SANTA CLARA, Calif. – The Milwaukee men's basketball team dropped its second game of the season Wednesday night at the Leavey Center, as Santa Clara used a strong start to take control early in securing the victory.
The Panthers (0-2) played a much better second half against the Broncos (2-0), who are coming off a 26-9 campaign last season that saw them play in the NCAA Tournament and are receiving votes in the preseason Associated Press national poll this year.
Milwaukee found more offensive rhythm after intermission, scoring 45 points after the break. The Panthers shot 47.1 percent (16-of-34) from the field in the final 20 minutes and finished the night with the 17-7 edge in second-chance points.
"It wasn't the result we wanted, but there's a lot of good things that happened in this game that can translate over as we continue to play throughout the season," acting head coach
Ben Walker said. "We just have to have a better start, value the ball a little more, and continue to play hard and continue to learn. We're still learning our team also, and it's just really exciting that we have some guys that stepped up out there with the opportunity that they had."
With
Chandler Jackson and
John Lovelace Jr. missing the contest after suffering injuries Monday at USC and
Danilo Jovanovich getting hurt in the second half tonight, the team was able to lean on its depth.
Aaron Womack III paced MKE with 14 points, knocking down five of his 11 field-goal attempts, including 4-of-8 from beyond the arc.
Dylan Omweno added 12 points on an efficient 5-of-8 shooting performance on his night.
Ben Akoro contributed nine points and 12 rebounds, with the 12 boards marking the most for a Milwaukee freshman in a game since 2008.
Tre Norman also finished with nine points, adding five rebounds and two assists.
"If you look at the numbers in the second half, they beat us by four," Walker said. "So, we had a lot of guys step up out there. Womack played awesome in the second half. Akoro 12 and nine, that's great. Dylan (Omweno) played well. So, we're a good basketball team and I'm excited about these guys. They got the opportunity to go out there and compete and show us that they're ready to play."
Santa Clara placed five players in double figures, led by 15 points from Jake Ensminger.
The home team jumped out to advantages of 14-0 and 20-3 to grab the early momentum. The Panthers responded with a 10-5 spurt to get back within a dozen at 25-13, but saw an 11-2 response erase that effort to trail 36-15. Head coach
Bart Lundy received back-to-back technical fouls late in the opening period and had to head to the locker room prematurely for the first time in his career.
Santa Clara took a big lead in the second, but Milwaukee kept up the pressure, eventually slicing almost a dozen points off the deficit down the stretch in what turned out to be a 95-72 win for the Broncos.
Up next, the Panthers head back to Wisconsin for their home opener Sunday, hosting Ripon at the Klotsche Center. Tip time is set for 12 p.m.
