There’s no place like home. There’s no place like home. At home, everything is familiar; you know what’s in the fridge, you call all the shots, and you have your favorite spot on the couch. The basket also seems a lot kinder at home. The Panthers remained undefeated at home (8-0) this season by fighting past their state rival Green Bay 70-59. Milwaukee played without Double-Double aficionado Jamichael Stillwell, who sat out with an injury. But Themus Fulks led four Panthers in double figures with a 14-point, 5-assist, and 6-rebounds effort. Kentrell Pullian poured in 13 points and 10 rebounds. John Lovelace Jr. and Erik Pratt each added 10 points.
Although Milwaukee had trouble putting away the undermanned Phoenix, they’ll take any conference win; however, they can get it.
They did not get that challenging dub early in the week in Indiana. Milwaukee went 1-1 for the second week in a row after a Tuesday night loss at Purdue Fort Wayne, 78-73. The Panthers were again led by Fulks and Pullian, who scored 18 and 16 points, respectively. “The Rim Reaper” tallied another double-double with a 15-point, 11-rebound work shift. However, Milwaukee was handcuffed by shooting 38% from the field while committing 15 turnovers. The Mastodons remained undefeated at home themselves, thanks to guards Jalen Jackson and Rasheed Bello. The guards combined for 48 points, 13 rebounds, 3 blocks, and 4 steals. The loss dropped Milwaukee to 2-2 on the road in the Horizon Conference this season.
The Good
Balanced Scoring: In both games this week, Milwaukee shared the wealth with the pill. The Panthers had 4 players in double figures each game, including valuable contributions off the pine.
Rebounding: The Panthers outrebounded the Mastodons by 14 and 5 Saturday against the Phoenix, without Stillwell.
“Return of the Mack”: Speaking of rebounding, Faizon Fields made his return to the court after being out with an injury since late November in the Cream City Challenge. The big man was a welcomed sight and will be needed for the Horizon stretch run. Fields had 3 points and 7 rebounds vs. Purdue Fort Wayne and 6 points, 3 rebounds, and 2 blocks against Green Bay.
Charity Stripe: The Panthers shot 68% and 76% from the line last week. After Saturday’s win, Fulks stated, “We were getting fouled, and free throws are a part of the game, and I feel like we all as a group took advantage of it and made our free throws.”.
The Bad:
Down and Out, From Deep: Milwaukee again struggled from 3-point land in both games, shooting 30% vs. Purdue Fort Wayne and 31.3% vs. Green Bay.
Pass The Pill: In 2 games last week, Milwaukee only had a combined 18 assists. That number will need to improve significantly as the season goes on.
Second-Half Shooting: The Panthers’ shooting percentage from the field dropped off in the second half of both games. Against the outmatched Phoenix, MKE shot 50% in the first half but only 33% in the second. In Fort Wayne, Milwaukee shot 41% in the first half and experienced a slight drop off with 35% in the second half. After the tough home win vs. Green Bay, Lundy stated, “If we weren’t guarding and rebounding, the offense would be a major problem, but we’ll get there”.
Players of the Week
Offense: Themus (“Fulks Arounds and Finds Out”) Fulks again wins Player of the Week honors on the offensive end. Fulks scored 18 points and 4 rebounds vs Purdue Fort Wayne. On Saturday, Fulks followed up with a 14-point, 5-assist, and 6-rebound effort, which included his 1,000 career points.
Defense: Kentrell Pullian must have been hanging out with Stillwell lately. KP stuffed the stat sheet last week by recording his own pair of double-doubles. Pullian snatched 12 rebounds vs the Mastodons and 10 vs the Phoenix, from the guard position.
Pine to Prime (Bench): Erik Pratt continues to be a hired gun off the bench for Milwaukee. EP scored 10 points and 3 rebounds vs. Purdue Fort Wayne. But he was even better Saturday in Milwaukee, collecting 10 points, 5 rebounds, 4 steals, and 2 assists.
Next Up:
Milwaukee gets a short break before welcoming Youngstown State to Panther Arena next Friday at 7 pm.
