The 3rd Man In

Panthers have won four straight

It was a successful weekend for the Milwaukee Panthers, as they continued their winning streak. The Panthers (4-1) were able to knock off Northern Illinois University, 82-69, to claim the NIU Invitational Championship.

Off the bench Malcolm Moore was able to provide a spark as he scored 15 points to lead the Panthers to their fourth straight victory. Nine of his points came from behind the arc, with 12 of his 15 points coming in the first quarter.

The Huskies were up big on the Panthers leading 21-7 with 10:52 remaining in the first half, as three Milwaukee players were in foul trouble. Matt Tiby, Jordan Aaron and Kyle Kelm all had two fouls and had to sit, which led to Moore having a big night.

In the final 29 minutes of play the Panthers were able to outscore the Huskies 75-48, as five players, including Moore, were able to score in double figures.

Steve McWhorter had a big day for Milwaukee as well, as he scored 14 points with five rebounds and four assists. Austin Arians and Aaron both scored 13 apiece, while Kelm added 12.

Overall in the game the Panthers shot 45.6 percent (26-57) from the field, while making 11 of their 31 chances (35.5%) from three-point territory. Milwaukee did make a good improvement from their last game at the free throw line, making 19 of their 26 chances for 73.1 percent.

The Panthers continued to keep their turnovers down as the only had eight, but they continued to get outrebounded. NIU was able to grab 39 boards, while Milwaukee had 32.

Milwaukee has had an impressive start to the season after winning only eight games a year ago. This team is already improved from last season’s team, but they still have room to grow. They are a good team, but if they continue to progress on the offensive side of the ball, this team could be a dangerous.

Up next, the Panthers will have their home opener on Tuesday night at 7 p.m. CST as they take on the DePaul Blue Demons (2-1). This game will be featured on the Time Warner Cable Sports Channel along with being on the radio (WISN – AM 1130).

The Blue Demons will not be an easy team for the Panthers to beat. Last season DePaul was able to beat Milwaukee 84-50, but finished the season with an 11-21 record. This season they now have seven new players, and five scholarship players who are six feet eight inches or taller.

To begin the year the Blue Demons have won impressively against Grambling State and Wright State, while averaging nearly 82 points per game, and shooting almost 48 percent from the field.

Cleveland Melvin is leading DePaul in scoring with nearly 19 points per game while making 66.7 percent of his shots. DePaul’s offense is run through Melvin, and the Panthers will need to keep their eyes on him.

He will be joined in the starting lineup by guards Charles McKinney and Brandon Young, forward Sandi Marcius, and center Tommy Hamilton.

It will be a loud and exciting environment at the U.S. Cellular, as the Milwaukee Panthers will welcome the DePaul Blue Demons for their home opener. While the Panthers are coming into this game on a four game winning streak, they will have to play their best basketball if they want to continue their winning ways. DePaul is a good team and they cannot be taken lightly otherwise they will record the road win.

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