MILWAUKEE – Erik Pratt and
Kentrell Pullian each recorded career-high scoring efforts in leading the Milwaukee men's basketball team to a gritty 85-83 victory over Chattanooga in overtime Friday afternoon at UWM Panther Arena.
The Panthers (5-7) led the Mocs (8-4) for nearly the entire day before the game found its way to overtime. In the extra session, the home team grabbed a quick lead and then, after some early misses, converted all six of its free throws in the final 73 seconds to earn the gut-check victory heading into Christmas on a high note.
"I love to get the win, but I love the spirit that we played with," head coach
Bart Lundy said. "We played together, we played hard – this game could have gone either way; Chattanooga is a really good team. We had so many individual great performances, but to me, if we are going to have 'Milwaukee Basketball', that's what it's going to be about. It's not always going to be pretty; it's not always going to be right; but they are going to play together and play hard. And win or lose, this is the first game I am coming out of this year where I am feeling good in my basketball soul about our effort and our energy and how we represented the University."
Pratt led the way with 29 points, easily topping his former career-best of 18 set earlier this season. He also set a career-high with nine rebounds and made 6-of-13 shots from distance.
Pullian was right behind with a career-best 26 (was 25), including a 10-of-12 showing from the line, grabbing a season-high eight boards. He secured the victory from the line, going a perfect 4-for-4 in the final 16 seconds of OT.
Elijah Jamison joined them in double-figures with 11, chipping in six rebounds and a career-high eight assists.
Darius Duffy also played a big role, finishing with a career-best and team-high 10 rebounds while adding three points and four blocks.
"I want to give credit to our guys," Lundy said. "We have had a lot of turmoil and a rough start to the season. But we had the best week that we've had since this group got here this summer. And there aren't any secrets in this, you play together, you play hard, you sacrifice, and good things happen. And the group that was on the floor tonight … they did that. And there are a lot of guys in that lineup –
Erik Pratt is definitely one of those – that has persevered through a lot of ups and downs since he stepped foot on campus."
Trey Bonham led the Mocs with 25, with Sam Alexis putting together an impressive afternoon in finishing with a 13-point/10-rebound/5-block effort in the loss.
Milwaukee led for 42:08 of the contest and was up as much as 12 early in the second half at 37-25. That was when the Mocs pushed back, scoring eight straight at that point to make it 37-33. Jamison answered that spurt with a huge three-pointer, but it was still at one-possession game at 48-45 forcing an MKE timeout with 13:39 to play.
Both teams battled the rest of the way, yet it was Milwaukee surging ahead first, taking a 62-54 lead on a three by Pratt to force a timeout by the visitors. The timing worked well, as they responded with a 12-2 run to make it a new game at 64-all with 4:51 to play.
The Panthers never did relinquish the lead, going back up by six at 70-64 with two minutes remaining on a Duffy free throw yet headed to OT after Chattanooga hit a big three with 10 seconds left. Pratt swished what looked like a game-winner at the end of regulation, but a called timeout prevented the heroics and eventually forced the extra session.
Jamison scored on the first possession but a three by Honor Huff put the visitors ahead, 77-76 with 1:33 to play. Free throws flip-flopped the lead both ways before Pratt came up with a huge three, sinking the attempt to give MKE the 81-79 edge with 43 seconds remaining. The Mocs didn't blink, flying down the court for a three of their own just seconds later for the fifth lead change of the overtime. Pullian then went 4-for-4 down the stretch and the Panthers secured the important decision heading back into league play.
For the game, both teams finished near 40 percent from the floor. The Panthers shot 37 free throws (making 26) and claimed the 50-44 advantage on the glass.
The MKE offense came out of the gates strong, grabbing leads of 11-2 and 19-9 before a 12-0 run made it 33-17 and made the day appear to be headed to an easy win. Yet Chattanooga trimmed that 16-point deficit down to 10 at the break despite the Panthers defense forcing the visitors into an 0-for-14 showing from three-point range in the first 20 minutes, eventually seeing their three-game winning streak come to a halt.
Up next, the Panthers return to Horizon League play following a break for Christmas, welcoming in 2024 with a pair of contests. The first of those is set for Dec. 29, hosting Robert Morris for a game set to tip off at 7 p.m.
