UWM positions itself favorably for upcoming conference tournament in foul-filled win

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UW-Milwaukee Panthers forward Darius Duffy (34) dunks over Oakland Golden Grizzlies forward Allen Mukeba (23) on an alley-oop during the first half in a game Thursday, February 27, 2025, at the UWM Panther Arena in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

The track meet turned into a rugby match, which turned into a prize fight.

In the end, the UW-Milwaukee Panthers walked out victorious – on the ropes, bloodied and frustrated, sure, but victorious nonetheless.

In a game critical for seeding in the upcoming Horizon League Tournament, the Panthers used a 25-1 run to seize control midway through the game, then hung on as a festival of whistles paraded down Thursday night for a 71-66 win over Oakland at UW-Milwaukee Panther Arena.

“It was just a knock-down, drag-out brawl,” Panthers head coach Bart Lundy said.

Ludny wasn’t wrong.

With the win and a Purdue Fort Wayne loss earlier in the evening, Milwaukee, with one regular season game remaining, now controls its own destiny to host a conference quarterfinal. The Panthers, who also clinched a first-round bye and moved into the No. 2 seed for the time being, host Detroit Mercy on Saturday to wrap up their regular season.

BOX SCORE: UWM 71, Oakland 66

“It’s February 27,” Panthers guard AJ McKee said. “It’s time to win a championship. Every game from here on out is a championship game.

McKee scored 15 points on an efficient 7-for-14 shooting but it otherwise didn’t go so smoothly for Milwaukee on offense, as it shot just 37.9% from the field and missed 17 of 20 three-point attempts.

But Milwaukee got the job done defensively, forcing 20 Grizzlies turnovers, and sparking a torrid run late in the first half and into the second.

Defensive pressure turns the tide

Not much was going for the Panthers early. Fueled by some uncharacteristically hot shooting from deep – they entered the day ranked 354th out of 356 teams in the nation in three-point percentage – and a stifling zone, the Grizzlies jumped out to a 33-25 lead with five minutes, 24…

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Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/article/uwm-positions-itself-favorably-upcoming-045710765.html

Author : Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Publish date : 2025-02-28 04:57:00

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