Wright has the right stuff

With Jake Wright setting the tone early, the UW-Milwaukee Panthers turned in a terrific offensive performance en route to a 79-70 victory over Albany on Friday night at UW-Milwaukee Panther Arena.

Wright hit 5 three-pointers in the opening 7 minutes 29 seconds of the game and UWM went on to set new season highs by shooting 58.5 percent from the field and 57.1 percent from three-point range in winning their second straight game in the Basketball Hall of Fame Belfast Classic.

A graduate transfer from Miami (Ohio), Wright finished with a career-high 23 points while hitting a career-high-tying 7 threes, one fewer than he’d hit in five total games coming in.

Darius Roy added 17 points, DeAndre Abram added 13 points and 12 rebounds for his third double-double of the season.

“For him to get off to the start he did was a really great lift for our team,” coach Pat Baldwin said of Wright. “It opens up lanes for guys like Darius, Carson (Warren-Newsome) and DeAndre to work, and then we can open up our playbook a little more as well.”

Wright, a native of Hopkins, Minnesota, began his college career at The Citadel and then played two years at Miami, knocking down 192 threes in his two previous stops before coming to Milwaukee.

His early outburst from long distance helped the Panthers (2-4) out to a 10-point lead that the Great Danes (2-4) had actually turned into a two-point halftime advantage at 41-39.

Wright hit his sixth three just 34 seconds into the second half to get UWM back in front, and a 10-0 run capped by Wright’s seventh three put the game out of reach.

“I knew I was due for a game like this and I wasn’t surprised when it happened,” said Wright. “I credit my teammates for finding me. It’s a lot more fun to have a successful game like that when you can celebrate it with your teammates.”