend have the Milwaukee Panthers alone in second place in the Horizon League standings. With the 78-71 victory over Northern Kentucky Thursday and the 68-57 victory over Wright State Saturday, the Panthers now stand at 17-10 (11-5 Horizon) and are alone in second place with a week remaining in the regular season.
Saturday’s win was arguably the most crucial of the season for the Black and Gold as both teams came into the game tied for second place in the conference. The Panthers dominating victory over the Raiders Saturday surely raised a lot of eyebrows around the conference. The Panthers are playing their best basketball at the perfect time. Saturday’s win was Milwaukee’s fourth in a row. The Panthers are 7-3 in their last 10 games, which is the second-best record over that time in the conference.
The Panthers were led by Sierra Ford-Washington on Saturday, who scored 26 points. Ford-Washington’s 50-point weekend was enough for her to win College Sports Madness High-Major Player of the Week. Sydney Howard also scored 15 points in her final game at the Klotsche Center Saturday.
As a team, the Panthers performed admirably on the defensive end all weekend. The Panthers held both opponents under 35 percent shooting. With a variety of scorers continuing to contribute and the defense playing tenaciously, the Panthers look to be in good shape as they conclude the conference season this weekend.
The Panthers finish up the conference slate with match-ups against Oakland and Detroit both on the road. Thursday’s tip off against Oakland is at 6 p.m. and Friday’s game at Detroit tips at noon. You can catch both games on ESPN 3 and The Big 920.