Panthers Pounce on Falcons in 72-62 Season Opener Victory

Panthers Pounce on Falcons in 72-62 Season Opener Victory

The Milwaukee Men’s Basketball team opened up the 2019-20 season in winning fashion, defeating the Falcons of Concordia, 72-62. A late first half scoring outburst that carried over to the first four minutes of the second half propelled the Panthers to victory Tuesday night.

The contest started out with three newcomers in the starting lineup for Milwaukee in Te’Jon Lucas, C.J. Wilbourn, and Josh Thomas. Lucas and Thomas would go on to combine for the majority of the Panthers’ points for a total of 37 between the two. Lucas led all scorers in the game with 19 points. He also managed to score the first bucket of the season on a midrange fade-away jumper.

The early goings were very shaky to say the least, as Milwaukee struggled on the defensive end of the floor, allowing Concordia to hang tight for the beginning 15 minutes of regulation. Coach Baldwin was able to rotate several bench players into the game throughout the first half, including Freshman Courtney Brown Jr. and Redshirt-Freshman Shae Mitchell, both products of the neighboring state of Minnesota. DeAndre Abram set the Panthers apart from the Falcons late in the half, converting on four deep shots from beyond the arc. He found himself scoring 12 of his 14 total points from three-point land, converting at a rate of 57 percent in the first 20 minutes of the game. His success from range was enough for Milwaukee to pull away, leading 34-25 at the break.

Through one half of play there was no sign of returning leading scorer from last season, Darius Roy. He found himself riding the pine the rest of the contest as well, seeing zero action on the court Tuesday evening. Regardless, the game pressed forward without his impact.

The commencement of the second half turned out to be a scoring barrage for the Panthers. They scored a quick 11 points within the first four minutes of the second half of play. That spark of offense was part of a remarkable 22-4 scoring run for Milwaukee that spanned between the two halves. To say that the offense had found its stride would be an understatement. Many of those early points in the second half came from Te’Jon Lucas and Josh Thomas driving to the bucket with ease, time and time again. Lucas converted on multiple and-one opportunities, exemplifying the willingness to finish at the rim while strong contact was present. His playmaking abilities were on display as well throughout the game, as he ended up spreading the wealth on seven different occasions.

A last-ditch effort to reduce the scoring deficit came from CUW late in regulation, as the Falcons connected on three consecutive possessions from beyond the three-point line. While those rapid nine points were impressive, they were certainly not enough to overcome the gap that the Panthers created throughout the ballgame. It was a true team victory for Milwaukee, as 13 players saw the floor for Coach Pat Baldwin. Every one of those players contributed to a Panthers 72-62 season opener win at UWM Panther Arena.

Following the game, I was able to ask Coach Baldwin about his decision to bench last year’s breakout star Darius Roy. As I expected, Baldwin went on to avoid my direct question and instead focused on the players that had a part in contributing to Milwaukee’s 1-0 start.

Baldwin confidently stated, “I think we have a lot of guys that can make plays, and that we’re not totally reliant on one person. This is a team game. This is how it’s supposed to be played. I love the balance that we have from a scoring standpoint now, and hopefully that pays dividends as we go forward.”

Coach Baldwin made a point of giving a great deal of credit to the players that spent time on the floor in this contest. Whether or not Darius Roy sees court time moving into Saturday’s Homecoming game will certainly be a storyline to follow.

The Panthers are set to tip-off UWM Homecoming on Nov. 9 at 6 p.m. against Western Michigan of the Mid-American Conference.