Milwaukee City Wire

The Milwaukee men's basketball team secured a 95-84 victory over Green Bay in the quarterfinals of the 2024 Barbasol Horizon League Championships. The game took place Thursday night at the Kress Center in Green Bay, Wisconsin.

BJ Freeman led the sixth-seeded Panthers with an impressive performance, scoring 32 points as they overcame the third-seeded Phoenix. This win advances Milwaukee to Indianapolis for the next stage of the postseason event.

Head coach Bart Lundy expressed pride in his team's journey through a challenging season marked by injuries. "I am proud of our guys," Lundy said. "To get these guys back healthy at this time and overcome all the bumps and bruises we took early and then to come and get a win like this and get back to Indy … it is great."

Freeman scored 21 of his points in the second half, contributing eight rebounds and five assists. His performance marks his ninth consecutive game scoring 20 or more points, including two straight games with over 30 points in postseason play.

Faizon Fields also made significant contributions with 19 points and nine rebounds, narrowly missing a double-double. Erik Pratt added another strong showing with 15 points, hitting all six free throw attempts while adding four assists.

For Green Bay, Noah Reynolds returned from injury to lead his team with 27 points and six assists. Coach Lundy noted, "It was great to see BJ and Reynolds on the floor together at the same time."

Milwaukee started strong but faced challenges when Green Bay rallied late in the first half. The Panthers maintained their composure despite trailing early in the second half before regaining control with an effective run that turned momentum decisively in their favor.

"Just a great college basketball game – great for the state," Lundy commented after calling a crucial timeout during Green Bay's surge.

The Panthers' offensive efficiency showed as they shot 52.5 percent from the field compared to Green Bay's 42.6 percent. They dominated inside play with a substantial advantage in paint points (54-36) and won on rebounds (39-35).

With this victory, Milwaukee moves forward to face No. 5 Northern Kentucky on March 11th at Indianapolis as part of their continued quest for championship success within Barbasol Horizon League Tournament Championships.