DETROIT, Mich. - Bryce Nze put together a big double-double of 23 points and 15 rebounds and the Milwaukee men's basketball team held Detroit Mercy to under 30 percent from the floor in claiming a 72-49 victory Thursday night at Calihan Hall.
 
The Panthers (15-15, 8-9 Horizon League) led the Titans (8-22, 4-13 Horizon League) from start to finish, using a big scoring run early in the second half to take any doubts out of who would end up with the victory.
 
"I was pleased with our guys and their effort," head coach Pat Baldwin said. "We always say defense has to travel with us. Even when we have offensive lulls and aren't getting the possessions we want on the offensive end, our defense has been really strong. We have to continue that effort into our game against Oakland on Saturday."
 
Nze had a huge first half, recording 13 points and 11 of his rebounds in the first 20 minutes to get his team to a 32-25 halftime lead. The 23 points he finished with marked the second-highest scoring output of his career. He added four assists and three blocks, going 10-of-17 from the field.

"We got a great contribution from Bryce Nze – his second straight game of 15-or-more rebounds which is unbelievable," Baldwin said. "But, defensively we were stout. We did a great job, especially in the second half. This was a good team win and we are looking forward to the next challenge."
 
Brett Prahl was the only other Panther in double-figures, sinking an efficient 7-of-10 from the floor to finish with 14 points. He added six rebounds and a pair of blocks to help Milwaukee match its largest margin of victory (23) of the season.
 
Corey Allen led the Titans with 13 points. The Milwaukee defense held leading scorer Kameron Chatman to just six points after coming into the night averaging almost 19 points a game.
 
A quick start to the second half spurred the Panthers, taking a 41-28 lead on a Prahl reverse and its biggest advantage to that point on a Prahl putback that forced a timeout at the 14:25 mark with Milwaukee ahead, 47-32.
 
Detroit Mercy responded out of the timeout with eight straight, only to see Milwaukee with an immediate answer – a 12-4 run that gave it control and put the game away, with the lead growing to as many as 25 the rest of the way.
 
The Panthers got off to that strong start that they needed on the night, scoring the first seven points after the tip to force a Titan timeout less than two minutes in at 7-0.
 
The team hit five of its first nine attempts to lead 11-2, and Nze's wraparound reverse at the 15:45 mark made it 13-3. The defense was on as well, limiting UDM to just one make on its first nine tries from the floor.
 
That was the first of a handful of scoring runs each way in the contest, with Detroit answering with 10 of 12 points to pull within two at 15-13.
 
Just like that the tide turned and the Panthers went on another spree, using a 13-3 run of their own to grow the lead to its largest of the half – at 12 when the score read 28-16 – on a three-pointer by Carson Warren-Newsome with just over seven minutes to play in the first. Nze crossed the double-double threshold with 8 minutes still on the clock.
 
It was still 30-18 at the under-4 media timeout, but a spurt of 7-2 by the home team closed the gap at intermission.
 
The defense held the Titans to just 28.6 percent (18-of-63) from the floor on the night, the best effort of the season. The offense finished close to half makes (46.6 percent), outscoring its opponent 36-20 in the paint.
 
Up next, the final game of the regular season is upon us, with the Panthers making the short drive over to Rochester take on Oakland Saturday. Tip time for the finale is set for 2 p.m. CST. With the Golden Grizzlies loss to Green Bay Thursday, the Panthers could end up as high as the No. 4 seed with a victory.