MILWAUKEE – Four players finished in double-figures as the Milwaukee men's basketball team tipped off the 2019-20 season with an 88-46 exhibition victory over Cardinal Stritch Thursday evening at the Klotsche Center.
 
Josh Thomas and DeAndre Abram led the way for the Panthers with 15 points each, with Wil Sessoms and Darius Roy joining them in double-digits with 11.
 
"I think one of the things that we talk about with the guys is just sharing the ball and having the ball move and I think our guys did a great job starting out and everybody was involved," head coach Pat Baldwin said. "A strength of ours is having numbers and depth, which we haven't had in the past couple of years."
 
Abram added six rebounds and a team-high five assists, while Thomas chipped in six boards and three assists in his MKE debut.
 
"We have guys that can put the ball in the basket and it's great having multiple ball-handlers and you saw that on display tonight," Baldwin said.
 
Nemanja Knezevic paced the Wolves with 13 points, adding a game-high eight rebounds.
 
Milwaukee came out red-hot, hitting its first eight shot attempts from the floor in racing out to a 20-4 lead. Stritch dug in and fought back, using a 13-to-4 run to pull back within seven at 24-17.
 
A pair of Wolves' free throws had them within 11 again at 30-19, which also served as a turning point in the game. The Panthers went on a 21-6 scoring run the rest of the first half and never looked back, leading 51-25 at intermission.
 
MKE outscored the visitors by a 37-21 count in the second half to end up at the 88-46 final. The team recorded 21 assists on 31 made baskets and committed just six turnovers. They forced 20 turnovers, which were converted into a 24-3 advantage in points off miscues.
 
All 13 players that saw time on the court recorded points. Courtney Brown Jr. and Harrison Henderson each added seven in their MKE debuts.
 
Up next is the season opener, set for Tuesday against Concordia Wisconsin. Game time at UWM Panther Arena is set for 7 p.m.