Game #16 – Milwaukee 76, Butler 52
Player of the Game - When you accomplish something no one else has since 1993, you probably win this honor going away. Kaylon Williams had the first triple-double by a Panther since Marc Mitchell had two of them during the 1992-93 campaign, collecting 10 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists. His 10th assist came first, on a pass to Tone Boyle at the top of the key for a three. Then, rebound #10 and points 8-10 came on the same series. He chased down an offensive rebound during a long Panther possession and eventually buried a staredown three over Matt Howard as the shot clock ran down. On top of it all, Williams had just one turnover in 38 minutes.
Turning Point Matt Howard kept Butler in the game with 12 first-half points. But, he committed three fouls in the first 2:11 of the second half. The UWM lead was at nine when he left the game and at 18 when he returned about five minutes later. If Butler had any chance to be in the game, it evaporated during that five-minute span.
Stat That Mattered - There were a lot of good numbers to look at for the Panthers Monday night, but it is hard to overlook UWM’s 55.3 percent shooting. Milwaukee made 15-of-24 from inside the arc, consistently getting good looks in and around the paint. That was complemented by a solid 11-of-23 from three-point range.
The Notebook - Marc Mitchell is actually the only other UWM player to collect a Division I triple-double, having done it twice during the 1992-93 season … Kaylon Williams is the first Panther to have 10 or more assists in a game since Cyrus Caldwell had 11 against Fairleigh Dickinson in 1997 … this was the second time in four games UWM has had two players with 20 or more points, as Anthony Hill had 22 and Tony Meier 20 … Meier has now had three 20-point games in his last eight outings … Hill has now scored 18, 21, 15 and 22 points in his last four games against Butler … Milwaukee hit double figures in three-pointers made for the fourth time in six games … Tone Boyle has made 18 three-pointers in his last four games … UWM’s 55.3 percent shooting clip is its second-best of the season, and the fourth time the Panthers have shot better than 50 percent … Milwaukee won back-to-back games for the first time since winning three-straight Nov. 14-20 … Milwaukee and Butler have now split their last 22 meetings … not only did UWM end Butler’s 22-game Horizon League regular season winning streak, but the Panthers have now been responsible for the last two regular season league Butler losses … this was the largest margin of victory ever by the Panthers over Butler … Milwaukee is now 78-29 at The Cell since 2002-03, and is 73-18 in regular season league home contests over the last 11-plus seasons.
Up Next - Milwaukee returns to action at the end of the week, playing at Green Bay Saturday night at 7 p.m.
