Milwaukee’s men’s basketball team faced a challenging game against Longwood at the Brock Center in Farmville, Virginia. Despite Kentrell Pullian’s 19-point performance, the Panthers were unable to overcome their shooting difficulties and lost 76-62 to the Lancers.
The Panthers, now with a record of 1-2, kept the game competitive and narrowed Longwood’s lead to five points midway through the second half. However, a decisive scoring run by Longwood extended their advantage back to 15 points with six minutes remaining. The Lancers maintained a double-digit lead for the rest of the game.
“There are some things that we have to clean up,” said Milwaukee head coach Bart Lundy. “Obviously, the turnovers weren’t good (MKE had 20), but the way the game was called, it was really physical. I am not upset about this. We can clean up the turnovers.”
Pullian contributed significantly with his scoring and free throw accuracy, going 6-of-8 from the line and grabbing four rebounds. AJ McKee also scored in double figures with 16 points.
Lundy emphasized improvements needed on defense: “We have to be a little cleaner with the defense… But they have to get in the gym and shoot until their arms fall off … we have to make some shots.”
Longwood’s Johan Nziemi led his team with 16 points off the bench and made significant contributions from free throws, converting on ten out of fourteen attempts. The home team attempted twice as many free throws as Milwaukee.
In total, there were 53 fouls called during this physical matchup. The Panthers struggled offensively early on but managed to cut down Longwood’s lead before halftime after falling behind by nine points.
Milwaukee improved slightly in shooting during the second half but ultimately could not keep pace with Longwood’s offense. Overall, MKE shot just under 36 percent from field goals and below 20 percent from three-point range.
The Panthers will conclude their road trip next Tuesday when they face Duquesne at 6 p.m. CT.
