Well, that hurt. That hurt a lot. There is no way that a root canal can feel good. The same could be said for a season-ending loss at home in your conference tourney. We knew it would be a battle, and it was. Oakland was in control for the better part of the game and outlasted Milwaukee 72-64 in the Horizon League quarterfinal matchup. The Panthers were beaten up in the middle as Oakland’s Allen David Mukeba scored a perfect 9-9 from the field and 3-3 from the line, scoring 21 points and 7 rebounds. His frontcourt sidekick, Tuburu Naivalurua, wasn’t any kinder, as he pounded in 20 points and 6 rebounds.
Milwaukee was led by Themus Fulks, who scored 20 points and 6 assists, and Jamichael Stillwell, with 16 points, 8 rebounds, 6 assists, and 8 rebounds. Oakland’s zone defense harassed Milwaukee for the better part of the second half. The Panthers were down as much as 12, and with 15 minutes left in the second half, still hadn’t eclipsed the 40-point mark.
But thanks to the off-the-bench contributions of Johnny Lovelace, Jr. (11 points, including 3-3 from 3), the defense, and the crowd, MKE fought back to make it 62-60 with a little over 5 minutes left. Unfortunately, the Panthers only scored 4 more points the rest of the game as fans agonizingly watched as free throws and 3-point attempts rattled in and out.Â
The Achilles heel for Milwaukee all season was their 3-point shooting and, at times, their free throw percentage. In this quarterfinal matchup, these weak areas crept back into view at the worst time possible. Milwaukee shot 5-18 (27%) from deep and 3-12 (including a few bonus opportunities late) from the line. Jaylen Jones ended all doubt of any potential comeback by hitting a soul-crushing three (his second in 4 minutes) at the end of the shot clock to give Oakland a 70-64 lead with 54 seconds left.
Coach Bart Lundy reflected on a conversation he had with announcer Wayne Larirvee before the game. “I told him that some of our woes from 3 and the free throw line—if they came back at the wrong time, that could be a problem.” Unfortunately for the Panther program and fans, it was.Â
The big controversy all week in Milwaukee centered around the decision to play this quarterfinal game at the smaller Klotsche Center on campus. Oakland’s legendary coach Greg Kampe didn’t mind where the game was scheduled. He added, “There was not even a thought on my mind how this would affect us. In fact, we like it, and we thrive on it. I would rather play in an environment like this than play at a school with nobody here. We’ve been to Arkansas and Kansas, so that (game location) wasn’t going to affect us.” Conversely, the Grizzlies went 9-9 from the charity stripe and 7/18 from deep.
Oakland, after ending Milwaukee’s season for the second time in a row, goes on to face regular-season conference champion Robert Morris in Indianapolis. Milwaukee ends their season with a 21-11 record and will now start the daunting task of replacing half their roster (six seniors), not including any potential student-athletes with eligibility left who may leave. Kampe chimed in, “We want to walk off the floor with everyone’s (home fans) head down. We want that. We talk about doing things like that.”
Mission accomplished again, Coach.
