MILWAUKEE – The Milwaukee men's basketball team played Detroit Mercy evenly after halftime but could not close the gap that a scoring run at the end of the first half provided in falling, 76-63, Wednesday night at UWM Panther Arena.
 
The Panthers (9-16, 5-9 Horizon League) battled back from a 13-point halftime deficit to make it a two-possession game in the middle of the second, only to see the Titans (10-12, 7-6 Horizon League) rebuild their cushion and take control down the stretch, snapping what was a seven-game losing streak in the series in the process.
 
"Give them credit, they have gotten consistently better, they are physical, and they know who they are," head coach Bart Lundy said. "Kind of felt it from the beginning, they got to every spot we wanted to keep them off of. Things were too easy. I thought they were just tougher, connected, way better IQ. Just way better than we were."
 
Aaron Franklin and Sekou Konneh led the MKE offense with 10 points apiece. Franklin added five rebounds and a pair of steals. Konneh tied for the team lead with seven boards, going 4-of-7 from the floor.
 
"We've lost, but we fought in those other games," Lundy said. "I didn't think we were cohesive, we didn't fight. Of the losses we have had, this is the most disappointing. I think it's wearing on us a little bit. We are not rowing in the same direction. That's a bad place to be and that's what losing looks like."
 
TJ Nadeau paced four in double-figures for the visitors with 18 points, going 7-of-11 from the floor.
 
Down 7-2 out of the gates, the Panthers got some spark when Faizon Fields returned for the first time in 10 games, and had the game tied quickly at 7-7. Back-and-forth for a bit, it was still a one-point game at 28-27 when the Titans used that key scoring run to take control – scoring the final 12 of the period to take a 40-27 lead into the locker room.
 
The Panthers would continue to battle and dig back in, making the first run of the second half to get within six at 48-42. Another push brought Milwaukee back within seven at 57-50 at the 9:20 mark, only to see a second scoring run – this time 13 unanswered – allowing the Titans to maintain a double-digit lead the rest of the way.
 
MKE finished the night at 43.6 percent (24-of-55) from the floor overall, connecting on just 20 percent from deep. Detroit Mercy closed out the contest at 53.7 percent (29-of-54) and recorded a 46-36 advantage in points in the paint, while winning the rebound battle, 33-27.
 
Up next, the Panthers hit the road for a pair of games, next playing at Northern Kentucky Saturday. Game time against the Norse is set for 4 p.m. CT.