Game #7 – Milwaukee 76, Youngstown State 67
Player of the Game - How about Anthony Hill? The senior has been stellar all season but he’s never been better than he was Thursday night. He scored a collegiate-best 30 points, making 14-of-20 from the field. He also added a career-high 12 rebounds. What is still amazing is that it wasn’t until he had attempted 17 shots from the field that he finally got to try a free throw. Hill is the 11th player in NCAA Division I play this season to have at least 30 points and at least 10 rebounds in a game. It is also the first time a Panther has done it since Michael Hughes had 37 and 12 against Youngstown State (yes, also YSU) in 1994. Finally, Hill's 30 points are the most by a Panther since Torre Johnson scored 30 against UIC in December of 2007.
Turning Point - We’ll stick with the theme and talk Anthony Hill here, too. With the game tied at 48, Hill scored 12 of Milwaukee’s 14 points in a 14-4 run that restored a double-digit lead.
Stat That Mattered - It was starting to look like the big threat of YSU’s three-point shooting was going to send the Penguins to a road victory, as they hit 8 of their first 14 from long range. But, the Panthers tightened up the defense considerably from there, as YSU missed its final 10 from distance and wound up a pedestrian 33.3 percent from beyond the arc.
The Notebook - UWM has now won three-straight Horizon League openers … the Panthers have now won 15 of 19 meetings with the Penguins since YSU joined the league in the 2001-02 season … overall, UWM has a 23-5 edge in the series … Kaylon Williams has been in double figures in points in two-straight games … freshman Kyle Kelm had eight points and six rebounds, with the eight points marking a collegiate-best … Ja’Rob McCallum made his first start of the season and second of his career. He replaced Lonnie Boga, who had started the previous six games … UWM had a 42-22 edge on points in the paint … the Panthers made just 12 of their first 26 free throws but went 6-for-6 in the final minute.
Up Next - Milwaukee welcomes unbeaten Cleveland State to the U.S. Cellular Arena Saturday night for Pounce The Panther Bobblehead Night.
