MILWAUKEE – BJ Freeman recorded the fifth triple-double in school history and
Kentrell Pullian scored a career-high 25 points to lead the Milwaukee men's basketball team to a come-from-behind 96-94 victory over Purdue Fort Wayne Thursday night at the Klotsche Center.
The Panthers (19-10, 13-6 Horizon League) caught fire against the Mastodons (16-14, 8-11 Horizon League) after halftime, digging out of a 10-point deficit by shooting 63.3 percent (19-of-30) from the floor and 53.3 percent (8-15) from the 3-point line over the final 20 minutes.
"We came in at halftime and thought our guys were down a little bit and we just said hey, let's go have fun and let's press 'em and let's get up and down a little bit," head coach
Bart Lundy said. "Our pressure was relentless and it was fun. Offensively, we got BJ (Freeman) in spots where he made plays and KP (Pullian) was awesome. They made enough offensive plays to score a lot of points and I thought our pressure really wore them down."
MKE turned a late 84-82 lead into a nine-point advantage at 91-82 with 1:14 left with a 7-0 run and held on from there, improving to a perfect 5-0 on campus this season.
Freeman finished the all-around effort with 19 points, tied his career-high with 11 assists, and set a career-best with 12 rebounds, achieving the first triple-double since Jordan Johnson (10 pts/10 reb/10 ast) turned the trick against Youngstown State nearly seven years to the date (2/22/16).
"Tonight, I thought, was possibly BJ's best game of the year," Lundy said. "He's had games where he has really scored, but he was rebounding on both sides of the ball and finding shooters. We just kept going back to it and he kept making different plays. I am really proud of him."
"I just trusted my teammates," Freeman said. "I didn't expect that to happen (the triple-double) … But I just trusted my teammates and kept dishing it to them and they kept knocking shots down. We put the work in and it showed tonight."
Pullian was huge, coming through with the game-high 25 points on 8-of-11 shooting overall, including an impressive 5-of-7 from three-point range.
The entire starting five finished in double-figures, with
Justin Thomas (14 points/4 rebounds/4 assists/4 steals),
Elijah Jamison (13 points), and
Ahmad Rand (12 points/4 rebounds) all joining in on the fun.
The 'Dons were led by 21 points from Jarred Godfrey, who missed a look at a three-pointer to end the game that appeared to come just after the horn sounded.
Down 10 at 43-33 as the first half closed and then after the first possession of the second half at 48-40, the Panthers turned it on. A 9-0 run was capped by back-to-back steals and dunks from Thomas, with the second slam giving MKE the 49-48 advantage and forcing a timeout from the visitors.
The game went back-and-forth from there, featuring two ties and 15 lead changes in the second half alone.
The turning point came with MKE trailing 73-70. Freeman converted a three-point play to draw even, then hit a fadeaway jumper from the free throw line to take the lead. Pullian added a three-pointer on the next possession and the Panthers would lead the rest of the way.
For the game, Milwaukee finished at 51.5 percent (34-of-66) from the floor and 41.9 percent (13-of-31) from distance. The team also dominated the glass to the tune of 37-25 and forced 15 turnovers. Purdue Fort Wayne closed at 55 percent (33-of-60) overall.
The final game of the regular season awaits next, with the Panthers hosting Cleveland State Saturday at UWM Panther Arena. Following results from across the Horizon League tonight, Milwaukee can guarantee itself a second-place finish with a victory and still has the possibility to share a regular-season title depending on other results Saturday. Tip time against the Vikings is set for 7 p.m.
