MILWAUKEE - Max Hooper hit seven three-pointers – including a key one in the final minute with the shot clock expiring – in scoring 21 points to lead Oakland University to an 82-79 victory over the Milwaukee men's basketball team Monday night at UWM Panther Arena.
 
The Panthers (14-7, 5-3 Horizon League) made a valiant last push against the Golden Grizzlies (13-8, 5-3 Horizon League), coming up with an opportunity to tie the contest in the closing seconds before running out of time.
 
"Clearly, our guys played hard," Milwaukee head coach Rob Jeter said. "I am never disappointed with our effort. We always seem to come out a little sluggish at home and then turn it on and do what we did. But, we had a great look to tie the game at the end – we can't complain about that. We just failed in allowing Max Hooper to get away from us to nail some shots. And I say 'we' because we are all in this thing together. That was the difference."
 
Jordan Johnson led the way for UWM, just missing a double-double by finishing with 20 points and nine assists. Austin Arians and J.R. Lyle each had 13, while J.J. Panoske chipped in 10 points to go along with nine boards and a pair of blocks.
 
Matt Tiby was the third player to narrowly miss a double-double, finishing with nine points and a team-high 10 rebounds. Tiby was limited to just 23 minutes due to foul trouble, while the Panthers also played without regular starter Akeem Springs, who missed the game due to injury.
 
Milwaukee held Preseason Horizon League Player of the Year Kay Felder, who came in averaging just under 25 points a game, to 17 on 6-of-18 shooting. He did finish with a double-double by recording 12 assists. Jalen Hayes added 14 points and 10 boards.
 
The entertaining contest featured three ties and 12 different lead changes, as UWM never gave up despite playing shorthanded. With the game tied 69-69 on Panoske's layup with 4:48 to play, it looked as though the Panthers could seize momentum when Felder fouled out with 3:19 remaining. Lyle's free throws on the foul trimmed the deficit to 73-71, but empty possessions on two of the next three trips opened the door for the Grizzlies and Hooper's three-pointer with the defense in his face with 35.8 seconds left looked to all but seal it.
 
"We're down a starter, had another guy that's hurt, but we did everything we could to give ourselves a chance, but at the end it was too much Max Hooper," Jeter said. "That shot at the end was big-time. It was a play that made the difference in the game."
 
But, a pair of free throws by Tiby with 24 seconds left was followed by an Oakland turnover and a Lyle layup that made it 80-77 with 22.5 seconds remaining. A missed front end of the bonus gave Milwaukee a shot at overtime, but Arian's three from the left wing rimmed out and Oakland was able to survive, winning its first-ever contest against the Panthers in Milwaukee (0-6 prior).
 
Milwaukee was down just a point at halftime and came out firing out of the locker room, with back-to-back trifectas by Lyle giving the home team the 52-48 lead and forcing an Oakland timeout at the 16:33 mark.
 
Tied, 52-52, on a pair of OU free throws, an 8-0 spurt by the visitors ran their lead to 62-55 on a Hooper three coming out of the under-12 media timeout.
 
A 10-2 spurt by UWM allowed it to take 65-64 lead on a Johnson layup with just under eight minutes to play, making it anyone's game down the stretch.
 
The first half was an entertaining one, with Milwaukee quickly overcoming an 11-1 hole to open the game with a 10-1 run of its own shortly afterwards.
 
The Grizzlies went on another run, this time at 9-2, to lead 26-17 and the advantage was back to nine again two possessions later after the teams traded baskets. It was then to 11 at 32-21 for the first time on a pair of OU free throws with 5:25 remaining in the half. But, Johnson took over, going on an 8-0 run of his own – six of it from the free throw line – in drawing the Panthers back within three at 32-29 with 3:34 left in the first half.
 
For the game, Milwaukee finished at 40 percent, going 26-of-65 from the floor. The Panthers made 10 three-pointers and won the rebounding battle, 42-33, including an impressive 16 offensive boards. A very evenly-matched contest, both squads finished with 30 points in the paint, 12 points off turnovers and 15 second-chance points. The Grizzlies finished at 45.8 percent (27-of-59) from the floor, helped along by an impressive 64.7 percent (11-of-17) from long distance. Both teams also made 17 free throws and were whistled for 18 fouls.
 
The game pitted the top two assist men in the NCAA, with Felder (8.7 assists per game) and Johnson (7.9 apg) both leading the offenses and neither leaving fans disappointed, combining for 21 assists on the night.
 
Up next, the Panthers remain at home and will play for the third time in seven days when they welcome Green Bay to UWM Panther Arena Jan. 29. Tip time is set for 7 p.m. against the Phoenix.