MILWAUKEE - Detroit Mercy shot 56 percent in the second half and scored 50 points to pull away late, handing the Milwaukee men's basketball team an 81-74 loss Friday night at the Klotsche Center.
 
The Panthers (8-22, 4-13 Horizon League) led the Titans (8-21, 6-11 Horizon League) by a basket at intermission, but saw the visitors gain some separation midway through the second half before making eight free throws in the final 63 seconds to close it out.
 
"Early on, we didn't have great energy but we started pretty well," Milwaukee head coach LaVall Jordan said. "We had some looks that didn't go down early and what we are learning is you can't 'hurry up and win the game'. I thought our guys pressed a little bit after we missed a shot here or turned the ball over there and it snowballed."
 
Brett Prahl led the offense with 17 points, making 6-of-8 shots from the floor while adding five rebounds and a pair of blocks.
 
Cody Wichmann hit a trio of 3's and finished with 13 points. Brock Stull added 12 points and five assists and Jeremy Johnson also finished in double-figures with 11 points.
 
"Tough one to learn from, but I think this group has shown they're a resilient group," Jordan said. "We have had some tough ones this year, really close ones where we were right there. All those lessons we will talk about heading into Detroit."
 
Josh McFolley paced the Titans with a game-high 22 points, finishing with six assists and a perfect 12-for-12 showing from the free throw line. Chris Jenkins added a double-double of 12 points and 13 rebounds.
 
The free throw line played a key role in the contest. Detroit ended the night 26-of-31 from the charity stripe, an .839 rate. The Panthers hit just 13-of-24, finishing at .542.
 
"We fought and got back in it," Jordan said. "Give them credit, they made free throws. You look at the difference at the foul line – they made free throws when it mattered late."
 
The majority of the game as a back-and-forth affair. The first half alone featured seven ties and six lead changes, with UWM holding a slim 33-31 advantage at the midway point.
 
Milwaukee led by four at 39-35 on a Johnson 3, forcing a UDM timeout. The Titans answered quickly, getting back-to-back three's to take the lead. Tied against at 41-all, it was no more than a one-possession affair all the way to 52-51, when Stull's 3 had Milwaukee within a point.
 
An 8-1 spurt helped Detroit take control. Milwaukee battled back but a three-pointer from the wing at the 1:56 mark all but sealed it, giving the visitors their first double-digit lead at 73-63. UWM never gave in and whittled the margin back down to five again before running out of time.
 
Milwaukee finished the night at 46.4 percent (26-of-56), making nine 3's. The Titans connected on 52.2 percent (24-of-46) overall and won the rebounding battle, 33-25. Both teams had 30 points in the paint, with second-chance (12-11 UWM), fast break (11-10 UWM) and bench points (16-16) nearly all equal.
 
Up next is the final contest of the regular season, with Milwaukee hosting Oakland Sunday. Tip off time is set for 2 p.m. at the Klotsche Center, with the first 500 fans in attendance picking up a Panther mug. Also join the Panthers for special pregame fan appreciation activities.