Milwaukee City Wire

The Milwaukee men's basketball team secured a spot in the 2024 Barbasol Horizon League Championship after defeating Northern Kentucky 82-75. The game, held at Indiana Farmers Coliseum, saw the Panthers overcome a 15-point deficit to claim victory.

Milwaukee's second-half performance was pivotal, with a 16-2 scoring run turning the tide in their favor. Head coach Bart Lundy acknowledged the challenge posed by Northern Kentucky, stating, "First of all, we talked a lot about Northern Kentucky and the job they do year-in, year-out. I have the utmost respect for Coach Horn and their program – we knew that we had a huge task ahead of us."

BJ Freeman played a crucial role, scoring 22 of his 27 points in the second half. His efforts helped Milwaukee shoot 54.8 percent after intermission and maintain a significant rebounding advantage. Freeman extended his streak of scoring over 20 points to ten games, tying a school record from 1990-91.

Faizon Fields also contributed significantly with 16 points and matching his career-high of 16 rebounds. "Faizon was huge," Lundy said. "It seemed like every big rebound that we needed, he got it." Fields' performance included three blocks and marked his sixth double-double of the season.

Kentrell Pullian added ten points, five rebounds, and three assists for Milwaukee. On the defensive end, they limited Marques Warrick to just four points on poor shooting.

Northern Kentucky initially led with scores of 9-2 and 20-10 before Milwaukee narrowed the gap to four points. Despite trailing by as much as 15 points in the first half, Milwaukee managed to reduce the deficit to seven by halftime.

The Panthers shot nearly 46 percent from the floor while holding Northern Kentucky under 40 percent shooting for the game.

With this win, Milwaukee advances to face Oakland in the championship game scheduled for Tuesday at 6 p.m. CST on ESPN.