MILWAUKEE – BJ Freeman scored a game-high 23 points and Justin Thomas recorded a double-double of 19 points and 13 rebounds to power the Milwaukee men's basketball team to a convincing 84-68 victory over SEMO Monday night in the final game of the "Cream City Classic" from the Klotsche Center.
 
"Just proud of the guys," head coach Bart Lundy said. "Proud of the endurance … the will to win. This weekend was fantastic for our team, just to be in all of these situations."
 
The Panthers (5-3) used an 18-0 scoring run in the first half to take control against the Redhawks (5-3) and then scored 12 unanswered down the stretch to put it away after the visitors had clawed back to within striking distance.
 
"We had chances to let them all the way back in the game," Lundy said. "They cut it to eight and Ahmad (Rand) got the putback dunk. We called timeout and I thought they composed themselves. We broke the press after that, got stops, and went on a run to salt it away."
 
With the win, Milwaukee finishes the "Cream City Classic" with a perfect 3-0 mark in the event. The MTE came against a field (SEMO, Boston U., and UC Davis) that each brought a 4-1 record on the season into play.
 
Freeman added eight rebounds to his season-high 23 points, handing out three assists.
 
Thomas posted the first double-double for a Panther this season, with the 13 rebounds also a career-high. He went 9-for-11 from the line and added four assists and three steals.
 
Markeith Browning II finished with 12 points and five rebounds, while Elijah Jamison was also in double-figures with 11. Ahmad Rand was also big with an 8 point/6 rebound/4 block performance.
 
Israel Barnes led Southeast Missouri with 22 points off the bench.
 
"We are asking a lot of guys to sacrifice," Lundy said. "We have a deep bench and not everybody is getting exactly what they want. But we are showing a lot of character and everyone is being stars in their roles."
 
The night did not start as well for the MKE offense, falling behind early by a score of 18-13 after a stretch in which SEMO hit back-to-back 3's. That was when it all started clicking for the Panthers, holding the opposition scoreless for a span of nearly six minutes while the offense went into high gear.
 
Thomas hit a three to start the run. Freeman had seven of the 18, including a 3-point play, and Browning hit a big 3 in the stretch as well. When Freeman hit a jumper to make it 31-18, Milwaukee had control of the contest.
 
SEMO made a final push, drawing all the way back to within eight points with about five minutes remaining.
 
That Rand putback dunk gave the Panthers back a double-figure lead at 70-60 and the timeout quickly settled things down. The team would go on to score the next 10 points of the night, with a pair of free throws giving MKE back its 20-point lead at 80-60 with 1:59 remaining.
 
For the game, Milwaukee connected on 51 percent (26-of-51) from the floor overall, adding a 78.8 percent (26-of-33) effort from the free throw line. They won the rebounding battle easily at 44-28, and outscored SEMO in the paint, 40-18.
 
MKE held the Redhawks to just 35.5 percent (22-of-62) overall and blocked eight shots.
 
Up next, Horizon League play opens Thursday, traveling to Green Bay for a 7 p.m. tip at the Resch Center against the Phoenix.