Slow starts a major problem as UWM loses to UWGB, drops third straight game

Slow starts are becoming a troubling trend in Horizon League play for the UW-Milwaukee Panthers.

For the second straight game they dug themselves into a large first-half hole with poor defense only to come rushing furiously back over the final 20 minutes and then ultimately fall short, this time against I-43 rival UW-Green Bay, 79-76, at the Kress Center on Monday night, Jan. 5.

The Panthers trailed by 21 points with 6 minutes 1 second remaining in the first half after the Phoenix basically did whatever it wanted to offensively, coming away with points on its first 11 possessions of the game and registering just three empty possessions in total on 84.2% shooting – yes, you read that right – leading into the final media timeout.

UWM did limit Green Bay to a lone free throw over the final 3:56 to leave the halftime deficit 46-29, but the Phoenix hit 72.7% of its shots overall and 12 of 16 free throws to seemingly set the stage for a blowout.

In fairness to the injury-plagued Panthers, they were without their best interior defender, Faizon Fields, who went down in the previous game with a sprained ankle.

Box score

Those who did take the court, however, were lacking in every aspect on that end of the court with senior Amar Augillard's two quick personal fouls limiting him to 5 minutes and depriving coach Bart Lundy of another body when literally every one counts these days.

"We have tough kids. We have guys that want to win and they're trying to do right," said Lundy. "We're just not guarding. You can't give up 72% in the first half and 62% for the game.

"We're fighting, but we just can't get into these holes that we've been putting ourselves in."

The Panthers successfully ratcheted up the pressure to start the second half and not surprisingly quickly got themselves back into the game.

The defensive effort continued from there, enabling UWM to grab its first lead and eventually go up four at 65-61 on Esyah Pippa-White's 3-pointer with 6:25 remaining only to run out of gas with Green Bay using a 13-4 run to regain control.

All told, the Phoenix shot 62.2% – the Panthers' second-worst showing in that regard on the season. Akron shot 65% in beating visiting UWM by 24 points in a non-conference matchup there last month.

Green Bay also outscored UWM, 44-24, in the paint while going just 3 of 9 from 3-point range.

"I've had to kind of avoid some of the normal rugged practices that we have because we just can't afford another guy going down," Lundy said when asked what he can do to address the defensive lapses. "I don't think we're not trying. There's been so many lineup changes. And now Faizon goes out, and people don't understand how good he is and how many things he covers up for us defensively.

"We've got to find a way to keep the ball out of the paint with the personnel that we have."

An impressive comeback

While it ultimately came up short, the comeback the shorthanded Panthers made to get back into the game in the second half was certainly impressive.

Baskets by five different players to open underscored the balance, with Danilo Jovanovich and Aaron Franklin each hitting threes in that span.

Another 3-pointer, this one by Isaiah Dorceus, made it a one-possession game at 13:35 and a pair of free throws by Augillard at 10:03 gave UWM its first lead of the game at 56-55.

A barrage from beyond the arc continued, first with an NBA-distance bomb from Dorceus, another from the corner by Chandler Jackson and finally Pippa-White's make from the right wing that stretched the advantage out to the largest of the game for the Panthers.

A spinning layup by Jackson resulted in the game's final tie at 67-all with 3:47 left, but a 3-pointer on Green Bay's ensuing possession left the Panthers trailing the rest of the way.

Jovanovich had another effective game with 19 points on 8-for-10 shooting while playing all 40 minutes.

Dorceus finished with 14 points thanks mostly to a 4-for-6 performance from long range, while Augillard, Jackson and Pippa-White all added 10 points.

The Panthers shot an even 50% from the floor and shot 45.5% from 3-point range (10 for 22), its second-best showing of the season.

"I think we're obviously a better second-half team than we are a first-half team," said Lundy. "We've got to find a way to address our starts and find a group that can start well."

Panthers traveling a tough road

By falling at Green Bay, UWM's losing streak stretched to three games and its road record fell to 1-8.

The Panthers now stand at 7-9 overall and 3-2 in the Horizon League with a much-needed, three-game homestand beginning Jan. 9 against Northern Kentucky.

"I think we have to figure out how do we start better? How do we not get into deficits?" Lundy said when asked how the Panthers can get on track on the road. Their only win outside of Milwaukee this season came at Cleveland State on Dec. 21.

"We keep coming back, which is great, but you're not going to win these games on the road like that. You've got to be able to start fast and well and be able to set the tone. Do I have confidence that our guys are going to get better? Yeah.

"But we've got to make some serious adjustments to be able to win road games in the league. Down 20 at Wright State, 21 at Green Bay – that's not going to get it done."

Meanwhile, Lundy termed the ankle sprain suffered by Fields as "fairly severe" and projected the 6-foot-10 senior will miss several more games as a result.

Freshman guard Stevie Elam, on the other hand, is nearing a return from a stress fracture in his foot.

"He went to the doctor today and we've got a projected return to play," Lundy said. "I don't know if he'll make it back for this weekend or not, but we're optimistic for the near future."

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Slow starts becoming a major problem as UWM drops third straight game