Tuesday, September 10, 2024
By GreenBayPhoenix.com
GREEN BAY - The Green Bay men's basketball team battled back down the stretch, but the final attempt from the Phoenix missed its mark, as UW-Milwaukee secured a 68-65 victory in the Horizon League opener Dec. 19 at the Kress Events Center.
Amari Davis caught fire early for Green Bay, scoring 15 of his team's first 19 points.
Davis finished with 18 points and buried a career-high four 3-pointers, which doubled his career total in a single game.
Davis attempted only five shots from long range.
Milwaukee led things at the break, 28-27, after converting on a 3-pointer, despite the Panthers missing their first eight attempts.
Milwaukee created some separation in the second half with a 12-2 run, sparked by six-straight points from Donovan Newby, bringing the Panthers’ advantage to 49-41 with 10 minutes to play.
A layup from Josh Jefferson, which gave him a career-high 21 points, was followed by a jumper from PJ Pipes and lowered Milwaukee's edge to two points, 61-59.
The Panthers scored the next seven points, seemingly putting the game out of reach at 68-59 with 17 seconds remaining.
However, Pipes and Lucas Stieber drained back-to-back triples to make it a one-possession game, 68-65, with 3.6 seconds remaining.
The Phoenix defense was able to create confusion on the Milwaukee inbound attempt, as the pass sailed out of bounds, giving Green Bay the ball with a chance to tie.
Jefferson took a final attempt, but the shot missed its mark.
Green Bay shot 39.1% overall (25-for-64) and 26.9% from beyond the arc (7-for-26), while the Panthers finished at 47.2% (25-for-53) and 23.5% from long range (4-for-17).
Donavan Moore made his Phoenix debut after the NCAA announced Dec. 16 all Division I transfers could immediately play.
The teams will play again Sunday, Dec. 20, at the Kress, with tip-off slated for 1 p.m.
The game will be streamed live on ESPN3.
