The Milwaukee Panthers (1-2) suffered an 81-45 loss at the hands of the Florida Gators (3-0) on Thursday night at the Stephen C. O’Connell Center in Florida. The loss marked the Panthers’ second straight defeat after the impressive win over North Dakota. The Panthers’ offense has struggled to get going early in the season.
Florida jumped out to a 12-2 lead, but the Panthers did battle back and were able to trim the Gator lead to just five points with 8:10 left in the first half. Unfortunately for Milwaukee, this is as close as the game would get. Florida took a 33-22 lead into the halftime break and did not slow down. The Gators dominated in the second period, outscoring the Panthers 48-23.
The Panthers’ offense wasn’t able to get in rhythm in the loss. They shot just 31 percent from the field and an abysmal 16.7 percent from three. In contrast, the Gators shot 47.1 percent and 39.3 percent. Milwaukee’s poor shooting night was compounded by self-inflicted errors, as the Panthers recorded 13 turnovers in the loss. In addition, Florida outrebounded Milwaukee 46-35.
Patrick Baldwin Jr. – the most notable player on Milwaukee’s roster – led the Panthers in scoring with 13 points (6-15 FG, 0-3 3Pt, 1-2 FT), three rebounds, two steals, a pair of blocks and an assist in 34 minutes. However, Baldwin was far from playing perfect, recording three turnovers.
Markeith Browning II provided a nice boost off the bench. He was the only other Panther to score in double digits, while adding 11 points (3-8 FG, 5-7 FT) and leading the team with six rebounds. In addition, he consistently got to the free throw line, taking over half of the team’s free throw attempts.
For Florida, Colin Castleton was the go-to guy. The senior forward dominated in the paint, scoring 19 points (9-17 FG, 0-1 3Pt, 1-3 FT), ten rebounds, two steals, one assist and a block in 25 minutes. Also, he has recorded a double-double in all of the Gators’ games this season.
Even after back-to-back disappointing losses, the future is not as bleak as it seems. The Panthers were picked to finish fourth in the Horizon League’s preseason poll for a reason. Milwaukee has a talented roster that features players with a lot of potential. The Panthers will look to get back on track on Nov. 23 when they travel to Ohio to face Bowling Green.