Second half collapse costs Milwaukee

When the Milwaukee Panthers started the season 9-2 they looked like they were going to be an improved team from last year when they only won eight games, but as of late the Panthers have fallen back to their old ways. After being blown out against Wisconsin 10 days ago, the Panthers (9-4) returned to action against Northeastern, but they blew a 19-point halftime lead to lose to the Huskies 62-59.

Kyle Kelm was the Panthers top performer in today’s contest scoring 11 points, while grabbing five rebounds, and recording four assists and three steals. Scott Eatherton was the Huskies best player as he recorded another double-double with 20 points and 10 rebounds, while also adding three assists and three blocks.

In the first half the Panthers jumped out to an 11-2 lead through the first four minutes, but then in the next minute the Huskies were able to score five unanswered points to push Milwaukee’s lead to only five.

Milwaukee was able to dominate the rest of the half, as Northeastern struggled offensively. In fact they even went on a 14-2 run in the final 5:14 to end the half with the 36-17 lead, while shooting 51.7 percent from the field in the first 20 minutes. But their first half success did not carry over into the final 20 minutes of play.

While a 19-point lead would usually be too much for a team to overcome, the Huskies proved many people wrong. In the second half the Huskies fought back and were able to take the 53-52 lead with 2:58 remaining in the game.

Instead of slowing down the game and attacking down low on almost every possession, the Panthers continued to launch three-point shots, while making only one of their nine attempts. Milwaukee’s defense also struggled after holding the Huskies to 26.1 percent shooting in the first half, as they allowed them to make 58.1 percent of their shots in the second.

For the game the Panthers shot 43.1 percent (25-58) from the floor, while making only 25 percent (5-20) of their attempts from long range. The Panthers also did not do the little things right as they got outrebounded, while also turning the ball over 16 times.

It was not a bad game for the Panthers, instead a bad second half that cost them, but it is still no excuse when they are playing a team that had only two wins coming into this game. Poor shot selection, costly mistakes, and the lack of defense are what hurt Milwaukee, and has been a problem at times for them this season.

The Panthers will need to forget about this loss quickly as they return to action in less than 24 hours to face Alabama State.