SPARTANBURG, S.C. – Seth Hubbard led the way with 17 points and the Milwaukee men's basketball team put together a much-improved second half but could not overcome a strong start by Wofford in falling, 86-76, Saturday afternoon at Richardson Indoor Stadium.
 
The Panthers (1-1) found themselves in an early deficit when the Terriers (1-1) scored 17 of the first 22 points of the day. Milwaukee battled back and was withing eight at 37-29 with four minutes left before the half. The home side then took control with a run to intermission, scoring 10 of the final 14 to led 47-33 at the break. After regrouping, a strong second-half had the visitors back in the game, but a 10-for-10 showing from the line the final three-plus minutes secured the Wofford victory.
 
Hubbard's 17 points included a 7-of-8 effort from the line. Stevie Elam got his first collegiate start and answered the bell with 12 points, four rebounds, and three steals.
 
Josh Dixon added 11 points (3-for-5 from downtown) off the bench and all in the second half, while Danilo Jovanovich joined them in double-figures with 10, adding five boards.
 
"Give Wofford credit, they absolutely out-willed us … out-physical-ed us," head coach Bart Lundy said. "If we don't fix our toughness issues, it doesn't matter what we run or anything else, it will always end up looking like that. And that is not who we are as a program. But, credit to them and their coaching staff, they had those guys ready to play. They understood that was what we hang our hat on and gave us a little of our own medicine."
 
Wofford was led by Kahmare Holmes, who finished with a game-high 24 points and five rebounds. Brian Sumpter added 21 points on 8-of-9 shooting and grabbed 11 boards for a double-double. The Terriers hit 44 percent of their shots overall and went 25-of-30 from the free-throw line to help fend off Milwaukee's comeback bid. The team also outrebounded the Panthers by a 46-29 total.
 
The quick start hurt MKE's chances, as the Terriers pulled ahead 17-5 in the first five minutes, making seven of their first 12 field goals while playing strong defense.
 
"I just thought we took terrible shots and we couldn't rebound the ball," Lundy said. "We couldn't get offensive rebounds because we didn't know where the shots were coming from – they were shots we don't take. When people take surprise shots, you have no chance to rebound. That's not Milwaukee basketball and we have a lot of work to do."
 
Down 14 at the break and 19 midway through the second, the Panthers dug in and battled back. A Jovanovich jumper capped eight straight to stem the tide but MKE offense could never get the hole down to single figures as it battled down the stretch.
 
As a team, Milwaukee shot 42.9 percent (27-of-63) from the field and 38.9 percent (7-of-18) from long range while converting nearly 79 percent (15-of-19) of its free throws. The Panthers' bench contributed 25 points, offering steady depth throughout the contest.
 
Wofford went for 44.4 percent (28-of-63) from the field and 25.0 percent (5-of-20) from deep while converting 83.3 percent (25-of-30) of its free throws. The big advantages came on the boards (17-9 second-chance points) and from the bench, where the home side had the 36-25 edge.
 
Up next, the Panthers make a quick return home, welcoming Little Rock downtown Monday. Game time at UWM Panther Arena is set for 7 p.m.