MILWAUKEE – The Milwaukee men's basketball team started strong and then fended off Robert Morris down the stretch, closing the contest by making 7-of-8 free throws in the final 54 seconds to pick up a 78-75 victory Friday night at UWM Panther Arena.
 
The Panthers (6-7, 1-1 Horizon League) got huge performances from Kentrell Pullian and Erik Pratt to take down the Colonials (4-10, 0-3 Horizon League), with the duo combining for 28 of the final 30 points the team scored on the night.
 
"We have played some, about as focused stretches of basketball that we've played since I have been here but we still have these ups and downs," head coach Bart Lundy said of the team's recent play." "We have guys that are playing new roles constantly [due to injuries]."
 
Pullian set a career high in scoring for the second game in a row, finishing with 28 points to top the 26 he netted his last game. He went 8-of-13 from the floor and 11-of-13 from the line, including the final two from the charity stripe with just 3.6 seconds left to close it out.
 
Pratt poured in 27 points to come up just short of his career-best 29, going 9-for-18 from the floor while adding five rebounds, three assists, and a pair of blocks. He also came through the final minute of regulation, making 5-of-6 from the line with the game hanging in the balance.
 
Elijah Jamison chipped in seven points and four rebounds, while Darius Duffy grabbed a game-high nine rebounds to go along with five points and three blocks.
 
"We had the chance to kind of put the game away (early) but missed some free throws," Lundy said. "This team before, when they had something frustrating like that happen, may have folded … would have barked at each other. But they found a way to stay resilient. They made free throws when it mattered and then got a couple of stops at the end."
 
Markeese Hastings led RMU with 24 points and added six boards. Four players scored in double-figures, with Stephaun Walker finishing with 14 and a team-high eight rebounds.
 
The MKE offense jumped out of the gates with a brilliant start, going up 10-2 on a dunk from Duffy before eventually taking a lead of 18-4. Robert Morris fought back to close the gap to seven at the break at 34-27.
 
Pratt hit a three to start the second half to push the lead back to 10 and it eventually grew to as many as 15 at 50-35 with 14:00 remaining on a pair of Pullian free throws.
 
Alvaro Folgueiras led the RMU charge that came next, hitting four 3's to spur a run that eventually hit 23-9 and make it a one-point game at 59-58.
 
The Panthers fought back and grabbed a five-point lead on a pair of occasions but the contest was ultimately knotted at 71-all with 1:20 to play on another three-pointer by the visitors.
 
The defense then locked down and that 7-of-8 showing at the stripe the rest of the way secured the victory.
 
The defense held RMU to just 39.4 percent (26-of-66) from the floor overall, while converting at 47.3 percent (26-of-55) from the field on the other end. Milwaukee also shot 30 free throws for the second game in a row, making 21.
 
Up next, the Panthers will close out the 2023 portion of the calendar hosting Wright State New Year's Eve, set for a 2 p.m. matinee Sunday.