It was the BJ Freeman show on Sunday afternoon at the Panther Arena in Milwaukee’s 96-88 win against Purdue-Fort Wayne.
The junior dropped a season-high 38 points, reaching the 1,000-point threshold in his Panther career in the process.
“I’m proud of him for his 1,000th point,” said Head Coach Bart Lundy about his junior guard. “This league’s made every one of those hard.”
The 6-foot-6 guard was firing on all cylinders, making 15 of his 24 field goal attempts, including 5-11 from 3-point range and all three free throw attempts. He also doled out four assists, which matched the team high on Sunday.
In spite of Freeman’s big game, the accolade meant little in comparison to Sunday’s victory.
“I don’t really care,” said Freeman when asked what the accomplishment means to him. “I’m just trying to bring a ring [championship] to the city.”
The Panthers moved a game ahead of Purdue-Fort Wayne with the win, still locked with Cleveland State in sixth place in the Horizon League. Just one game separates Milwaukee from Northern Kentucky and a first-round conference tournament bye.
Panthers take rare first-half lead
Milwaukee used the three ball to jump to an early lead — their first four field goals all were from deep range. But following their early advantage, the two teams engaged in an even battle for the remainder of the first period, with UWM ultimately maintaining a 1-point edge entering the break.
Freeman led all scorers with 15 points in the half, including three of their six 3-pointers. UWM’s 40% shooting from long range and 12 second-chance points aided in their offensive efforts.
The Panthers improved to 10-2 when leading at the half.
Strange sequence to end first half, begin second
An astounding 21 fouls were committed in the half, one of which led to a strange sequence of events that gave Milwaukee a halftime lead.
With 40 seconds left in the half, Langston Wilson sank a pair of free throws to up the lead to 40-39. Following halftime, officials ruled Aaron Franklin, instead, should have taken the shots. Franklin made both shots at the line to begin the half after Wilson’s were nullified.
Panthers right the ship after rocky start to second half
Following Franklin’s foul shots, Milwaukee allowed a rare second-half run as the Mastodons outscored the Panthers 18-7 in the half’s first five minutes. But Milwaukee slowly chipped away at the lead until a Dominic Ham transition three gave the Panthers a 3-point margin, a lead it would never relinquish.
The home team avoided much of the late-game drama that has defined their season, convincingly sealing the 8-point win in the final minutes. But their overtime experience built the toughness on display Sunday.
“I think the experiences of all these close games will benefit us going down the stretch and in the tournaments,” said Lundy. “We’ll be ready for everything.”
Freeman’s 38 points was the highest output of any Panther this season, but it was far from a one-man effort for the black-and-gold on Sunday. Erik Pratt chipped in 14 points and six rebounds, along with a game-high +10 mark while on the floor.
“I thought it was the most defensive winning plays he’s made all year,” said Lundy, speaking about Pratt.
Dominic Ham scored a career-high 10 points in the winning effort.
On the Mastodon side, UW-Parkside transfer Rasheed Bello led all scorers with 21 points, including a team-high four 3-pointers. Eric Mulder recorded nine points and eight rebounds before fouling out in the second half.
Just two games remain in regular season
With only two regular season contests remaining, the Panthers sit on the fringe of a few important landmarks. Their sixth-place standing would net them a first-round home conference tournament matchup with the lowly Detroit Mercy. The fifth-place team receives a first-round bye, while the top four teams host their first matchup after the bye.
The Panthers hold the tiebreak over Cleveland State by virtue of their 2-0 head-to-head record this season. The team knows now is the most important time, should they position themselves to accomplish their biggest goal — an NCAA tournament berth.
“March starts now for us,” said Freeman. “We just come in every day trying to get better — stack good days, get 1% better.”
The Panthers travel to Indianapolis for a Wednesday night matchup with 10th-place IUPUI. They return home next Saturday to play Green Bay, their final game in the Horizon League slate.