MILWAUKEE - Jordan Johnson scored the final seven points of the game for the Milwaukee men's basketball team, leading it to a thrilling 95-94 victory over Green Bay Friday night at UWM Panther Arena.
 
The Panthers (15-7, 6-3 Horizon League) trailed the Phoenix (13-9, 5-4 Horizon League) by four points with less than two minutes remaining. That's when Johnson took over, accounting for seven of the final nine points of the game for either side. His layup and free throw completed a three-point go-ahead play with just 4.6 seconds left on the clock.
 
"If you are a basketball fan and like to see a lot of points scored, good guard play, a lot of shots going in … this was your game," Milwaukee head coach Rob Jeter said. "We've been on the other end of too many of these games this year and it's really refreshing to be on this end."
 
Johnson finished with 17 points and eight assists, playing all 40 minutes of the contest. He tallied 10 of UWM's final 12 points on the night. Austin Arians stroked five three-pointers on his way to 20 points and Matt Tiby also had 20 points and added six rebounds and five assists.
 
"This time I didn't call timeout," Jeter said about the final basket by Johnson. "We had the ball, let Jordy and the guys play it out and he made a heck of a play. Went down the lane, got fouled and got the three-point play."
 
Akeem Springs, who missed last game due to injury, was back in the starting lineup and contributed 16 points and seven rebounds and sealed the victory when he came up with the loose-ball hustle rebound following his own miss from the free throw line and ran out the final ticks of the clock.
 
All five Phoenix starters were in double-figures, led by Carrington Love with a game-high 24 points. Jordan Fouse added a double-double of 19 points and 12 boards.
 
Milwaukee kept sinking 3's – it finished with 10 on the day – and managed to stay ahead as the second half carried on, but Green Bay would not go away. The Panthers led by as many as 10 on a layup by Springs, but a 12-4 spurt by the Phoenix made it a brand-new game at 68-68 with just over 10 minutes to play and a jumper in transition capped a 14-4 spree and gave the visitors their first lead – at 72-70 – since late in the first half.
 
The visitors made an unreal 73.3 percent (22-of-30) of their second-half field goals and Love's jumper off an inbounds pass gave them their biggest lead of the game at 85-79 with 4:35 to play.
 
The Panthers continued to withstand the assault – which had been the highest single-game field-goal percentage by an opponent in program history up until the last two misses – with a pair of Tiby free throws and a layup by Brock Stull making it a two-point game at 85-83.
 
After trading baskets, it was Stull again, nearly finishing a dunk while fouled, making both free throws to make it a one-point game. Turner Botz then gave Green Bay what looked to be a clincher – a big three from the wing with 1:43 left that made it 92-88.
 
But, Johnson played the hero role, sinking a pair of free throws at the 1:28 mark and knotting the score at 92-92 with 44 seconds left on another layup following a key defensive rebound by Stull.
 
With the crowd on its feet, Milwaukee's defense got the stop it needed with 16 seconds left. Jeter did not call a timeout, allowing Johnson to drive down the lane, finish the layup and the foul. His free throw made it 95-93 but the game wasn't over.
 
With 4.6 seconds left and Green Bay needing to go the length of the court, a foul was called before the ball was even put into play. Following two made free throws, Springs was then fouled. He missed both free throws, but with his hustle on the second one came up with the clinching rebound, sending the large majority of the 5,192 fans in attendance home happy.
 
A track meet to start, the shot clock did not matter prior to the first media timeout, with the Panthers taking the slim 13-12 lead at the 15:02 mark, helped along by the strength of a trio of three-pointers by Arians. He added a fourth one quickly after to give UWM the 18-14 advantage at the time.
 
Fouse's triple at the 4:41 mark capped a 9-0 scoring spurt and gave GB a short-lived 33-31 lead. Milwaukee responded well, capped by a 7-0 run that forced a Phoenix timeout with 2:18 left in the half, turning a 36-34 deficit into a 41-36 lead on a Springs layup. That eventually grew to scoring 13 of the final 18 points of the frame, making each of their final six field goals with Johnson's layup at the buzzer making at 47-41 Panthers at intermission.
 
Milwaukee finished the night at 52.5 percent (31-of-59) from the floor, adding 10 3's and a slim 33-29 advantage on the boards. Green Bay came into the game fifth in the nation in forcing turnovers at 18.2 per game, but the Panthers finished with just eight miscues on the night compared to 22 assists.
 
Green Bay finished a stellar 63.3 percent (38-of-60) from the floor, marking its highest ever for a game with 60 attempts.

Up next, the Panthers start a stretch of four straight Horizon League games away from home, beginning with a trip to Ohio to take on Wright State Feb. 4. Tip time will be 6 p.m. CST.