The Milwaukee men’s basketball team was unable to overcome Ohio University, as they fell to the Bobcats 71-69 in Athens, OH on Wednesday evening.
The game had a little bit of everything and was close throughout. All in all, six ties and eight lead changes were had between the two teams and the score was never more than a two-possession game the entire second half, with the final deadlock coming with 6:45 left in the second half at 57-57.
From there, Ohio went on a scoring surge. They scored 11 of 16 points in the following three minutes, giving themselves a six-point lead at 68-62. However, the Panthers would not back down. Two free throws from Bryce Barnes and then a jumper by Dan Studer pulled Milwaukee within three with 13 seconds remaining.
The Panthers would have to foul to extend the game and the Bobcats would connect from the charity stripe, thus cementing the game. Despite not coming out with a victory, Head Coach LaVall Jordan showed satisfaction with how his team showed resilience.
“I was proud of our guys for their fight,” said Jordan. “We got down nine in the first half and the bench came in and did a good job. We fought and got back in it and had it at one point at halftime. Each and every game, I am seeing something different from this team that they have carried over from the last game.”
Jordan highlighted better shots as a facet of the game the Panthers can improve on moving forward.
“I thought our shot selection could have been better down the stretch,” said Jordan. “We were getting in the lane and then settled for a couple of jump shots when we could have kept attacking the paint.”
For Milwaukee, Cody Wichmann led the scoring column, finishing with 15 points, all of which came from the 3-point line. He also mixed in four rebounds and two steals. August Hass contributed with 11 points and six rebounds, while Bryce Barnes made an impact off the bench with 11 points as well and going 6-of-6 from the free throw line.
Antonio Campbell led Ohio with a double-double of 19 points and 10 rebounds.
The team returns to Milwaukee on Saturday as they will take on visiting Western Illinois at the Klotsche Center. Tip time is set for 2 p.m.