The Milwaukee men’s basketball team walked away with an unexpected 88-80 comeback victory while playing host to the Cleveland State Vikings on Friday. The Panthers improved to 4-2 in Horizon League play with the win.
The game proved to be a tale of two halves, as Milwaukee characteristically dug themselves an early deficit, falling behind by as much as 19 in the first half. The Vikings’ offense proved too potent for Milwaukee to handle, scoring 47 first-half points on 50 percent shooting from the field, including six three-pointers. UWM trailed by 11 at the break.
“They were very physical to start the game, and we didn’t respond to that very well,” said head coach Bart Lundy after the game. “Defensively we weren’t very good.”
The second half represented a 180-degree turnaround, as the hosts began the half with a 14-0 scoring run and took their first lead of the game three minutes into the period. The contest remained a back-and-forth affair throughout the duration of the half, with Elijah Jamison and BJ Freeman’s free throws sealing the game in the final minute.
The comeback win represented the fifth largest in school history.
“Second half – we were really good. We’ve got to find a way to start better,” said Lundy on his team’s second-half performance. “But [I’m] proud of these guys and their effort.”
Guard Elijah Jamison struggled early, scoring just two first-half points with the team being outscored by 18 while he was on the court. But his confidence never wavered, leading to a breakout 18-point second half and a career-high 20 points.
“In the first half I feel like I had shots that I wanted, they just didn’t fall,” said the North Carolina native. “I knew in the second half I was going to be able to score.”
Lundy added praise for the sophomore’s standout second-half performance.
“He was dominant down the stretch, and he had a big shot,” said Lundy, praising his sophomore guard. “Elijah had a turnover on a play we were going to run coming out of a timeout… I thought his mistake response… it’s something we’ve talked about. He went to a whole different level.
“I thought he really grew up in his game tonight.”
Erik Pratt continued his recent stretch of stellar play, leading all scorers with 21 points. Following a slow start in non-conference play, Pratt, alongside Kentrell Pullian, leads all Panthers with 94 points in conference play.
His impact on the offensive side stretches beyond merely scoring.
“He’s got a really high [basketball] IQ,” said Lundy after Pratt’s 21-point performance. “He missed one [shot] late in the game tonight and then immediately hit one in the corner right after. He’s got that ability to move on.
“He handles pressure, he stays calm… his offensive package is pretty special.”
Preseason first team all-Horizon League member Tristan Enaruna scored 20 for the visitors but the Panthers held him to just 37 percent shooting from the field, most of which came near the basket. Leading the charge defensively were Darius Duffy and Langston Wilson.
“You look at the stat sheet… there are no numbers there that jump out at you but what he does for the team is priceless, incalculable,” said Lundy, speaking about Duffy. “He did such a tremendous job stopping [Enaruna].”
Wilson’s impact was evident in nearly every way as the 6-9 graduate student recorded his first career double-double, scoring 13 points and grabbing 14 rebounds. He also added two big blocks on Enaruna.
“Langston blocked two of his shots, and the rest of the game I thought Enaruna was looking for Langston,” said Lundy. “I thought the combination of those two really made it difficult.”
Friday marked the fourth consecutive game that BJ Freeman came off the bench, a new role for last year’s leading scorer. Lundy attributed the decision primarily to injury-related circumstances.
“He hasn’t been able to practice much – still trying to figure out that back,” said Lundy, speaking on the back injury that required Freeman to miss six games earlier this season. “It’s hard when the guys are grinding through four days of really tough practices, and he’s not able to do that.”
“He understands that… it’s kind of a standard of the program,” added Lundy. “But he’s done pretty well off that bench.”
Freeman finished the game with 13 points, 10 rebounds and five assists, his second double-double of the season.
Friday’s victory marked Milwaukee’s fourth consecutive home win, three of which have come against conference opponents. The win allowed Milwaukee to improve in the standings, now tied for third place in the Horizon League.
The Panthers return to action on Thursday evening with a road matchup against Northern Kentucky.
The team is jelling nicely.
It’s great to see BJ out there.
We all hope his back gets better.
Good job being done by the coaches.
Keep up the good work. Bill G. (Former HS B-ball coach.)