The 3rd Man In

Panthers and Penguins will square off

Milwaukee Panthers (16-10, 6-6)
vs. Youngstown State Penguins (14-13, 5-7)
Location: Beeghly Center – Youngstown, Ohio
Time: 6:00 p.m. CST
Broadcast: TV: HLN (HorizonLeague.com); Radio: WISN-AM1130

March is almost here, which means the regular season is winding down and tournament play is about to begin. The Milwaukee Panthers only have four games remaining in the season, and their next test will be against Youngstown State.

Earlier this season the Panthers dominated the Penguins claiming an 82-76 victory at home. Milwaukee led by as many as 19 in the second half, and made timely free throws late to hold onto the victory.

The Penguins will not be an easy team to beat as they have been playing solid basketball the entire season. Their offense has averaged 76.5 points per game while shooting 45.7 percent, as their defense only holds opponents to 72.8 points per game on 45.6 percent shooting from the field.

Leading the Penguins is Horizon League Preseason Player of the Year Kendrick Perry. The senior guard is averaging 20.5 points per game while shooting 49.7 percent from the floor and 34.5 percent from behind the arc.

Perry will be joined in the starting lineup by guard DJ Cole, and forwards Kamren Belin, Shawn Amiker, and center Bobby Hain.

If Jordan Aaron returns from his suspension the starting lineup will be the same as usual featuring guards Steve McWhorter and Jordan Aaron, and forwards Austin Arians, Matt Tiby and Kyle Kelm. If he does not play, head coach Rob Jeter has three or four options he could choose from, but anyone of them are no where near the same level of the senior combo guard.

The Milwaukee Panthers lost their last time out, falling to Valparaiso at home, as Aaron sat out for violating team rules. Aaron needs to play in this game, and if he does not, the Panthers have no chance at winning. Winning on the road is never easy, especially when all the pressure is on you to win, which will be the situation the Panthers are in Thursday evening. Milwaukee has to do a better job offensively, while not giving the Penguins easy scoring opportunities if they want to have a chance to pull out the “W.”

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