Postgame Report: Milwaukee at Illinois State

Game #6 – Milwaukee 54, Illinois State 75

Full Recap and Stats

Player Of The Game: Emily Decorah made three 3's and ended up leading the team with 11 points on the night as one of two players in double-figures. It marked the first time in her UWM career she has led the team in scoring.

Play of the Game: Unfortunately, it was Illinois State that had it. After the Panthers had clawed their way back into the game in the middle of the second half, the Redbirds took charge and scored 10 points in a row. That was all they needed to coast from there.

Key Stats: Milwaukee picked a tough time to go cold from the field. There was a near-eight minute stretch from 11:27 to 3:38 in the first half where it went just 1-for-10 from the field.

News and Notes: Sami Tucker scored 10 points, led the team with 8 rebounds and set a career-high with four steals. Freshman Jessica Prince made her Milwaukee collegiate debut late in the game. Less than 10 seconds later, she had her first rebound and first basket. She made it look way too easy.

Up Next: The Panthers left from Normal, Ill., and took the red-eye bus to East Lansing, Mich., for a Saturday contest against the Spartans. Tip is set for 3 p.m. CST and is part of a men's and women's doubleheader.

Postgame Report: San Juan Shootout

Game #4 – Milwaukee 57, Georgia Tech 66

Full Recap and Stats

Game #5 – Milwaukee 68, Eastern Kentucky 64

Full Recap and Stats

Quick Take: The overall field was tough – Georgia Tech, Syracuse, Virginia, Florida State, etc. – and the two teams that UWM played were a combined 5-2 coming into the San Juan Shootout. At the end of a fun and sunny week, UWM did more than hold its own – the Panthers played a Georgia Tech team that was ranked in the preseason pretty well and then closed impressively in earning the win over Eastern Kentucky.

Player Of The Game vs. Georgia Tech: It’s impressive to lead the team in scoring AND rebounding for three straight games, but that was what Ashley Green did against Georgia Tech. She led the way with 17 points (7-13 on FG’s) and tied for the lead with 5 rebounds.

Player Of The Game vs. Eastern Kentucky: Angela Rodriguez showed up big in the second half of the win, scoring 14 of her game-high 19 points in the second half. After trailing for most of the second, her 3-pointer with about 6 minutes to play finally put her team back ahead. Then, she was fouled twice with the game on the line and swished all four of her free throw attempts in the final 20 seconds of regulation.

She joined Scott Warras on the radio following the contest, hear that interview HERE.

Play of the Game: One of my favorites and Angela timed it perfectly. Taking the ball out under the basket and with a defender turning her back, Angela threw the inbounds pass of her back, stepped into play, grabbed the carom and made the layup. The next time I see that I think we will try and give the basket AND the assist to her!

Key Stats:It was interesting that free throws – which had been an issue all weekend – were what decided the game against EKU. The Panthers were 13-29 (44.8 percent) through the majority of two games in San Juan but then managed to sink 9 of their last 10 against EKU – including the final six in the last 23 seconds to close it out.

News and Notes: Senior Sammy Theut got her first two starts of the season … UWM used a 19-6 run to erase an early 10-point hole against Eastern Kentucky … Kimee Chandler hit two big shots in the win – one 3 that capped the 19-6 spurt and then a driving layup that re-tied the game after the Colonels had taken a two-point advantage with about a minute left … Milwaukee buried 7 3’s in the first half against EKU … And lastly, I managed a nice sunburn the first day.

Up Next:The team spent Monday traveling and gets back to “normal” life Tuesday, only to hit the road Wednesday for games at Illinois State Thursday and Michigan State Saturday.

Postgame Report - Hoops For Hope Classic

Saturday Recap
Sunday Recap
Saturday Postgame
Sunday Postgame

Player Of The Weekend: Demetrius Harris gets kudos again for his efforts, including a double-double in the loss to Jacksonville. But Jordan Aaron was beaten and battered all weekend long but somehow still played 76 minutes. He “only” scored seven points Sunday – his first game not in double figures – but did have 19 Saturday and also had four assists and just three turnovers against Rider.

Turning Points: The turning points in Saturday’s loss were numerous. Each time the Panthers managed to cut the lead to three Jacksonville would respond with a big basket or a call would go against Milwaukee. Sunday’s turning point likely came at the end of the half. UWM had the ball with a chance to pull within eight or even seven but a turnover resulted in a layup at the buzzer and a 12-point Rider lead. Milwaukee never got closer than 10 after that.

Key Numbers: Free throws, free throws, free throws. Milwaukee was outscored 52-27 from the line over the two games. The disparity in attempts was even larger, as Jacksonville and Rider combined for 77 attempts while UWM had 38.

News and Notes: UWM has lost three-straight games for the first time since the 2009-2010 season … Demetrius Harris has reached double figures for the third-straight game … Evan Richard became the seventh Panther player this season to hit double figures in points when he scored 11 Sunday … Thierno Niang had six assists Sunday … J.J. Panoske played his most meaningful minutes of the season Sunday, collecting two points and four rebounds in 13 minutes … after making 34 three-pointers in the first three games of the season, the Panthers have made only 12 in the last three … in fact, UWM went just 7-of-35 from three in the two games in Mexico after going 5-of-22 in Little Rock.

Up Next: UWM heads to Cedar Falls Saturday for a matchup with Northern Iowa.

Hoops For Hope Classic - Sunday Updates

• The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee men’s basketball team plays its final game in the Hoops for Hope Classic, squaring off with Rider Sunday afternoon. The game tips off at 3:30 p.m. CST and can be heard live on WISN (AM 1130).

• The Panthers dropped a 71-66 decision to Jacksonville Saturday afternoon. After opening up an 11-2 lead, Milwaukee fell behind 37-23 at halftime and could never get closer than three points in the second half.

• UWM has dropped consecutive games for the first time this season and the common thread in each has been turnovers. Milwaukee committed 19 turnovers in its loss at Arkansas-Little Rock Monday and then had 20 more in Saturday’s defeat.

• Jordan Aaron and Demetrius Harris continue to lead the charge for the Panthers on offense. Aaron has been in double figures in all five of his games in a Panther uniform and is averaging 19 points per game. Harris has been in double figures in each of the last three games and is averaging 12 points per contest.

• Harris is also becoming a force on the boards for Milwaukee. The senior added 12 rebounds to his 16 points Saturday for the first double-double of his career. He is second on the team in rebounding at 5.2 per contest, just behind James Haarsma’s 6.6 Both players have a double-double this season.

• The Panthers continue to play tremendous perimeter defense. Opponents have made just 13-of-69 (18.8 percent) shots from three-point range in the first five games of the season. Milwaukee has outscored its opponents 123-39 on three-pointers.

• Speaking of three-pointers, Milwaukee made just two 3-pointers and tried only 11 in Saturday’s loss. The Panthers had entered the contest making nearly 10 per game on average while attempting over 26 per contest. UWM did have a 38-22 edge on points in the paint in Saturday’s game.

• The Panthers are returning three starters and eight letterwinners from a team that won 20 games and played in the College Basketball Invitational a season ago. UWM also has five seniors on its roster, including returning starters James Haarsma and Paris Gulley. Milwaukee has been picked to finish sixth in the Horizon League and did not land anyone on the preseason all-league team.

• UWM continues to be shorthanded, though, as Gulley has been sidelined by late October by a broken hand. The senior guard is expected to return as soon as next week.

• Rider is 3-3 this season and the Broncos beat Jacksonville Friday afternoon in the Puerto Vallerta.

Postgame Report - Milwaukee @ UALR

Recap
Rob Jeter Postgame Interview

Player Of The Game: Austin Arians did everything he could to keep the Panthers in the game. The freshman made three 3-pointers and scored 13 points, consistently hitting big shots to keep Milwaukee in touch with UALR. He also played 32 minutes, basically not leaving the game after entering early in the first half.

Turning Point: Milwaukee looked like it might be on the verge of tying the game with eight minutes to play, as Demetrius Harris scored on a follow-up basket after a missed three-pointer by Kyle Kelm. The whistle blew and it looked like Harris might be in line for a three-point play. Instead, Harris was whistled for the foul, the basket was wiped out, and the Panthers were outscored 17-4 the rest of the way.

Key Numbers: UWM never got itself going on offense. The Panthers shot just 32.7 percent from the field and had 19 turnovers. Milwaukee was near just 0.6 on points per possession after being near 0.96 over the first three games of the year.

News and Notes: Demetrius Harris scored 15 points in a return to his home state. This is the second-straight double-figure outing for the senior, who did not have a double-figure point game in 19 outings a year ago … Jordan Aaron has now been in double figures in all four games this year … three of UWM’s five starters did not score … Thieno Niang was limited to 17 minutes because of foul trouble … this game was part of the Hoops for Hope Classic which also saw Milwaukee play at South Carolina a week ago.

Up Next: UWM heads to Puerto Vallerta for games Saturday and Sunday. The Panthers play Jacksonville Saturday and Rider Sunday.

Postgame Report - Davidson at Milwaukee

Recap
Highlights
Press Conference
BGN Extra

Player Of The Game: Jordan Aaron was good, and Kyle Kelm made big plays down the stretch. But Demetrius Harris shined throughout. The senior tallied a collegiate-high 17 points and added six rebounds. He lept above the field to pull down the decisive defensive rebound and then knocked in two free throws to officially seal the win.

Turning Point: Milwaukee dug itself a seven-point hole early in the second half, with Davidson going up 41-34. The Wildcats actually had one possession to go up even more, but the Panthers got a stop and then Thierno Niang responded with a three to get Milwaukee back on track. The Panthers eventually tied the game at 41 and battled their way to the win.

Key Numbers: Free throw shooting didn’t go the way of Milwaukee last weekend in South Carolina, but the Panthers were solid from the line Saturday night. UWM made 24-of-32 overall, including 6-of-6 in the final two minutes.

News and Notes: Kyle Kelm scored 11 points off the bench, his second double-figure effort in three games this season … Thierno Niang collected 12 rebounds, the second double-figure rebounding effort by a Panther this season … UWM held Davidson to just 4-of-14 shooting from three-point range and to 35.6 percent shooting overall … the Panthers have won 20 of their last 21 games at the Klotsche Center … Milwaukee will play at Davidson next season.

Up Next: UWM starts a stretch of four-straight games away from home with a Monday night contest at Arkansas-Little Rock.

Postgame Report: Milwaukee vs. Western Michigan

Game #3 – Milwaukee 88, Western Michigan 79

Full Recap and Stats

Player Of The Game: When five players score in double figures - with one of them making 5-of-6 three-pointers - it's a little tougher to make the call. But with career-highs of 20 points and 14 rebounds (setting a career-best in points for the second straight game), it's hard not to give it to Ashley Green.

She joined Scott Warras on the radio following the contest, hear that interview HERE.

Play of the Game: After leading by as many as 12 in the first half and holding a comfortable cushion of between 5 and 10 in the second, the Broncos made one last push and cut the lead to just two with about three minutes left. That was when Angela Rodriguez calmly took back the momentum, burying a three from the wing on UWM's next possession to start a game-sealing 7-0 run.

Key Stats: It's a good sign when the fans get their free chips & queso (for at least 10 made UWM 3's) with over 8 minutes left in the game! UWM buried 13 of 18 from long-distance on the night, with the 72.2% the second-best percentage in a game from distance in program history.

News and Notes: Emily Decorah made 5-of-6 three-pointers to come close to the single-game record. The standard is 5-of-5, done twice. There has also been a 7-of-8 and a pair of 6-of-7's, with Decorah's % of .833 sixth. When Sammy Theut made a pair of free throws with just seconds remaining, it gave UWM five players in double-figures. The last time that happened was 106 games ago (!!!!!) against Loyola, Jan. 24, 2009. Theut also had a perfect night: she got her 11 points on 2-2 FG (1-1 3FG) and 6-6 free throws.

Up Next: The Panthers head to Puerto Rico for the San Juan Shootout! The 10-day forecast calls for 87 and cloudy the first few days.