Bruins have too much muscle

Panthers can’t match size, strength inside

The UW-Milwaukee Panthers certainly didn’t back into the holidays, wrapping up their nonconference slate with a matchup against perennial mid-major power Belmont on Monday night.

And while the effort was there for 40 minutes, they were ultimately unable to overcome their lack of size and muscle in the paint. Evan Bradds had 18 points and nine rebounds and Amanze Egekeze 14 points and 14 rebounds as Belmont downed UWM, 62-56, at UW-Milwaukee Panther Arena.

It was the fourth consecutive loss for the Panthers (4-9). Jeremiah Bell and Jeremy Johnson came off the bench to lead the way with 10 points apiece, while Cody Wichmann, Brock Stull and Bryce Barnes each added eight.

“I thought we played with a lot of passion tonight,” coach LaVall Jordan said. “We just have to consistently get that. We’re cleaning up a lot of the details. There’s many areas that we need to grow in.”

UWM was able to avoid the slow start that doomed it in its dismal 75-59 loss to Western Illinois on Saturday, which is what Jordan alluded to in his opening comments. The Panthers opened a 25-17 lead, with seven different players scoring from the field over that span.

Belmont (5-4), which had its game scheduled for Saturday at UW-Green Bay postponed due to the winter storm, responded with three consecutive threepointers to grab the lead. Then a Bradds jump hook capped a 13-0 Bruins run that made it 30-25.

UWM held Belmont scoreless the rest of the half, and a threepointer by August Haas sent the Panthers into intermission trailing, 30-28.

Arrowhead product Bryce Nze made his second start up

front as UWM again played without starter Brett Prahl, who is in concussion protocol after a collision in a loss at Ohio last week. But Nze played only three minutes after picking up two early fouls, and backup Dan Studer didn’t fare well.

While Prahl is averaging just 2.6 rebounds per game on the season, his 6foot-9 frame was missed against a longer Belmont team. Largely by crashing the offensive boards, the Bruins scored 10 of the first 12 points — all by Egekeze and Bradds — coming out of halftime to open their biggest lead of the game at 40-30.

“Give Belmont credit,” Jordan said. “They’re a good team. It was tough to

guard (Bradds) without fouling, and once Dan and Nze went down early we were forced to play really small and our flow got disrupted in terms of manufacturing offense.”

UWM hung tough and actually had a chance to make it a one-possession game with just under 9 minutes to go, but Studer missed consecutive pointblank layup attempts. Belmont then responded with a Dylan Windler three on the other end to stretch it to 49-42.

The Panthers scored six straight points late, pulling to within 58-54 on a Stull three with 56.3 seconds remaining. They again got within four on a Bell layup with 21 seconds left, but Taylor Barnette’s two free throws on the other end put the game out of reach.

UWM shot just 37.5% for the game, and went shot only two free throws.

The Panthers did score 30 points in the paint, however, with most coming via the drive.

“I thought we drove it, and we had opportunities at the rim,” said Jordan. “Missed a couple, made a couple. That’s an area we have to work in, just being able to finish there more with contact.

“They’re going to call some, and sometimes they aren’t. That’s why you’ve got to drive for the score, not the call. But I was pleased with the way we attacked the paint.”

UWM doesn’t return to action until Dec. 29, when it opens Horizon League play at Youngstown State.

“We’ve got some time now before conference play begins,” Jordan said. “The great thing about that is you’re back to 0-0, and you have a menu of things you need to work on and you see how people are playing you, so you can

combat that and counter and get ready for conference play.”