MILWAUKEE – The Milwaukee men's basketball team put together a dominant second half performance Sunday afternoon, outscoring Ripon 52-19 after the break to blow open the game and cruise to a 99-48 victory at the Klotsche Center.
The Panthers shot 54.5 percent from the field (18-of-33) and knocked down nine three-pointers in the second half alone to turn a competitive opening period early in the day into a convincing 51-point victory.
Milwaukee (1-2) slowly built its advantage to 47-29 by halftime after shooting 48.8 percent (20-of-41) from the floor in the opening 20 minutes. The Panthers continued to build on that advantage after the break, erupting for 52 points while holding the Red Hawks to just six field goals in the second half, with the defense limiting them to 21.4 percent overall (6-of-28) after intermission.
Nate Malosa recorded 15 points and 11 rebounds, managing a double-double while shooting 7-of-10 from the field in just 23 minutes of action while adding three steals.
Chandler Jackson shook off an injury from the recent road trip and poured in 15 points, connecting on 6-of-8 attempts overall and 2-of-4 from three-point range in 17 minutes.
Jake Hansen led the way with a game-high 17 points, knocking down five three-pointers in eight attempts, while
Dylan Omweno chipped in 13 points, including three triples.
Milwaukee received a strong contribution from its bench, which accounted for 53 of the team's 99 points. The Panthers also got eight points from
Al Amadou (adding 5 boards), nine apiece from
Amare Hereford (also 8 assists/5 rebounds) and
Tre Norman, and six from
Ben Akoro (5 rebounds/3 assists) as all nine players who saw action found the scoring column.
The Panthers finished the afternoon shooting 51.4 percent (38-of-74) from the floor, including 12-of-28 (.429) from beyond the arc. Milwaukee also controlled the glass, 53-31, and made the most of its opportunities in transition, finishing with 31 fast-break points. The Panthers forced 17 turnovers and converted those miscues into 26 points (26-2 in points off turnovers) while also holding a commanding 46-12 advantage in points in the paint.
Anton Kilde paced the Red Hawks with eight points.
Milwaukee returns to action Wednesday when it travels to take on Indiana State. Game time against the Sycamores is set for 6 p.m. CT.
