Riding into town with an improbable 6 game winning streak, your Milwaukee Panthers were quickly humbled Saturday afternoon against #14 Butler at Hinkle Arena in Indianapolis, IN. Despite UWM's recent string of success, this game really wasn't expected to go any other way. Milwaukee was playing its 3rd game in 5 days, and 5th game in less than 10.
Fatigue had obviously set in by the time the Bulldogs welcomed the (coming in) white hot Panther team. But excuses are not in the vocabulary of real champions so we'll leave them at the door. All that matters is yes, we lost- and this game was not very pretty; both teams played a rather lackluster brand of basketball (considering what each is capable of).
UWM was lead by senior Paige Paulsen, who while going 4-6 from long distance, didn't see (or shoot) the ball enough to score more than the 12pts he tallied. Early foul trouble limited Marcus Skinner to only 12 minutes and hindered the Panthers chance of an upset only minutes into the first half. Milwaukee didn't exactly put on a shooting clinic (20-57 (.351) from the field), and Butler countered every comeback effort with a demoralizing three pointer or easy back door lay in.
Butler's AJ Graves scored only 11 with a single assist, but Pete Campbell (15pts) and Matt Howard (17pts, 7rbs) more than supplemented Graves' meager contribution. There isn't a whole lot more to say other than that Milwaukee was outmatched, outplayed, and quickly shown their way out of the gym.
Always trying to look for silver linings, I will only say that this defeat, while deflating a team that was burgeoning with confidence, will make the Feb. 12th contest at the Arena vs. the Bulldogs, that much more exciting. UWM already has payback on their mind (Loyola and UIC are also on that short list). Let's keep it short!
It's amazing to think that even after dropping this game, the Panthers still boast a winning record and are in 5th place in the Horizon League (with a great opportunity to move back into 3rd should they finish January with another string of victories). While UWM suffered defeat this past Saturday, the Green Bay Packers annihilated the Seattle Seahawks at Lambeau field and now face the Giants after a surprising Dallas Cowboys loss.
This coming weekend, let's hope both the Packers and the Panthers make it a special day to be a Wisconsin sports fan. UW-Green Bay is in the midst of a bit of a slide, but don't expect them to lay down. They will make Milwaukee work to get back in the win column. Tune in and watch our team continue this season's 180 degree turnaround.
This is the last stop of a long 4 game road trip. Every game counts- should the Panthers win this one, this season will already be one game better than last year.
Fatigue had obviously set in by the time the Bulldogs welcomed the (coming in) white hot Panther team. But excuses are not in the vocabulary of real champions so we'll leave them at the door. All that matters is yes, we lost- and this game was not very pretty; both teams played a rather lackluster brand of basketball (considering what each is capable of).
UWM was lead by senior Paige Paulsen, who while going 4-6 from long distance, didn't see (or shoot) the ball enough to score more than the 12pts he tallied. Early foul trouble limited Marcus Skinner to only 12 minutes and hindered the Panthers chance of an upset only minutes into the first half. Milwaukee didn't exactly put on a shooting clinic (20-57 (.351) from the field), and Butler countered every comeback effort with a demoralizing three pointer or easy back door lay in.
Butler's AJ Graves scored only 11 with a single assist, but Pete Campbell (15pts) and Matt Howard (17pts, 7rbs) more than supplemented Graves' meager contribution. There isn't a whole lot more to say other than that Milwaukee was outmatched, outplayed, and quickly shown their way out of the gym.
Always trying to look for silver linings, I will only say that this defeat, while deflating a team that was burgeoning with confidence, will make the Feb. 12th contest at the Arena vs. the Bulldogs, that much more exciting. UWM already has payback on their mind (Loyola and UIC are also on that short list). Let's keep it short!
It's amazing to think that even after dropping this game, the Panthers still boast a winning record and are in 5th place in the Horizon League (with a great opportunity to move back into 3rd should they finish January with another string of victories). While UWM suffered defeat this past Saturday, the Green Bay Packers annihilated the Seattle Seahawks at Lambeau field and now face the Giants after a surprising Dallas Cowboys loss.
This coming weekend, let's hope both the Packers and the Panthers make it a special day to be a Wisconsin sports fan. UW-Green Bay is in the midst of a bit of a slide, but don't expect them to lay down. They will make Milwaukee work to get back in the win column. Tune in and watch our team continue this season's 180 degree turnaround.
This is the last stop of a long 4 game road trip. Every game counts- should the Panthers win this one, this season will already be one game better than last year.
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