Post by Cactus Panther on Dec 6, 2022 21:28:28 GMT -6
UWM has its five-game winning streak snapped in loss to Chattanooga
Curt Hogg
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
A non-conference trip to Tennessee brought with it a dose of reality for UW-Milwaukee .
The Panthers, riding high on their first five-game winning streak in nearly a decade, found themselves in a sizable hole early and couldn’t dig their way out in a 88-76 loss to Chattanooga on Tuesday night at McKenzie Arena.
Kentral Pullian hit six three-pointers and led UWM (7-4) with 24 points and Markeith Browning II added 17 but it wasn’t nearly enough as the Panthers were forced to play catch-up from the opening tip.
The Mocs (6-3) jumped out to a 16-2 lead and stretched their advantage to as many as 24 points in the first half, ultimately taking a 44-21 lead into the break. The Panthers turned the ball over 12 times in the first half while shooting just 30.8 percent while the Mocs turned it over only three times.
There was no answer from the Panthers for Chattanooga center Jake Stephens, who came in averaging 21 points and 9.1 rebounds per game. He torched UWM for 31 points on 11-for-21 shooting to go along with 13 rebounds and three blocks.
“They were getting it to Stephens and we couldn’t stop him,” Panthers head coach Lundy said. “They do a good job of surrounding him with shooters, so it’s pick your poison whether you want to double him or not. That kid’s going to make a lot of money and for good reason.”
The loss was UWM’s first since Nov. 23 against St. Thomas. The Panthers had won each of their last five games, the first time they had done so in a single season since 2014.
Their offense put the pedal down in the second half in a furious attempt to claw back, scoring 55 points on 55.6% shooting from the field and hitting 10 of 18 three-point attempts. Pullian and Zach Howell drained 3 triples each as UWM worked back to within 12 with 6:34 to play.
“I told them after the game this was bound to happen at some point with all these new guys playing together,” Lundy said. “We were bound to get down at some point and we did. How would we react? It was good to see us fight and still play hard. We moved the ball better, got open shots, pressured them, made the game our speed and just played together.”
The problem for the Panthers? They couldn’t force enough stops in a row from the Mocs.
Coming off their best showing against a Division-I team in the turnover battle of the season Saturday against IUPUI, the Panthers only forced eight turnovers while committing 15 leading to 24 points.
“I thought we were flat and didn’t play together in the first half,” Lundy said. “We had a tough time with their matchup zone and didn’t get a lot of ball movement or player movement. They're really hard to guard to begin with and then if you give them all those points off turnovers, it’s tough.”
Curt Hogg
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
A non-conference trip to Tennessee brought with it a dose of reality for UW-Milwaukee .
The Panthers, riding high on their first five-game winning streak in nearly a decade, found themselves in a sizable hole early and couldn’t dig their way out in a 88-76 loss to Chattanooga on Tuesday night at McKenzie Arena.
Kentral Pullian hit six three-pointers and led UWM (7-4) with 24 points and Markeith Browning II added 17 but it wasn’t nearly enough as the Panthers were forced to play catch-up from the opening tip.
The Mocs (6-3) jumped out to a 16-2 lead and stretched their advantage to as many as 24 points in the first half, ultimately taking a 44-21 lead into the break. The Panthers turned the ball over 12 times in the first half while shooting just 30.8 percent while the Mocs turned it over only three times.
There was no answer from the Panthers for Chattanooga center Jake Stephens, who came in averaging 21 points and 9.1 rebounds per game. He torched UWM for 31 points on 11-for-21 shooting to go along with 13 rebounds and three blocks.
“They were getting it to Stephens and we couldn’t stop him,” Panthers head coach Lundy said. “They do a good job of surrounding him with shooters, so it’s pick your poison whether you want to double him or not. That kid’s going to make a lot of money and for good reason.”
The loss was UWM’s first since Nov. 23 against St. Thomas. The Panthers had won each of their last five games, the first time they had done so in a single season since 2014.
Their offense put the pedal down in the second half in a furious attempt to claw back, scoring 55 points on 55.6% shooting from the field and hitting 10 of 18 three-point attempts. Pullian and Zach Howell drained 3 triples each as UWM worked back to within 12 with 6:34 to play.
“I told them after the game this was bound to happen at some point with all these new guys playing together,” Lundy said. “We were bound to get down at some point and we did. How would we react? It was good to see us fight and still play hard. We moved the ball better, got open shots, pressured them, made the game our speed and just played together.”
The problem for the Panthers? They couldn’t force enough stops in a row from the Mocs.
Coming off their best showing against a Division-I team in the turnover battle of the season Saturday against IUPUI, the Panthers only forced eight turnovers while committing 15 leading to 24 points.
“I thought we were flat and didn’t play together in the first half,” Lundy said. “We had a tough time with their matchup zone and didn’t get a lot of ball movement or player movement. They're really hard to guard to begin with and then if you give them all those points off turnovers, it’s tough.”
