MILWAUKEE – Devon Hancock came off the bench to score a career-high 18 points and help lead the Milwaukee men's basketball team to a 74-52 victory over Saint Xavier Thursday afternoon at UWM Panther Arena.
"It was a great opportunity for us to get back out there again," head coach
Pat Baldwin said. "I think being off nine or 10 days, our guys really relished the opportunity to get back out on the floor."
The Panthers (3-9) controlled the matchup from start to finish, using a 15-1 scoring spree midway through the second half to put it away against the Cougars (8-8). Hancock was just one of five different players to finish with double-figure scoring outputs.
"It was a great day from the standpoint of balance and scoring and a really good defensive effort," Baldwin said. "What we are banking on is getting this carry-over from now until we return to conference play on December 30. Looking forward to that opportunity, but right now we will celebrate this and get some guys some rest and get back after it."
Hancock was a pleasant surprise, coming into the day with a career-high of eight points he had reached on a pair of occasions last season. He had that beat with nine by intermission and finished 6-of-11 from long distance on the day.
"He works all the time," Baldwin said of Hancock. "Never afraid when someone is asking him to do extra or do more even though his opportunities weren't as often as he wanted. It's a testament to him and his work ethic and then, when your opportunity comes you have to take advantage of it and he did that."
DeAndre Gholston added 15 points, while grabbing eight rebounds and collecting four steals to tie a career high.
Tafari Simms finished with 13 points, just missing a double-double with a career-best nine rebounds.
Joey St. Pierre was big inside as well, finishing with 10 points, seven boards, and a pair of blocks.
Jordan Lathon had the crowd on triple-double watch going at the break, finishing with 12 points, nine rebound, and six assists.
Jaeden King paced the Cougars with 12 points.
Up comfortably by nine at the break, Saint Xavier did not go away quietly, sticking around and clawing back to within seven on a handful of occasions, including at 45-38 with about 12 minutes left on the day.
From there it was all Milwaukee, ripping off 15 of the next 16 points of the contest to build the lead to 60-39 and drop the hammer on the victory.
The Panthers also came out of the gates strong, opening 10-2 before using a 7-0 spurt to go up 17-4 on Hancock's first three-pointer of the afternoon. The lead was as many as 17 in the opening period, reaching 23-6 on a Lathon jumper midway through the first.
A great defensive effort helped, holding STX to under 30 percent (29.7 percent on 19-of-64) from the floor on the day. The rebound edge was huge at 51-39 for MKE as well.
The balance of the offense was key, as the team weas playing shorthanded. Due to illness and health and safety protocols, a few student-athletes on the MKE roster were not available to play today.
Up next, the Panthers enjoy a break for the Christmas holiday, getting back to action with Horizon League play on the road. The next game is set for December 30, taking on Wright State at 6 p.m. CST.
