CHICAGO, Ill. - Eli Cain scored 17 of his 20 points in the second half to help DePaul break open a one-possession game at halftime on its way to a 77-59 victory over the Milwaukee men's basketball team Sunday afternoon at Allstate Arena.
 
A pair of freshmen led the way for Milwaukee. Bryce Barnes paced the offense in scoring 14 points, doing so in front of his hometown crowd. He made 5-of-8 shots from the floor, 4-of-5 free throws and added a pair of steals.
 
Classmate Bryce Nze was an efficient 5-of-6 from the floor, finishing with 13 points, five rebounds and three steals.
 
The Panthers (1-2) hung tightly with the Blue Demons (2-1) until halftime. At that point, the home team came out in the second period white-hot, scoring the first seven points of the frame and 16 of 21 to take control.
 
For the game, Brock Stull chipped in nine points and five rebounds despite foul trouble. Jeremiah Bell had six points and five boards.
 
"Again, great effort from this group," Milwaukee head coach LaVall Jordan said. "I am proud of them – they played hard and I think our effort was definitely there. I just didn't like our response tonight when it got tough and we have to grow in that area."
 
Cain threw in 10 points in the first three-plus minutes of the second half to jumpstart a DePaul team that shot well over 65 percent in the period and stayed there until late in the game. Stull picked up his fourth foul with 10:37 left and an alley-oop dunk by Tre'Darius McCallum made it 59-42 with around eight minutes to play. From there, Milwaukee would get no closer than 12.
 
The three-point shot played a big role on the day. The Blue Demons came in averaging just 5.5 made three's per game and finished with 11 makes on 22 tries (50 percent). The Panthers had numerous open looks - several which went in-and-out, finishing the day at just 13 percent (3-for-23).
 
"We talked about attacking the paint," Jordan said. "We only got to the free throw line three times against Memphis, so that was a big point of emphasis for us and I thought we got in there. And then we got kick-out three's but were unable to make them. Overall, sometimes they fall and sometimes they don't. Tonight they didn't and that is when we have to be tougher defensively."
 
The Panthers trailed by just one possession at halftime, finding themselves down by three at 30-27 after a miss at the horn.
 
Milwaukee trailed 23-16 with just under eight minutes left in the period, but kept chipping away and not allowing the Blue Demons to stretch the lead. Nine of the 10 players who played in the first half scored, led by six from Barnes.
 
A fast-paced start to the game saw the Panthers lead early but trail, 16-12, at the first media timeout with both teams shooting over 60 percent at the time. The pace slowed from there, and five points in a row had UWM within a bucket after two free throws by Barnes at the 12:30 mark. The team would not go away, nearly tying the contest at 28-28, only to see the shot from long-range rattle in and out.
 
Overall, UWM claimed the 34-26 advantage in the paint, 16-7 in points off turnovers and saw its bench outscore DePaul, 38-25. The Panthers also won the turnover battle at 12-10.
 
Up next, the Panthers remain on the road and head to the state of South Dakota for a three-game holiday tournament. The Sanford Pentagon Showcase opens Friday, with Milwaukee taking on East Tennessee State at 5:30 p.m.