The Milwaukee Panthers enjoyed their return to the home court on Friday after a week on the road, defeating D-III Luther College 85-56 in a win that capped off UW-Milwaukee’s homecoming week.
Milwaukee was in control early, leading 30-10 with six minutes to go in the first half. Instead, Luther responded with a 17-4 run to cap off the half. Already 30 minutes in, the Panthers led just 57-50, going back-and-forth for the first 10 minutes of the second half.
The Panthers finally took control midway through the half, pulling away to a 73-50 lead on the heels of 16 unanswered points. It was smooth sailing the rest of the way for Milwaukee in their 29-point victory, a victory propelled by the team’s overwhelming defense.
“Those last 10 minutes we really found what our identity was,” said Langston Wilson, who contributed to the defensive efforts with a steal and a pair of blocks. “When we lock in defensively it really doesn’t matter what we do offensively because we can get multiple stops.”
The Panthers’ defense forced a remarkable 25 turnovers, leading to 34 points off those 25 turnovers. More remarkable was the amount they surrendered – three, an all-time program record.
Despite scoring just two points, guard Markeith Browning set the tone for the Panthers in the record-breaking night.
“It really started with Markeith,” Lundy said after the game. “He really came in, got the ball downhill and made really easy, solid plays.”
Langston Wilson came off the bench to score 14 points, including an early candidate for dunk of the year, but even Wilson was quick to give credit to his teammate.
“Markeith made that play,” said Wilson. “It was a culmination of everything that was going on.”
Wilson’s 14 points ranked third among Panthers, behind only BJ Freeman’s 23 and Elijah Jamison’s 15 points. Junior guard Kentrell Pullian added six rebounds and five steals in the contest.
Senior forward Randall Days led the way for the visitors with 15 points during their mid-game run. Fellow seniors Daniel Webster and Ben Gill each contributed with 10 of their own.
Luther’s loss at the hands of the Panthers on Friday was their first of the year. The Division-III school is based out of Decorah, Iowa, and competes in the American Rivers Conference.
Despite the early-game struggles, Lundy was pleased with the way his team competed.
“I thought we played the right way for large portions of the game, and that’s all you can ask for as a coach,” said Lundy. “I think we accomplished what we needed to tonight.”
The Panthers stuck to their gameplan throughout, overwhelming Luther with their athleticism and scoring ability.
It was a solid victory for a Milwaukee team looking to get back in the win column after a pair of road losses against Providence and 25th-ranked Colorado. The 29-point victory and convincing second-half performance were enough for Milwaukee and coach Bart Lundy to walk away satisfied.
The Panthers travel to Daytona Beach, Florida to face off against Stetson on Monday in the Sunshine Slam. They return home for a matchup next Saturday for their final non-conference tune-up, a 1:30 p.m. tip-off against Southern Mississippi.
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