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Milwaukee coach Bart Lundy says that despite a 1-2 record his team is in a far better position than it was a year ago.
The UW-Milwaukee Panthers dropped their second straight road game to a mid-major in ugly fashion, this one a 76-62 setback at Longwood on Wednesday night in Farmville, Virginia.
But coach Bart Lundy isn’t pressing the panic button. Not even close.
“I really believe that we’re fine. We’re better than fine,” said Lundy, whose team also lost at Northern Iowa, 87-68, on Nov. 7. “We’re in such a better place than we were a year ago, it’s not close. These are good teams. You get down a little, you make some mistakes and these aren’t games you’re going to win.
“Things have got to be tighter, and you’ve got to make shots.”
Box score: Longwood 76, UW-Milwaukee 62
The Panthers had their backs against the wall before they even took the court with senior guard Erik Pratt not making the trip.
UWM responded poorly, enduring a horrid shooting night (35.9%), committing 20 turnovers and being more than doubled up at the free throw line in trailing nearly wire to wire.
Kentrell Pullian had 19 points and six rebounds and AJ McKee 16 points, with no other Panthers player managing more than six.
Things won’t get any easier for UWM, either, as it next plays at Duquesne on Nov. 19 before finally returning to its home court.
Here are four takeaways from the loss.
Where was Erik Pratt?
While he has yet to hit a three-pointer this season, the 6-foot-5 Pratt is nevertheless the Panthers’ most reliable perimeter shooter.
But after averaging 23 minutes in starting UWM’s first two games, Pratt was conspicuous by his absence Wednesday.
“He did not make the trip and he’s taken a leave from the team for personal reasons,” Lundy explained. “When you look at the stat sheet, the shooting category, yeah, that’s what people are going to say (that Pratt will be tough to replace). Well, Erik is a shot maker, but there’s other guys that do other things.
“Next man up, and we’ll adapt and adjust. And I think…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/another-resounding-loss-mid-major-045041774.html
Author : Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Publish date : 2024-11-14 04:50:00
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