In the final non-conference game for both teams, Milwaukee travelled to Kalamazoo to take on the Western Michigan Broncos. This was a rematch of last year’s triple overtime thriller, and the fourth consecutive year that the two schools have squared off on the hardwood. On Sunday afternoon, the Panthers avenged last year’s defeat and left Kalamazoo with a 71-63 victory.
Western Michigan rode the deep ball to create an early lead in this game. Greg Lee hit a pair of triples, and B. Artis White added a third to give the Broncos a 13-7 in the first segment of the game. The Broncos’ ball movement was far superior to Milwaukee early, as their shots were more open. As a result, they were hitting shots, even the “tougher” ones.
The Panthers responded with a 7-0 run that was spearheaded by DeAndre Gholston. Much like two days earlier in the Kansas State game, the JUCO transfer from Tallahassee CC asserted himself in the scoring column. Gholston hit a tough mid-range shot, and he followed that up with a triple. Amir Allen’s low-post shot gave the Panthers the lead back. Milwaukee capitalized on a WMU scoring drought that lasted nearly four and a half minutes, before Jason Whitens buried a triple.
That Whitens triple was the start of a 7-0 WMU run to regain the lead. The scoring simmered at the midway point of the first half, as both teams failed to score for three minutes of game play. Foul trouble and free throw shooting allowed Western Michigan to stay in the game. The Broncos remained within a basket of Milwaukee despite this six-minute field goal drought, finding their scoring at the free throw line. Milwaukee committed thirteen fouls in the first half alone, causing Coach Baldwin to use a plethora of new lineup combinations with players in foul trouble.
Amir Allen battled in the low post offensively for Milwaukee in the first half. He was a perfect 2/2 from the field and went 4/5 from the free throw line to give himself eight points and six rebounds in the first twenty minutes. This offense helped lift the Panthers to a 40-32 halftime lead.
The second half saw offensive struggles on both sides early. In the opening eight minutes, Milwaukee outscored WMU 11-10, as neither team really found a rhythm. The Panthers were 1/8 from the floor in this stretch, while the Broncos had a two and a half minute scoring drought.
After the Panthers stretched their lead out to nine with ten minutes to play, Greg Lee started to will the Broncos back into the ball game. The senior graduate transfer from Cal Bakersfield score on consecutive possessions to draw the game within four points.
Keeping a handle on the basketball was an issue for Milwaukee in WMU’s comeback, as they turned the ball over three times in four possessions. They also forced some tough shots that did not fall, and during the nearly three-minute scoring drought, the Broncos were able to get within a field goal. Fortunately for Milwaukee, the Broncos were amid their own dry spell, so they could not even the score. Donovan Newby broke the Panthers’ drought with a basket with four minutes to go.
The WMU field goal drought continued, and Te’Jon Lucas hit a big field goal with 1:55 to go to put Milwaukee back in front by six, their largest lead in nearly six minutes. Courtney Brown Jr.’s three-point basket on the right side of the floor with 1:06 to play pushed Milwaukee ahead by nine, and it was the dagger in this Panthers’ victory. The Broncos would get back within six points on two different occasions, but never any closer.
Te’Jon Lucas struggled shooting the basketball (5/16, 0/3 from deep), but he was 6/8 from the free throw line to finish with a team high sixteen points. He had ten points in the second half alone. DeAndre Gholston chipped in thirteen points, and CJ Wilbourn had an eleven-point effort in his 2020-21 debut.
For Western Michigan, Greg Lee led the team with eighteen points on 6/14 shooting. B. Artis White added seventeen points, while Jason Whitens finished with 16.
Next up for Milwaukee is Horizon League play next weekend at Green Bay. Western Michigan will begin MAC play on Friday when they welcome Central Michigan.
TAKEAWAYS FOR MILWAUKEE
MKE Starting Lineup Tracker—Coach Pat Baldwin dialed up the same starting lineup for the second game in a row. Te’Jon Lucas, Josh Thomas, Courtney Brown Jr., DeAndre Gholston and Amir Allen all started once again for the team on Sunday after being the opening five against Kansas State on Friday night.
MKE Rotation Tracker: Tafari Simms and Devon Hancock were the first Panthers off the bench two and a half minutes into this game. Grant Coleman checked in on the ensuing dead ball. Donovan Newby was the fourth Panther off the bench, all substitutions happening within about the first three minutes of the game. Kaleim Taylor checked in near the midway point of the first half, and CJ Wilbourn made his debut a minute later after missing the Kansas State game on Friday night. In the second half, Newby (10), Wilbourn (10) and Coleman (9) led the way in terms of minutes played off of the bench.
Gholston’s Still Got It: Gholston provided that 5-0 spark right after the first media timeout of the game that seemed to bring a sense of confidence back to the MKE offense. Foul trouble limited his first half impact, but in the second half he added seven more points. While Te’Jon Lucas may be the most heralded weapon on this team, I would trust Gholston with a late-game shot after the first two games. He has comfortably assumed the #2 scoring role that Darius Roy held a season ago.
CJ Wilbourn’s Return: After missing the Kansas State game on Friday, CJ Wilbourn made his season debut on Sunday. He played seventeen minutes and was extremely efficient. He led the team in +/- (+20), adding eleven points on 4/5 shooting and 3/3 from the free throw line. Wilbourn also had six rebounds, including four on the offense end.
Lineup Shuffle: In the first half, the Panthers committed thirteen fouls. Four Panthers (Coleman, Gholston, Taylor and Sims) were limited in their time on the floor with a pair of fouls, and that caused Coach Pat Baldwin to use some different lineup combinations. This is probably a good thing for the team, as they are playing only their second game of the year. It also helps to write in hindsight with the Panthers being able to weather that turmoil to an eight-point halftime lead.
TAKEAWAYS FOR WMU
WMU Starting Lineup Adjustment—Coach Clayton Bates rolled out the following starting lineup on Sunday: B. Artis White, William Boyer-Richard, Titus Wright, Greg Lee and Jason Whitens. This was different than Saturday’s lineup that saw Rafael Cruz and Josiah Freeman start instead of Boyer-Richard and Whitens. Whitens responded well with a sixteen-point night, but Boyer-Richard got stuck in early foul trouble and never got going. Cruz had eight points on nine shots, while Freeman missed all three of his field goal tries.
Live and Die by the Three—This Broncos’ team is still extremely reliant on the deep ball. Milwaukee is a team that has struggled inside defensively this year, but WMU still saw an early reliance on deep shots. In the first half, eleven of their twenty-three field goals were from deep. They cooled off in the second half, going three of ten from beyond the arc. Overall, 21/51 field goals attempts were from deep and they hit nine. While they moved the ball inside more in the second half with the reemergence of Titus Wright, the three-point dependency without a lights out shooter could be a problem going forward.
First Half Fouls: Three Broncos starters picked up two fouls in the first half. Greg Lee remained in the lineup and scored eight points, but Brandon Boyer-Richard and Titus Wright were absent from the floor for nearly the entirety of the half. Wright’s presence was missed as Amir Allen took off for 11 first half points for the Panthers inside, and the Panthers had four offensive rebounds and nine second chance points. Wright and Boyer-Richard never quite got going in this game, as Wright scored three points in 27 minutes (1/5 shooting), while Boyer-Richard only played six minutes without a field goal attempted.
B.Artis Blossoms: The sophomore guard has continued to evolve as a go-to scoring threat for the Broncos. White is averaging 14.2 points per game, after going 4/7 from deep today. He is shooting 44.4% from beyond the arc, and if he can continue to score at this mark, the Broncos have a lethal scoring combination with White and Wright.
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