This game at Fort Wayne got off to a great start for the Panthers.
A smooth BJ Freeman triple got things going for us offensively. Then, a Freeman (15pts, 7reb, 2ast) breakaway dunk let Purdue Ft. Wayne know we meant business. Then Jalen Johnson with a couple floater finishes including a textbook And1 showed up in the post. The Panthers quickly built a 6-point cushion and road it into half.
All was going well- except our perimeter shooting... (~8%). 😐
In the second half, Milwaukee would build upon that lead. Markeith Browing (14pts, 4reb, 5stl) slashed, sliced and gashed through the Mastodon interior, seemingly finding invisible lanes, and making his own lane (without charging) when needed.
Fortunately for Purdue-Ft Wayne, Damian Chong-Qui (16pts, 7reb) torched the Panthers in some of this game's most critical moments which kept PFW in it almost to the end. I was afraid that we would get into foul trouble late allowing he and Jared Godfrey (22pts, 4reb) to take over the game and the lead by the end.
(But the only thing in the cards today was Panther Victory).
The beginning of the second half featured 7'0" Moses Bol (7pts, 2reb, 2blk) getting into the action with big swats and 3-3 shooting. Normally Bol doesn't get many minutes, but he made excellent use of his run today.
A late second half lull filled with costly offensive turnovers and defensive lapses almost let the lead disintegrate. The Mastodons got to within 4. Though Milwaukee would soon break away yet again (with another Markeith Browing lane slash for 2 and a Kentrell Pullian triple) -- and expand the lead to 9.
After a bit of lack defense allowed the Mastodons to get within 6 with 3:12 remaining in the game, another Pullian (19pts, 3reb, 3stl) three with 4:30 left reeled victory back in, and your Milwaukee Panthers return home today with a 3-game winning streak and possession of 1st place in the Horizon. Not bad, hey?
Let's keep it rolling this Thursday night as the Panthers begin a 4 game homestand with a game against familiar Horizon foe Northern Kentucky. NKU moved into this league a few years ago and they have kind of taken it by storm in that time, in many ways...
Let's change that trajectory.
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