The UW-Milwaukee Panthers head into the holidays feeling pretty good about where they’re at.
Thanks to a 92-57 drubbing of Division III North Central at the Klotsche Center on Sunday afternoon, they improved to 6-0 at home for the first time since the 2005-06 season.
That year, the Panthers began 10-0 en route to a 13-2 home campaign.
“We’re happy with the semester,” said head coach Bart Lundy, whose team countered a 5-for-31 effort from three-point range with a 25-for-36 day at the free-throw line and 45 rebounds. The Panthers also turned the ball over a season-low six times while forcing the Cardinals into 23.
“We wanted to put a bow on this and send (the players) home (for Christmas). Hopefully they come back with an as good or better team mindset, and we can make a run at this thing in the second semester.”
BOX SCORE: UWM 92, North Central 57
UWM (9-4, 2-0 Horizon League) also bumped its record at the on-campus Klotsche Center to 11-1 under Lundy, with its next game there as well. IU-Indianapolis comes to town on Dec. 29 as the Panthers dive back into Horizon League play for the remainder of the season.
“The K is a special place,” said Lundy. “You can look into the crowd and see that our fan support in the community is growing. I don’t track the numbers, but you can see it growing. We need, obviously, more student support and hopefully we can start to get that.
“I think we’ve got a pretty good team. They’re fun to watch. They play really hard. So, we need the students to get on on board with that. And I think if they come out a couple times, they’ll be hooked.”
Jamichael Stillwell doubles up once again
Entering Sunday, 6-foot-8 junior forward Jamichael Stillwell was the No. 1 rebounder in all of Division I – consisting of 352 teams – at 12.1 per game.
For a player who essentially came out of nowhere (Butler Community College) and plays for a mid-major program, that’s a big deal.
“It’s a huge thing for him, for his profile, and then for our program,” Lundy said. “Because it brings eyes upon the program, and people want to come out and see the No. 1 rebounder in the country. And rebounding is one of those things where, if we want to be a program based on toughness, what better way than to have the guy who’s in the toughest category being No. 1 in the country?”
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Against a smaller, less athletic team like North Central, Stillwell figured to have a field day Sunday.
Instead, he settled for a quiet 12-point, 10-rebound effort in 21 minutes of action. Stillwell hamstrung himself by getting two quick fouls in the first half and then picked up a technical with 4 minutes 45 seconds remaining that sent him to the bench through intermission.
Then, a touch foul on the perimeter early in the second sent him back to the bench for a spell. Stillwell closed the day with a putback with 6:34 left that gave him his fourth straight double-double – tying him with BJ Freeman for the program record – and eighth on the season.
“It’s a growth process for him, the technical, actually,” said Lundy. Stillwell’s numbers dipped slightly, to 13.7 points and 11.9 rebounds.
“It’s not good, but I’d rather happen now because in Jamichael’s past he’s been a guy that’s always revved up. He runs hot, and that’s part of what makes him good. On the bench we talked about, “Hey, you’ve got to channel that.’ I would say he probably knew this was a game he could he could get (a technical) in.
“Not that that makes it better, but again, it’s growth for him.”
Erik Pratt settling back in
After missing eight games for personal reasons, senior guard Erik Pratt scored a game-high and season-high 20 points in 20 minutes, knocking down 5 of 9 shots (3 of 7 three-pointers) and 7 of 8 free throws.
The 6-5 Pratt gives UWM a desperately needed consistent shot maker from beyond the arc, and his length, athleticism and experience also make him a player whose role should only continue to increase as time goes on.
“He’s so different than the other guards, because he really plays off his jump shot more,” Lundy said. “We have so many downhill guys that can shoot, but he opens the floor up for them. The thing about Eric is, he was in a situation where he could have gone down a couple different paths, and it’s been really good to see him get himself back on a path where he can reach all his goals.
“He’s an excellent player, and a player that should play for a long time after Milwaukee. Bringing him off the bench, that’s hard to do when you’ve been a starter for a long time in a lot of places. But he’s good with it, and he wants to help the team.”
Faizon Fields close to returning
Senior forward Faizon Fields – the Panthers’ best big man a year ago – has missed the last seven games after undergoing surgery to fix a broken finger but is, according to Lundy, nearing a return that will make UWM as whole as it’s been since the start of the season.
“He runs every day. He’s keeping his wind,” Lundy said. “I think our target date is January, 8 that they’ll release him for a full go. He’s staying here over Christmas break. That’s how dedicated he is to keeping his conditioning and staying in shape. So, I think we’ve got a really good Faizon coming back.
“It’s going to take him a bit. But this has also helped (Darius) Duffy kind of come out of the funk that he was in, because he wasn’t playing as many minutes. So, having a good Duffy and a healthy Faizon completely changes our team.”
Junior wing Aaron Franklin was held out of Sunday’s game due to a lingering foot problem, Lundy said.
“Two games ago, he couldn’t finish the game because it was swollen,” said Lundy. “It’s a kind of a chronic deal. So, we could rest him until after Christmas. He’ll be back with us on the on the 26th when we come back for practice.”
