UWM works overtime for 2nd straight win
UW-Milwaukee’s first winning streak under coach LaVall Jordan is finally in the books.
Cody Wichmann scored a career-high 23 points and Brock Stull added 19 as the Panthers knocked off Youngstown State, 94-85, in overtime at UW-Milwaukee Panther Arena on Sunday afternoon.
Brett Prahl’s putback with 2.4 seconds remaining tied the game at 75, and UWM scored the first eight points in overtime en route to its second consecutive hard-fought victory.
“We’ve spent a lot of time with this group talking about our mental toughness and our energy level,” said Jordan, whose team rode Stull’s jumper at the buzzer past Cleveland State, 63-62, on Friday night.
“Eleven of our 21 games now have been three possessions or less, and we’ve come out on other side more times. I think we’re figuring out a way to be determined enough, to make enough plays down the stretch to win these now. I’m just proud of this group for fighting and finding a way to finish it.”
Prahl added a careerhigh 18 points on 9-for-10 shooting for the Panthers (7-14, 3-5 Horizon League), who shot a season-best 57.8% from the floor.
Cam Harvey, who’d been mired in a horrible shooting slump, knocked down 6 of 8 shots and 3 of 4 three-pointers en route to a 15-point day. Point guard August Haas had seven points and a career-high nine assists without a turnover in 33 minutes. And Stull came close to registering a triple-double by also collecting nine rebounds and dishing out six assists in a team-high 42 minutes.
Prahl scored the Panthers’ last four points in regulation, and it was his offensive board and basket after Haas had his shot blocked in the lane that sent the Panthers to overtime for the second time in as many meetings this season with the Penguins (9-13, 3-6).
UWM lost, 88-87, in two overtimes at Youngstown State in the teams’ first meeting on Dec. 29.
Wichmann and Stull each knocked down threepointers right out of the chute in the extra session, and then Stull scored on a drive to cap an 8-0 run and stretch UWM’s lead to 8375.
The Panthers held the advantage the rest of the way, knocking down 9 of 12 free throws over the final 57 seconds to put the game out of reach.
“We really wanted to get this one,” said Wichmann, who hit 8 of 14 shots and 3 of 7 threes. “Hitting those two shots right away kind of set the tone for the whole overtime, and we never looked back after that.”
UWM shot a sizzling 62.1% in the second half and hit four of its five shots in overtime in registering a season high in points. In hitting 9 of 10 shots, Prahl re-took the Horizon League lead from teammate Bryce Nze in field-goal percentage at 74.4% (32 for 43).
In 19 total games, Prahl is shooting 66.2% while also providing some much-needed muscle in the post on the defensive end.
“Nine of 10 – that’s ridiculous,” Wichmann said with a laugh. “We have confidence in Brett. We’re going to keep throwing him the ball.”
Tip time was moved up two hours to noon so as to not conflict with the Green Bay Packers’ NFC Championship Game against the Atlanta Falcons. Still, attendance was listed at just 641.
“I’d like to thank all the fans that came out,” Jordan said. “It’s a big day here in Wisconsin. We thought it would be good to really test the loyalty of all our Panther fans by going the extra five minutes to see who was going to run up the stairwells to catch a TV set to catch the Packer game.”
Among those who hurried out of the building after taking care of his media obligations was Wichmann, a diehard Packers fan from Pulaski.
“Go Pack go,” Wichmann said as he headed for the door.