Chandler Jackson scored 23 points to help the Milwaukee Panthers men’s basketball team secure a 75-72 win over Green Bay on Sunday at UWM Panther Arena. Stevie Elam contributed with a key steal and two free throws in the final seconds, sealing the victory for Milwaukee.
“We finished more plays in the second half,” head coach Bart Lundy said. “It’s been a struggle with us trying to find an identity with all of the injuries and to see Chandler (Jackson) have the week he has had … at Thanksgiving, he was going to redshirt and now he’s averaged 24 points the past couple of games and really done a great job.”
The Panthers, who represent University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee athletics and compete in NCAA Division I through the Horizon League, overcame an eight-point deficit after halftime by scoring 50 points in the second half. The team is based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin (official website).
“We’ve had a little bit of a rocky road with this group,” Lundy said. “Good coaches say you need to have a group that you can lose with – and we have done our share of losing over the past six weeks – and I tell you what, Stevie Elam, Chandler Jackson, and Pip (Esyah Pippa-White) … those guys are guys you love to win with but you can also lose with and this is the product of that because they just kept getting better and kept fighting. We won at IU Indy, but we needed this to get some momentum. Confidence is a crazy thing, and this is a confident group now.”
The lead changed nine times during the second half. Amar Augillard put Milwaukee ahead for good at 73-72 with less than half a minute remaining. Elam then stole possession on Green Bay’s final drive before making both free throws.
“Let’s start with the crowd, first of all – that was a great crowd,” Lundy said. “Thank you to the Milwaukee folks that came out and even thank you to the Green Bay fans. That’s what it should be … an in-state rivalry – that was fantastic. That was great for our school and our program and we were are fortunate to come out on top.”
Jackson shot 6-of-10 from the field, including three three-pointers, added six rebounds, and made all eight free throw attempts. Elam scored 11 points along with five rebounds while hitting all six of his free throws.
“And then Stevie (Elam) … the play at the end and then being able to sink the free throws,” Lundy said. “That’s a freshman. But I am not surprised he made that play.”
Other contributions included nine points from Augillard (7-for-7 from free throw line), eight points plus seven rebounds from Faizon Fields, and seven points along with seven assists by Esyah Pippa-White.
Green Bay’s Marcus Hall led all scorers with 32 points—a career high—while Preston Ruedinger added 12.
Milwaukee struggled offensively early but trailed by only six at halftime before rallying after intermission.
“I thought the first half offensively, we really struggled,” Lundy said. “I thought we were getting good looks, we just weren’t playing with enough force inside, and we weren’t making open three’s.”
Despite shooting only 42 percent compared to Green Bay’s 52 percent overall accuracy for the game, Milwaukee made nearly half its three-point attempts (47 percent) as well as over 81 percent from the foul line—including nearly 92 percent after halftime—and committed only six turnovers.
The Panthers have now won five of their last six games against Green Bay despite leading for less than two minutes total during Sunday’s contest.
Milwaukee next travels for two away games beginning Friday against Detroit Mercy.
