NASSAU, Bahamas – Te'Jon Lucas scored a career-high 26 points and the Milwaukee men's basketball team gained separation from Morgan State midway through the second half before holding on from the free throw line in the closing minutes for a 62-57 victory.
 
"This was the type of game that we knew it would be," head coach Pat Baldwin said. "Tough and physical … and our guys did a great job of handling the pressure and finding a way to win."
 
The Panthers (5-2) used a 9-3 spurt – all coming from Lucas – to turn a one-point game into a 56-49 advantage against the Bears (3-4) with four minutes to play on day two of the Islands of the Bahamas Showcase.
 
"We needed every one of those points and our guys found a way to win and that's what you need to do in a game like this," Baldwin said. "We found a way to win and now it's on to the next game."
 
Defense and just enough makes from the line took care of it the rest of the way, sinking two of four from the charity stripe in the final 20 seconds while holding Morgan State to just one made field goal over the final two minutes.
 
"We want our defense to be a catalyst for us and generate some offense," Baldwin said. "While we didn't shoot the ball well, our defense stood tall today."
 
Lucas' 26-point effort topped the 23 points he scored against Western Michigan earlier this month, adding a team-high seven rebounds. He went 7-of-13 from the floor, which included a 5-of-8 showing from the free throw line.
 
DeAndre Abram was also in double-figures with 14, sinking three of his four shots from long-distance.
 
Darius Roy chipped in seven points, a game-high seven assists and three boards. Harrison Henderson grabbed six rebounds in 12 minutes off the bench, with his tough putback helping close out the game when it made the score 60-53 with just over a minute remaining.
 
Milwaukee came out of the gates quicker today, grabbing an early 8-1 lead on a dunk from Wil Sessoms. Lucas' three-point play made it 17-14 and the lead went back-and-forth from there. The Bears led just after halftime, but Abram's three from the wing pushed MKE back ahead at 39-37.
 
Down 42-41, Roy's free throws gave the Panthers the 42-41 lead and they would never trail again.
 
The defense was great, holding the Bears to 34.0 percent (18-of-53) shooting on the day. That helped compensate for a tough day from the floor for Milwaukee as well, finishing at 36.7 percent (18-of-49). The team did make nine of their 19 attempts from three-point range, however, and had just 12 turnovers.
 
Up next, the Panthers will be playing for fifth place in the consolation championship, taking on either Evansville or George Washington in a game that is set to get underway at 1 p.m. CST Sunday.
 
The opponent will be posted to the MKE website and sent out via social media once it has been officially determined.