Overview: Panthers win semifinal matchup with Northern Kentucky
The Panthers are one win away from March Madness.
The Panthers are one win away from dancing.
Milwaukee rode Faizon Fields and BJ Freeman all the way to the finish line on Monday night, taking down reigning Horizon League champion Northern Kentucky 82-75.
The Panthers square off against top-seeded Oakland Tuesday night at 6 p.m. CT with an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament at stake.
Panthers characteristically struggle in first half
The Panthers’ first-half woes followed them to Indianapolis, trailing 38-31 at the half. The single-digit deficit left much of the story untold, however.
Northern Kentucky opened the game on a 9-2 run on the heels of three Milwaukee missed layups. Kentrell Pullian scored the Panthers’ first 5 points.
After a series of good looks didn’t fall for the visitors, BJ Freeman put it on himself to take control of the struggling offense. The result? A pair of turnovers and 2-11 from the field in the half, resulting in a -15 point differential on the floor for the guard.
The Panthers shot just 35% from two-point range, a reversal of their initial two conference tournament games.
The Panthers salvaged the half with a late 10-2 run, cutting the lead to 7 points heading into intermission.
Second-half surge leads to victory
After Freeman’s 2-11 first-half, the second team all-league honoree kicked it up a notch with arguably his best half of the year. The junior guard scored 22 second-half points on 13 attempts, including 7 free throws.
“Freeman is a special player,” said NKU head coach Darrin Horn after watching him torch the Norse.
Milwaukee followed its usual script on Monday, finding its groove and then some in the second half. The Panthers were carried by a 16-2 run, led by the incredible play from Freeman and Fields.
A Langston Wilson layup gave the Panthers a 52-51 lead during the run, a lead they wouldn’t relinquish. After neutralizing the visitors down low for much of the first half, the Norse had no answers after the break.
Due in part to to an injury-depleted roster, Horn played four of his starters more than 33 minutes.
“I just think in the second half we ran out of gas a little bit,” said Horn. “Maybe expended a little bit too much on Thursday night.”
The Panther bench outscored the higher-seeded Norse’s reserves 17-2, an effort led by Elijah Jamison’s 8 points.
Another career game for Faizon Fields
The pivotal difference in the second half was Milwaukee’s ability to score in the paint. After a slow first half that saw Northern Kentucky mitigate the Panthers’ penetration, the Norse lost control down low.
“They did a great job of getting downhill,” said Horn. “But rebounding, and they shot 30 free throws to our 15 – that was really the difference in the game… They’re a really dangerous basketball team.”
Milwaukee outpaced the Norse 50-28 on the boards, 16 of which were grabbed by Fields, matching a career high. Monday night’s performance was just the latest development in a remarkable evolution for the junior forward.
“I would just say my team believing in me, sticking with me,” said Fields regarding his increased performance as the year has progressed. “They know how good of a player I can be when I’m playing with full confidence.”
The Memphis native scored in double figures just once prior to the new year, never grabbing so many as 10 rebounds. Since the calendar flipped, Fields has scored in double digits in 13 of Milwaukee’s 20 contests, averaging 8.3 rebounds per game during that stretch.
The big man has transformed himself from solid bench piece to one of their most relied-upon performers.
“Faizon’s 16 rebounds, 16 points, that’s what started everything,” said teammate BJ Freeman. “It’s just him being a dog, just being dominant. When he plays like that, can’t nobody stop him.”
Star guard Marques Warrick a non-factor on Monday
The biggest factor in NKU’s regular season success proved to be a non-factor as first team all-league selection Marques Warrick scored a season-low 4 points on 2-16 shooting, the final game of his illustrious college career. Warrick averaged 19.9 points per game this year.
Making up for Warrick was Trey Robinson, who scored a career-high 33 points.
Oakland, Milwaukee set to battle for NCAA Tournament berth
After knocking out last year’s Horizon League representative in the NCAA Tournament in Northern Kentucky, Milwaukee has one tall task left before them – take down the top-seeded Oakland Golden Grizzlies.
The Panthers dropped both of their regular season contests against Oakland, falling 100-95 in Michigan and 91-87 in a dramatic double-overtime game at the Panther Arena.
“You know what they’re going to do on both sides of the ball,” said head coach Bart Lundy. “Can you score against it and can you stop it… We’ve got our work cut out for us.”
Fields faces his biggest assignment of the year, tasked with neutralizing Horizon League Player of the Year Trey Townsend. The senior averaged 24.5 points per game in the two matchups with Milwaukee.
With just one obstacle left, the Panthers left little time to enjoy Monday’s upset victory. Freeman isn’t satisfied.
“We’ve still got unfinished business.”