DETROIT, Mich. - Following their third straight upset victory, the Panthers will have the chance to continue the most improbable run in Horizon League Tournament history and clinch their fifth NCAA Tournament bid Tuesday – something very few could have imagined possible just four days ago.
 
Brock Stull posted a double-double of 17 points and 10 rebounds and the Milwaukee men's basketball team responded to a late 63-63 tie with an 11-2 scoring run that continued its magical run at Little Caesars Motor City Madness late Monday evening at Joe Louis Arena.
 
"Fantastic ball game," Milwaukee head coach LaVall Jordan said. "I give a lot of credit to Coach McClain and UIC. Looking at the classes of their players, they are going to be around for a while. The Horizon League is set up to be a really great basketball league for the future."
 
The Panthers (11-23) defeated sixth-seeded UIC (15-18) by a final score of 74-68 to clinch their spot in the tournament championship Tuesday night on ESPN against Northern Kentucky.
 
"I am proud of our guys for stepping up, because UIC is a really good team," Jordan said. "We were a good team tonight. We have been focusing on being a team and competing and priding ourselves on daily improvement. So now, guys are performing and executing the details."
 
Cody Wichmann and Brett Prahl each added 15 points. Jeremy Johnson was also in double-figures with 10 as the squad continues to build on its unprecedented run as the No. 10 seed in the postseason – the first-ever to claim even one victory in the event.
 
August Haas scored seven points and added four assists and no turnovers while also playing a key role in the decisive moments.
 
"I am proud of each and every one of them," Jordan said. "Guys stepped up – we had so many guys step up, make big plays, make big shots. We get to play on Tuesday night."
 
Dominique Matthews netted a game-high 21 points to lead the Flames.
 
Up four at intermission, Milwaukee slowly built its advantage to as many as 10 points – taking a 45-35 lead at the 15:02 mark on a Haas jumper.
 
UIC pushed back, but a Stull jumper pushed the lead back to eight at 51-43 with just over 11 minutes remaining.
 
Back-and-forth from there, a big three-pointer from Bryce Barnes seemed to really give UWM momentum, holding what looked like a commanding 58-49 lead with 6:48 to play.
 
The Flames would not go quietly, using a 10-2 scoring run of their own to draw within a point at 60-59 on a pair of free throws. Then tied 61-61, Prahl calmly hit a jumper to give UWM back the lead.
 
Tied again at 63-63, the Panthers found a way.
 
Haas hit a big three at the 1:54 mark and his steal on the next UIC possession led to a fastbreak layup by Stull to force a Flames timeout. Following a pair of free throws, to make it 68-65, Stull found Prahl on a pick-and-roll to give Milwaukee the 70-65 advantage with 30 seconds left, bringing the Milwaukee fans to their feet.
 
Four more free throws in the final 24 seconds sealed it.
 
Milwaukee led early, using an 11-0 run to turn the game around at 15-8. A Stull triple stemmed the tide at 28-24 with 5:30 to play and another three and layup by Wichmann pushed the lead back to six at 30-24.
 
Milwaukee finished 48.3 percent (28-for-58) from the floor, winning the rebounding battle by a slim 33-32 edge. They took it inside against a strong defensive presence, outscoring UIC 38-20 in the paint. The Flames ended the night at 42.3 percent (22-for-52). Milwaukee turned the ball over just eight times on the night.
 
Everything will be on the line Tuesday night, with the Panthers and the Norse tipping off in front of a national TV audience on ESPN at 6 p.m. CST. Bob Wischusen and Fran Fraschilla will have the call with the Horizon League's automatic bid on the line.