FORT WORTH, Texas – Danilo Jovanovich had a double-double of 15 points and 10 rebounds and
Amare Hereford had a game-high 18 points but a key scoring run by TCU in the middle of the second half turned momentum in a one-possession game as the Milwaukee men's basketball team fell by a final score of 76-64 from Schollmaier Arena.
The Panthers (2-3) put together a great start to the evening and led for much of the opening period against a Horned Frogs (4-0) team receiving votes in the Associated Press National Top 25 poll.
"I thought we kept our composure when they made some runs," head coach
Bart Lundy said. "We kept chipping away. We really challenged them on the glass about midway through the second half, and I thought we got better there. One thing we've got to get better at is we had them late in the shot clock a bunch of times, and we either fouled, or didn't come up with the defensive glass. We've got to finish those possessions."
Milwaukee fell behind slightly at the break but had it down to a one-possession game at 53-50 with 10:03 remaining before a 10-2 scoring run turned the upset bid into a victory for the home side.
"We're talking about a team that two weeks ago couldn't compete in California, and the growth is pretty amazing," Lundy said of his team. "I think you're going to continue to see growth like this. Maybe not this drastic because California was shocking to a lot of our guys, and honestly, that's to be expected a little bit with having so many new and young guys. But now they know they belong. Getting a win on the road in the Valley (Missouri Valley Conference) and then coming here on a Big 12 court and having a chance … the growth is amazing. We've got to stay healthy. That's the swing vote for this group; but we continue to move ahead."
Jovanovich posted season-bests in points and boards in his second career double-double, finishing 7-of-12 from the floor while adding three blocks and a pair of assists.
Hereford had 12 of his 18 in the first half, finishing 8-of-17 from the floor in adding five assists and four rebounds.
Hereford helped lead the early MKE charge, taking an early 13-8 lead on a
Nate Malosa three-pointer before settling in with a 17-12 early advantage in an opening period that featured six ties and 12 different lead changes.
Malosa wrapped up the night with 10 points and grabbed eight rebounds of his own, limited in the first half with early foul trouble.
Chandler Jackson and
Dylan Omweno each chipped in with seven points apiece.
Xavier Edmonds led TCU with a double-double of 18 points and 13 rebounds. The MKE defense kept the Horned Frogs in check, as the team had been averaging 101.3 points a game through its first three outings. Micah Robinson, who was averaging 21.3 ppg, was held to just 12 in a game that saw the home side hold a significant advantage from the free throw line, taking 36 attempts compared to just nine for Milwaukee (fouls were 23-6 in the contest).
"We've got to clean up the fouls," Lundy said. "You're not going to win when it's 36 to 9 at the free-throw line. These are young guys. But a lot of the young guys are just right there, and where they could get away with things at a different level or high school or junior college, they can't get away with that stuff here. We've got to fundamentally clean up some of our finishing, and then we've got to make some threes. To beat a team where you're not going to get the free-throw disparity, where the calls are going to go against you, everyone in the gym knows who's supposed to win the game, you've got to make the shots that you've got."
After an early TCU response, Hereford had his team ahead again on a nice drive to lead 22-21. He also hit a jumper to forge ahead 26-25 and completed a three-point play to regain the advantage at 29-27.
The Horned Frogs responded with a 9-2 spurt to help grab a 36-33 lead at intermission. The home side gained some separation early in the second, but a Malosa triple cut the 10-point lead to 47-40 and a 9-3 spurt by the Panthers made it a game again at 50-46 on a pair of free throws from Jackson with 12:53 to play.
Hereford made it a one-possession game with the scoreboard reading 53-50 at the 10:03 mark, only to see that significant 10-2 scoring run prove decisive on the evening.
For the night, Milwaukee outshot the home side, finishing at 40.6 percent (26-of-64) compared to TCU's 35.9 percent (23-of-64) from the floor overall. The Panthers also limited the opposition to 21.1 percent (4-of-19) from deep and trailed in the rebound battle by a small margin at 46-41.
Up next, the Panthers are off for a week before returning home, welcoming St. Thomas next Saturday, Nov. 21. Game time is set for 2 p.m.
