MILWAUKEE – BJ Freeman led five players in double-figures with 22 points and the Milwaukee men's basketball team held Green Bay to just 21 second-half points in claiming a 90-69 victory Saturday night at UWM Panther Arena.
 
In front of a national TV audience on ESPNU, the Panthers (17-14, 12-8 Horizon League) used an emphatic 17-0 run in the second half to put away the Phoenix (18-13, 13-7 Horizon League), forcing turnovers on six straight GB possessions at one point to take control and pull away from there on a night when the program also honored its seniors on "Senior Day".
 
"I am really happy about the rivalry, really happy about the crowd," head coach Bart Lundy said. "Coach (Sundance) Wicks has done a fantastic job and if we can both continue to push these programs forward, it's great for the state – you could feel that tonight."
 
Freeman added a game-high 11 rebounds to record his second-straight double-double, while also finishing with 20+ points for the seventh consecutive contest. He flirted with a triple-double by adding six assists and finished 8-of-16 from the floor. His 13 games of 20-or-more points this season are the most for a Panther since the 2004-05 campaign.
 
"Proud of our guys," Lundy said. "We outrebounded them by 20. BJ (Freeman) really got rolling. Faizon (Fields) was just absolutely dominant inside and on the glass. Langston (Wilson) as well, I thought he did a good job. Very happy for our seniors. I am happy for them that they played well and that we sent them out with this kind of game. And thank you to our fans who really showed up. Hopefully we can continue to grow the crowd – it was a fun game to watch."
 
Erik Pratt added 15 points off the bench, recording five assists while connecting on 6-of-11 field-goal attempts. Faizon Fields and Elijah Jamison each finished with 14 points, with Kentrell Pullian rounding out the list with 10.
 
Fields went 5-of-7 from the floor and 4-of-6 from the line, collecting seven rebounds in just 22 minutes of action. Dominic Ham chipped in six points and added a career-high seven rebounds.
 
Preston Rudiger and David Douglas each had 15 points for the Phoenix, who were limited to just 26.9 percent (7-of-26) after intermission by the MKE defense.
 
The fans were given an exciting matchup, with the contest featuring four ties and 14 different lead changes into the second half. Leading by seven in the second half, Milwaukee saw Green Bay score five in a row to get back to within two at 60-58.
 
From there, it was all Panthers. The team used strong play on both ends of the court to roll up 17 straight points, with Jamison starting the charge. His three-pointer made it 67-58 at the 9:44 mark and forced a Phoenix timeout. That didn't stop the spree and Pullian's steal and breakaway dunk energized the crowd and gave MKE the 72-58 advantage.
 
The run eventually gave the Panthers a 19-point advantage at 77-58 and the lead hit 20+ on a three from Angelo Stuart that made it 86-64 with two minutes to play.
 
For the game, Milwaukee ended the evening at 49.2 percent (32-of-65) from the field, making eight 3's and going 75.0 percent (18-of-24) from the line. GB finished at 46.2 percent (24-of-52) after a red-hot first half (.654) that only gave them a two-point lead at the break at 48-46. The home team outrebounded the visitors by a 42-22 count and doubled them up in the paint, 48-24.
 
The postseason is up next, with Milwaukee playing host to a first-round affair after finishing as the No. 6 seed. The team will play on campus at the Klotsche Center and host No. 11 seed Detroit Mercy, set for a tip-off time of 7 p.m. in the opening round of the Barbasol Horizon League Men's Basketball Championship.