MILWAUKEE - The Milwaukee men's basketball team used a 20-5 scoring run midway through the second half to put away Concordia University Wisconsin in earning a 77-62 exhibition victory Saturday afternoon at the Klotsche Center.
 
Brock Stull led the way with 17 points, going 7-of-9 from the field while adding six rebounds. Jeremy Johnson was also in double-figures with 15, helping LaVall Jordan to a win in his first outing as head coach.
 
"First things first, I thought our staff was tremendous," Jordan said. "Keeping information coming to me … first time out there in front of the (Milwaukee) crowd … our guys were excited and I thought we kept our composure pretty well. We didn't take too many hurried or bad shots. We got what we wanted out of today. Concordia has players that really challenged us and tested us. It was a great day for us and we are going to grow a lot from this film."
 
The Panthers used the huge scoring spree to take control over the Falcons, taking over after Concordia had made a dent of its own to get UWM's advantage down to 44-40. The spurt saw the Panthers limit their opponents to just one make in six attempts while forcing three turnovers. The final basket in the run was a dunk by Bryce Barnes on a fast break rebound to make it 63-45.
 
"We play unselfish," Jordan said. "We move the basketball and we got great shots. Defensively, I thought we were connected – we had some lapses – but overall pretty good."
 
The Falcons never got closer than 15 the rest of the way, with Milwaukee emptying the bench. Fourteen players saw action, nine of them finding their way into the scoring column.
 
In addition to Stull and Johnson, several players made quality debuts. August Haas finished with nine points, three assists and a pair of rebounds despite foul trouble. Barnes finished with eight points and seven rebounds in just 17 minutes.
 
Bryce Nze hit the boards hard in his UWM debut, tying for the team lead by collecting eight in just 10 minutes. Brett Prahl added seven points and eight boards.
 
The Falcons were led by Eric Kittel, who had 13 points. Jake Jurss added 12 and Andrew Fratzke went for eight points and a game-high 12 rebounds.
 
Concordia stuck around the majority of the first half, pushing back every time UWM tried to pull away. They used the 3-ball to stay in it, sinking 11 for the game. The Milwaukee offense finished at 46.2 percent for the day, connecting on 30-of-65 shots, while holding its opponents to under 40 percent (37.3).
 
"We have put a lot of time into our defense," Jordan said. "I like the fact that they were under 40 percent from the field. I really think guys made a commitment to defending and giving their best effort to it."
 
The Panthers had 12 offensive rebounds to create a 16-2 advantage in second-chance points as well. The only tough spot came from distance, where they finished 5-of-27 after missing their first 11.
 
"I think there is a connection," Jordan said. "The ownership and internal leadership is coming along. That is really encouraging … that they are buying into becoming the best defensive team that we can possibly be."
 
Up next is the regular-season, as the Panthers welcome MSOE to UWM Panther Arena Friday. Game time is set for 7 p.m.