MILWAUKEE - The Milwaukee men's basketball team overcame a 17-point deficit with just under 10 minutes to play to force overtime, but could not complete the comeback, dropping an 84-82 decision to Wright State Saturday at UWM Panther Arena.
 
"I am proud of the guys on how hard they fought to get back in this game and give us a chance to win," Milwaukee head coach Rob Jeter said. "We've come up on the short end of these overtime games and we have to figure out a way to win those games. It comes down to getting stops at critical times, multiple stops, and it's just alluded us this year."
 
Matt Tiby led the charge, finishing with 23 points and nine rebounds. Akeem Springs had 19 points and eight boards, as five players finished in double-figures.
 
"If we can redo that first 20 minutes, obviously, we would love to do that," Jeter said. "I just thought Wright State came out with a lot more toughness, energy and determination to get something done and that is how you have to play on the road. And we looked like things would come a little easier for us. We have to realize that is just not the case, especially in our league. However, I thought that the fight and determination that we showed in the second half to be down 17 and come back, I thought that was a positive."
 
The Panthers (9-5, 0-1 Horizon League) used a huge 16-0 scoring run to cut a 66-49 deficit against the Raiders (7-7, 1-0 Horizon League) down to a single point in less than five minutes on the clock, eventually taking a 69-68 lead on a Tiby layup with 4:09 remaining.
 
"That run was pretty impressive," Jeter said. "We started getting the ball inside and getting to the free throw line and that is what gave us an opportunity to try and win this game."
 
From there it was back and forth, with the lead changing hands again on a pair of WSU free throws. JayQuan McCloud hit a huge three-pointer to knot the score again at 74-74 and, after both teams traded 1-of-2 efforts from the line, the Milwaukee defense fended off a pair of last-second shots to force overtime.
 
McCloud finished with 12 points. Austin Arians had a dozen and Jordan Johnson just missed another double-double, tallying 11 points and nine assists. Joe Thomasson led the visitors with 21, as Wright State finished over 50 percent from the floor for the game.
 
The Raiders netted the first four points of the overtime session. Two Tiby free throws trimmed the deficit to two at 79-77 and a big three from Arians made it 82-20 in Wright State's favor with 2:08 to go. Milwaukee got a stop and it was McCloud again, finishing acrobatically at the hoop while fouled to even the game at 82-82. A missed free throw – UWM went 25-for-35 from the line on the day – gave the Raiders the chance to go ahead and they did, scoring on a layup with 1:16 remaining.
 
Milwaukee would miss a three, but got another stop and had a chance to force a second overtime after setting up a play with 12 seconds on the clock. McCloud's open look at a three rimmed out, however, and the Panthers were forced to foul with just :01.1 remaining. Two missed free throws gave UWM a last-ditch effort, but Tiby's three-quarter court heave that rimmed out came just after the final horn sounded.
 
The Panthers found themselves in a 13-point hole at the break after a big Wright State scoring run helped it on its way to a nice lead. Milwaukee led early, 12-7, only to see the Raiders go on a 12-3 scoring run that helped them control the early portion of the contest. Milwaukee slowly climbed back and was within three on a Springs free throw at 23-20. WSU would score 18 of the final 26 points of the period to take a 41-28 advantage into the locker room.
 
The first 10 minutes of the second half saw the Panthers respond, but each time WSU had an answer, and still held a commanding 66-49 lead with 9:47 to play.
 
From there, it was all Milwaukee and Tiby played a prominent role. A Springs layup started the run. Tiby hit a three and another Springs layup continued the surge.
 
Tiby hit another triple and then fed Arians on a layup to force a WSU timeout at 66-61. He made another jumper in the paint and then his pair of free throws capped the run and got UWM to within a point at 66-65 with 5:16 remaining. In all, Tiby scored 10 points in the 16-0 spree.
 
For the game, Milwaukee shot 42.9 percent (24-of-56) from the floor and 71.4 percent from the line. WSU ended the night at 51.7 percent (30-of-58), outrebounding UWM by a count of 38-32. The Panthers finished with 16 assists compared to just nine turnovers, playing into overtime for the second straight time at home this year and third time this season.
 
It's a quick turnaround as Horizon League play begins, with the Panthers hosting Northern Kentucky Monday. Tip time at UWM Panther Arena is set for 7 p.m.