Photo by Tyler Klein
Milwaukee Panthers vs. Northern Kentucky
Milwaukee Panthers vs. Northern Kentucky
It was a historic afternoon for the Milwaukee Panthers men’s basketball team as they hosted Northern Kentucky.
The headline was the halftime celebration of the 2005 Panthers squad that reached the Sweet Sixteen in the NCAA Tournament. The ceremony—which featured 12 players from the ‘05 team—culminated a season-long spotlight on the 20th anniversary of the Sweet Sixteen berth.
Milwaukee's festivities continued on the court as UWM defeated NKU 92-70. Thanks to Jamichael Stillwell's dominance, the game offered more history.
The junior forward grabbed 13 rebounds, and his final board of the night gave him 281 for the season—breaking the Milwaukee single-season record previously set by Bryce Nze in 2017-18.
Milwaukee head coach Bart Lundy praised Stillwell after the game, saying, “When he is at his peak with his energy, we're as good a mid-major basketball team as there is in the country.”
Stillwell led the way with his rebounding, but the record-setter was not alone. The Panthers grabbed 21 offensive boards in a physically dominant performance, building momentum for a crucial final two weeks of the regular season.
Norse Strike First
Despite the lopsided final score, the Norse of Northern Kentucky started emphatically. NKU could not miss, making its first five field goals while building an early seven-point lead.
Oshkosh native Josh Dilling then hit back-to-back three-pointers for the visitors, waving to the crowd as he extended his team’s advantage to 11 points midway through the first period.
After absorbing the early blows, Milwaukee took control of the fight. Led by the steady presence of Themus Fulks, the Panthers ended the half on a 27-9 run — including a 13-2 spurt over the final 4:21 — to enter halftime with a seven-point lead.
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The senior point guard has been vital to Milwaukee’s success in the Horizon League. During conference play, Fulks averages 6.7 assists per game in wins to just 3.6 dishes in UWM defeats.
Fulks assisted the Panthers’ last three made field goals of the half — punctuated by a flashy no-look flip to Jamichael Stillwell for a transition layup.
When Fulks was not setting up his teammates, the Panthers found success on the offensive glass. Milwaukee turned 21 offensive rebounds into 29 second-chance points, dominating the boards all game.
Closing the Door
One of Milwaukee’s strengths entering this season was its depth. But, due to numerous injuries and players missing time, Coach Lundy did not have his full roster available until recently.
In the second half, UWM's depth wore down Northern Kentucky. 10 players logged at least 10 minutes for the hosts, and a steady rotation of frontcourt players bullied the Norse down low.
“Having that five [player] post rotation, that’s something nobody else in the league has,” Lundy said. “Tonight, that was the difference.”
The Panthers grabbed 21 offensive rebounds, while the Norse managed only 10 defensive boards. Milwaukee’s offensive rebounding rate of 67.7% was the best of any NCAA Division I men’s basketball team this season.
Stillwell paced the way with 15 points and nine offensive boards but was not alone in a balanced team effort. The finesse of Danilo Jovanovich provided a scoring punch in the paint off the bench. The Whitnall product made six of his seven field goals and finished with a season-best 12 points.
The Milwaukee reserves finished with 49 points — out-performing the NKU backups by 30 points. Erik Pratt recorded 15 points in 21 minutes, and the Panthers had a +30 point differential when he was on the floor.
Halftime History
During halftime, Milwaukee honored the 2005 men’s basketball team that reached the Sweet Sixteen in the NCAA Tournament. That season marked the second of three NCAA Tournament appearances in four years and serves as the benchmark for where Coach Lundy wants to lead the program.
“We're always referencing that team,” Lundy said. “Every day that I come to work, that's where we're trying to get to. We're constantly talking to our guys about how good that team was — that those guys are immortal at this university and in this city.
“We take a lot of pride in what they did and what coach [Bruce] Pearl led them to. That's where we're trying to go.”
Under Lundy, the Panthers have been Horizon League contenders but have yet to advance to the Big Dance. A successful road trip this week could catalyze a return to March Madness.
Milwaukee travels to second-place Robert Morris and third-place Youngstown State, the league’s two hottest teams. With
UWM just one game back of first-place Cleveland State, this week could be the difference between a regular-season Horizon League title and a difficult path in the conference tournament.
“There's a lot on the line,” Lundy said. “They're the two of the top five teams, and we haven't played well at either of those places. This is as hard as it can be to go win a league.”
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UWM has proven it can beat the Horizon League’s lower-level teams, going a perfect 9-0 against the bottom five squads in the conference. But Coach Lundy’s squad is just 2-5 when playing the top six.
With all to play for, Lundy wouldn’t have it any other way. “Who wouldn't want to be in this spot? Let's jump on the bus and go see what we got, see what the challenge is.”
