YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio – Stevie Elam came up with a steal on one end before scoring the go-ahead basket with 7.7 seconds left on the other to send the Milwaukee men's basketball team to a thrilling 65-64 victory over Youngstown State Saturday afternoon at the Beeghly Center.
 
"We really challenged them to win every loose ball in their matchups – every time they had to guard the ball, every time they got posted up, every time the ball was inside – and they found a way to do it," head coach Bart Lundy said. "And those wins stacked up enough and we made some plays down the stretch and found a way to score one more point than them."
 
The Panthers (9-13, 5-6 Horizon League) overcame a first-half deficit of 11 points in earning the big victory over the Penguins (10-12, 3-8 Horizon League), with Chandler Jackson hitting a big three-pointer to set up Elam's heroics down the stretch. A final defensive stand then allowed the Panthers to escape with the win.
 
"He's all heart and he's so strong," Lundy said about Elam. "He chest-bumped me after the horn went off and just about broke my back. He's a good one and he really wants to win. I am just excited for our group. We have been fighting and fighting and it feels good to finally get some reward for all of the fight."
 
Elam was one of four players in double-figures, finishing with 14, adding four rebounds and a pair of steals. Amar Augillard led the way with 16 points, recording seven rebounds and a pair of steals.
 
Isaiah Dorceus finished with 13 points and five boards, adding three assists and a pair of steals. Chandler Jackson would finish the day with 10 points – none bigger than his 3 with 1:05 to play that brought Milwaukee back within one at 62-61.
 
Chris Carroll led the home team with a game-high 19 points; Rich Rolf finished with 14 points and nine boards.
 
The defense also came to play this afternoon, holding the 'Guins to under 40 percent from the floor for the day as well as the 64 points marking the second-fewest allowed by the Panthers in a game this season.
 
Just into the second, a run of 8-3 put the visitors ahead, 48-42, and brought a Penguin timeout – the game was a see-saw affair the rest of the day. Tied at 54-all with four minutes to go, Aaron Franklin hit a big layup but was unable to add the free throw after a foul. Carroll then converted a big three-point play of his own – with the basket not being counted until after the officials huddled – to put YSU back ahead.
 
Trailing 62-58 after another three-point play that could have turned momentum, Jackson hit a big-time triple of his own to make it 62-61 with 1:05 to go. A pair of YSU free throws pushed the margin back to three before Dorceus took off quick to get a transition layup with 32 seconds to go.
 
The final defensive stand saw Elam pick up the steal deep in the paint before finishing a tough layup through contact on the other end with 7.7 left. One final Carroll miss saw the rebound secured by Augillard as the clock hit zeroes and the celebration was on.
 
Milwaukee came out of the gates well, but 10 unanswered put the team down 12-6 before eventually trailing by as many as 11 at 29-18. A key point in the contest came next, with the Panthers scoring 14 of the final 15 points before intermission – including a huge three at the buzzer from Dorceus.
 
"Jake (Williams) drew that play up in the huddle and Stevie found Zay (Dorceus) on the run – we had three seconds left and he knocked it down," Lundy said. "It was a huge momentum shift."
 
For the day, the Panthers finished at 41.4 percent (24-of-58) from the floor overall, making 30.0 percent (6-of-20) from deep and 68.8 percent (11-of-16) from the line. The Penguins were held to 39.6 percent (21-of-53) overall, 26.9 percent (7-of-26) from three-point range, and 75 percent (15-of-20) from the charity stripe.
 
Up next, the Panthers return home to celebrate Homecoming Week, hosting Wright State Friday. Game time against the Raiders is set for 7 p.m.