MILWAUKEE - Brock Stull hit the game-winning jumper as time expired to give the Milwaukee men's basketball team a thrilling 63-62 victory over Cleveland State University Friday night at UWM Panther Arena.

The Panthers (6-14, 2-5 Horizon League) trailed the Vikings (6-14, 2-6 Horizon League) by as many as 13 points in the first half before charging back.
 
"Our basketball team is growing every day – proud of them," Milwaukee head coach LaVall Jordan said. "We talked a lot and had some serious discussions about our attitude and mentality, things we need to establish. The first half was not the best version of us. We talked about that at halftime. Just proud of that decision they made – to just move on, forget about what had happened and focus on the next 20 minutes."
 
Down a point after CSU took the lead with 11.9 seconds left, UWM brought the ball up without calling timeout. August Haas dribbled up and found Stull on the left wing. Stull dribbled to his right, went behind his back to gain some separation and launched the winner from the left elbow of the free throw line with 0.7 left, hitting off the back iron and in as the buzzer sounded.
 
"I thought about the timeout, but Gary (Waters, CSU coach) is a really good defensive coach and I didn't want them to get their defense set," Jordan said. "The plan was to get the ball to Brock and for Brock to make a play – and he did."
 
The game-winner capped an impressive second half for Milwaukee, one in which it shot 53.6 percent (15-of-28) and outscored the opposition by 11.
 
"It was something special. It feels good," Stull said. "After feeling like I let my team down the first half, having the trust of the guys in that situation boosts my confidence up and feels good."
 
A pair of freshmen led the way. Jeremy Johnson went off for a season-high 17 points, sinking a pair of key three-pointers down the stretch. One came with just over eight minutes left to really help the surge, drawing the team within three at 50-47.
 
The other came at the 4:07 mark, capping a 7-0 spurt by UWM and giving the Panthers the lead at 56-54 – their first lead in the contest since the opening minute at 3-2. They would lead nearly the rest of the way, falling behind only to set the stage for Stull's heroics in the final seconds.
 
Bryce Nze continues to play well. He went 6-for-8 from the floor and finished with 13 points, adding seven rebounds and a season-high five assists. Cody Wichmann chipped in nine points, hitting a key three-pointer late that gave UWM a five-point cushion at the time.
 
"Thanks to all of the fans that came out to support us," Jordan said. "We needed them down the stretch, that's for sure. Just a lot of big possessions. I could hear the crowd and that definitely made a difference – so a big thank you to them."
 
Stull had a quiet night besides hitting the walk-off, making just 2-of-3 shots in the evening. He had four points, six rebounds and five assists.
 
Bobby Word led CSU with 18 points. Rob Edwards had 17 but needed 20 field goal attempts to get there.
 
Down by 11 at half, Milwaukee would chip away over the first 10 minutes of the second half. The lead was down to three on a pair of occasions before CSU would push back. Johnson and Nze keyed the comeback, with Nze making nearly all of his field goals again – now 16-for-20 his last two games – and finding cutters to the basket for easy buckets when he was double-teamed.
 
The Panthers found themselves down at half after an uncharacteristic 20 minutes. The team came into the game averaging 12 turnovers a game, yet had 11 by intermission that the Vikings turned into a 17-8 advantage in points off turnovers. They were also beaten on the boards – CSU led the offensive rebound tally in the first half by an 8-1 count, turning that into a 10-0 advantage in second-chance points.
 
For the game, UWM shot 51 percent (25-of-49), its best outing in 12 games. The defense held Cleveland State to 41.3 percent (26-of-63), including just a 6-of-23 effort from three-point range. The rebound edge ended up in the visitor's favor at 33-27, while UWM committed just four turnovers in the second half, finishing with 18 assists to 15 miscues.
 
Up next, Milwaukee closes out the stretch of home games with a matinee against Youngstown State Sunday. Game time has been moved from 2 p.m. to noon so that Panther fans can come catch the game against the Penguins before heading out for their football-watching plans.