ROCHESTER, Mich. – The Milwaukee men's basketball team nearly erased a late 10-point deficit and just missed forcing overtime before falling to Oakland by a final score of 100-95 at the O'Rena Thursday evening.
 
The Panthers (7-8, 2-2 Horizon League) were within arm's reach all night yet found themselves trailing the Golden Grizzlies (8-8, 3-2 Horizon League), 88-78, with 4:22 to play before roaring back. The team made it a one-possession game on three occasions in the final 30 seconds of regulation alone before missing an open three that could have forced OT with just 2.3 seconds remaining.
 
"I thought that we would make a run," head coach Bart Lundy said about the end of regulation. "It was just a big deficit being 10 points behind – if we would have been able to keep it closer. But the last play we get a clean look – had a wide-open shot but it just didn't go down."
 
Six different players scored in double-figures for the MKE offense, led by 21 points by Kentrell Pullian. Faizon Fields posted the first double-double of his career with 17 points and a career-best 12 rebounds, while BJ Freeman added 15 points and five boards – including a pair of late 3-pointers that made the ending a thriller.
 
Elijah Jamison finished with 13 points and added seven assists, with Langston Wilson (12 points/6 rebounds) and Erik Pratt (11 points) rounding out the list.
 
"Our offense is coming on," Lundy said. "Early in the year we were lucky to get one guy in double-figures so that is nice to see. I think we are going to score plenty of points; it's just if we are going to get stops."
 
Trey Townsend led OU with a game-high 28 points, helping the home team come up with an answer every time Milwaukee would get within striking distance.
 
"We had trouble with Townsend and they seemed to go to him every time they needed one," Lundy said. "We gave up 39 free throws – that was a huge part of the game. But we got a shot at the end to tie it. The guys are pretty upset. We will learn from this and mourn until midnight and then be ready to go at Detroit."
 
Down five at the break and eight after the first possession of the second half at 43-35, MKE would connect on a 9-2 run and pull within one at 45-44 on a finish at the rim from Wilson.
 
It was back to 10 quickly at 54-44 but Pullian would stop momentum down 65-57 with a big three that pulled his team back within five at 65-60.
 
Fields connected on a pair of free throws to make it a one-possession affair with 10 minutes to go but OU had the answer again, forcing a Lundy timeout at 71-62.
 
A Pratt 3 restarted another scoring run down 10 at the time at 73-63 and Jamison capped a 10-2 spree with a pair of free throws that once again had the visitors within a bucket at 75-73.
 
But Blake Lampman turned momentum with a big 3 for OU and the deficit was back to 10 after a turnover at 88-78 before the final push.
 
"Oakland had that one segment in the second half where they opened it up to 10 … we turned it over and made some bad plays and that was the separator in the second half," Lundy said. "But we have to find a way not to give up 60 in a half. You're not going to win many games giving up 60. Obviously, we scored 60 in the second half tonight and scored 55 against Wright State (in the second) – we have found a way to put up points, we just need to get more stops."
 
Pullian had MKE within two at 94-92 and Freeman really made things interesting with a pair of three-pointers – the final one with 11 seconds left that trimmed the hole to one at 96-95. Following a pair of OU makes from the charity stripe, the Panthers ran the length of the court with no timeouts remaining, seeing a final chance to extend the evening come up just off the back iron.
 
For the night, the Milwaukee offense connected on 48.4 percent (31-of64) attempts overall, pouring in 60 second-half points. OU would finish at 47.7 percent (31-of-65) with the game becoming a free-throw shooting contest down the stretch. The two teams combined for 74 free throws on the evening (OU 39/MKE 34), with 19 of them coming in the final 4:22 alone. The visitors also claimed the rebounding edge, 38-30. Tonight marked the first time that Milwaukee has scored 90-plus points in back-to-back league games since the 2001-2002 season.
 
Up next, the Panthers close out the weekend in Michigan at Detroit Mercy Saturday, set for an afternoon affair with a 12 p.m. CT tip.