MEMPHIS, Tenn. - In an evenly played second half, the Milwaukee men's basketball team trimmed the deficit down to just seven points with under 10 minutes to play but could draw no closer, falling to Memphis by a final score of 68-54 Wednesday night at the FedExForum.
 
The Panthers (1-1) jumped out to a quick 9-2 lead against the Tigers (2-0), but a cold spell from the field early in the game and a couple of key Memphis runs provided the difference.
 
"I thought we came out strong," Milwaukee head coach LaVall Jordan said. "Defensively, I thought we did a good job, but keeping them off the glass was a challenge. And, we didn't turn it over a ton at 12, but they scored off them and sparked a couple of runs – we had two stretches, one in the first and one in the second half where it got away from us. But I was proud of the guys to fight. They continued to fight – we had guys on the floor and our effort was there."
 
Cody Wichmann led the way with 18 points, finishing with a career-high six made 3's. August Haas contributed 12 points on 5-of-7 shooting and adding three assists, while Brock Stull just missed his second double-double in as many games, finishing with eight points and nine rebounds.
 
"I thought we prepared well," Jordan said. "Guys were focused on the scouting report and locked in at shootaround. Losses hurt. No matter when and no matter to who, but we will grow from this. These guys are passionate about being a good team and they are connected and working hard together."
 
Dedric Lawson, the American Athletic Conference Preseason Co-Player of the Year, led the Tigers with a game-high 23 points, adding a double-double with 10 rebounds. K.J. Lawson also had a double-double with 11 points and 11 boards.
 
Down 18 at 44-26 just into the second half, the Panthers would not go quietly. The team responded with a big scoring run, with a Stull layup capping a 15-4 spurt to force a Memphis timeout at the 11:22 mark.
 
A three-point play by Haas on a layup and free throw had UWM within just seven at 51-44 with just under 10 minutes to play. A tip-in by the Tigers then pushed the margin back to nine. The Panthers would continue to get stops, but four missed shot attempts prevented them from closing the gap and Memphis would eventually take control with an 11-2 run that made it 62-46 and essentially sealed it.
 
Milwaukee came out of the gates strong, scoring the first seven points of the game in building a 9-2 advantage. But a cold spell from the field followed, with the Tigers reeling off 16 in a row at one point – helped along by making their first four attempts from three-point range – to eventually lead 22-11.
 
For the game, Milwaukee finished just under 40 percent from the floor, making 21-of-53 attempts, including 9-of-23 from distance. Memphis finished at 46 percent (29-of-63), holding advantages of 40-to-27 on the boards and 40-to-20 in the paint.
 
UWM turned the ball over just 12 times, but the miscues were costly in allowing the Tigers a 14-8 edge in points off those turnovers. Offensively, Cameron Harvey and Jeremy Johnson each chipped in seven points on the night.
 
Up next, the Panthers make the short drive to the Chicago area to take on DePaul Sunday. The game, set to be televised on Fox Sports 1, gets underway at 12:30 p.m.