Milwaukee, WI
Another resounding loss to a mid-major leaves UW-Milwaukee searching for answers
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.”
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 this team will be just fine.”
Lundy also said that it’s looking like junior forward Danilo Jovanovich, a Whitnall High School graduate, might be looking at a redshirt season as he continues to deal with a torn elbow ligament suffered in a preseason scrimmage.
Ball security took a major step backwards
After lacking a true point guard in each of Lundy’s first two years at UWM, he landed a battle-tested senior floor general in transfer Themus Fulks.
He’d dished out nine assists with just one turnover in an average of 28 minutes in his two starts entering Wednesday but took a major step back with five apiece against Longwood.
The giveaways were contagious, too, as UWM committed 20 in 40 minutes that led directly to 24 points for the opposition.
That can’t happen any night – let alone on the road against an opponent loaded up with talented transfers.
“They were really tough defensively,” Lundy said. “They were physical and (the game) was allowed to kind of be played that way. We made some mistakes, too. Of our four of five charges, I’d say four were legitimate. We’ve got to make better decisions.”
Shooting needs work
UWM shot 29.7% (11 for 37) from beyond the arc in its first two games.
It followed up with a 4-for-24 performance (16.7%) against Longwood with Pullian (1 for 7), McKee (1 for 5), John Lovelace Jr. (1 for 3) and Esyah Pippa-White (1 for 1) accounting for the meager number of makes.
The outcome could have been much worse for the Panthers were it not for a similarly poor shooting night by the Lancers (4 for 16 from three, 39.3% overall for the game).
“I don’t think we’re the greatest shooting team, but I think we’re a good shooting team,” said Lundy. “We watch it every day. We make shots every day (in practice). I think it’s just a matter of time. Getting beat on the road and getting down a little bit makes you press. I think we’ve got to see some success, see some balls go in, and a lot of that will take care of itself.
“But we got pretty good shots. We really played hard.”
UWM also went to the line just 20 times and knocked down 12 while Longwood hit 28 of 40, including 9 of 13 over the final 2 minutes 50 seconds.
The game swung on one second-half sequence
UWM was gathering momentum midway through the second half and after Pullian’s three-point make had pulled to within 47-42.
After forcing a pair of three-point misses on the other end, the ball ended up in the hands of junior forward Jamichael Stillwell, who missed a wide-open bunny that could have made it a one-possession game.
Longwood corralled the ball, hurried it back down and converted on a monster slam dunk by Elijah Tucker. UWM responded by turning it over on its possession, Michael Christmas knocked down a pair of free throws on the other end and just like that the deficit had lengthened back out to 51-42 with 9:11 remaining.
“I thought there were a couple of those (sequences) where we really got close and had really good opportunities,” Lundy said. “We’re going to watch this film and see a lot of missed opportunities.”
Milwaukee, WI
Milwaukee Bucks injury report: Is Giannis playing tonight vs. Celtics?
Porter has helped the Bucks stay afloat; what’s his Milwaukee future?
Kevin Porter Jr. has helped the Milwaukee Bucks stay afloat without an injured Giannis Antetokounmpo; what’s Porter Jr.’s future in Milwaukee?
The Milwaukee Bucks host the Boston Celtics at Fiserv Forum just over 24 hours after one of their most disappointing losses of the season, when they scored just eight fourth-quarter points and gave up a 39-point swing in the second half in a blowout loss at Chicago on March 1.
Boston comes into town as one of the league’s hottest teams having won eight of its last 10 and after beating Philadelphia on March 1. The Celtics (40-20) are currently the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference and are looking to stay in front of New York.
The Bucks (26-33), meanwhile, had been winning games but have dropped two in a row and three of their last five. In those three losses, all to teams currently in the Eastern Conference playoff picture, the team failed to score 100 points.
Is Giannis playing?
Yes.
Giannis Antetokounmpo began the day as questionable to play, and was upgraded to available after his pregame workout. It was the first time he had been listed as anything other than “out” since reinjuring his calf on Jan. 23. The game will mark the return of the former two-time MVP, who has missed the last 15 games with a strain of his soleus muscle in his right calf.
What is the Bucks record without Giannis?
11-17.
Milwaukee is 15-15 when Antetokounmpo plays any number of minutes. They are 1-2 when he has exited games early due to injury.
Is Jayson Tatum playing?
No.
Boston’s all-NBA wing is continuing to work his way back from a torn Achilles tendon suffered during the playoffs in May. Tatum has been doing five-on-five work lately.
Boston Celtics injury report
- Jayson Tatum, out (Achilles)
- Jaylen Brown, out (illness)
- Neemias Queta, out (rest)
Taurean Prince, out (neck surgery)
Giannis Antetokounmpo, questionable (right calf strain)
Bucks probable starters
- Guard: AJ Green, Ryan Rollins, Kevin Porter Jr.
- Forward: Giannis Antetokounmpo
- Center: Myles Turner
What time is the Bucks game?
The game is scheduled to begin at 6:30 p.m. CT.
What channel is the Bucks game on?
The game will be broadcast locally on FanDuel Sports Network Wisconsin with Lisa Byington, Wesley Matthews and Melanie Ricks on the call. The game was originally supposed to be a national broadcast on Peacock but was moved to NBA TV.
NBA playoff standings
The Bucks are currently out of the postseason picture entirely. Here are the play-in standings in the Eastern Conference heading into game play on March 2:
No. 7: Orlando (31-28): The Bucks and Magic have split the season series 1-1. The Bucks host the Magic on March 8.
No. 8: Miami (32-29): The Bucks and Magic have split the season series 1-1. Milwaukee travels to Miami on March 12.
No. 9: Atlanta (31-31): The Bucks lead the season series 1-0. The Bucks host the Hawks on March 4 and then travel to Atlanta on March 14.
No. 10: Charlotte (30-31): The Bucks own the tiebreaker over the Hornets having won the season series 3-1.
No. 11: Milwaukee (26-33): The Bucks have had better luck against the play-in teams to date, as they are just 5-13 against the top six seeds in the conference.
“We say we didn’t play ourselves out of it,” Bucks head coach Doc Rivers said. “Obviously I’m competitive. I think we should’ve had an even better record. But, not having your best player for that long and staying above .500 is huge for us. It’s funny, when he went out (Jan. 23) the talk around me was ‘being .500’ and I was like we can be better than that. We were. I’ll take it. But, never satisfied.”
The four teams in the play-in will face one another to determine the final two playoff teams (which will face the top two seeds). Teams that hold the Nos. 7 and 8 seeds only have to win one game to advance, teams that hold the Nos. 8 and 9 seeds must win twice to advance
Bucks vs. Celtics odds
Boston is a 7.5-point favorite over Milwaukee with the over/under set at 216.5 points, per BetMGM.
Milwaukee, WI
Milwaukee Weather – Frosty and cold morning, sunny day ahead
MILWAUKEE – Forecast from FOX6 Meteorologist Lisa Michaels
Frosty Monday morning with temps in the teens inland to low 20s near the lake.
Mostly sunny to sunny skies on Monday. Highs in the mid-40s inland, upper 30s near the lake.
A total lunar eclipse will happen Tuesday morning, total eclipse from 5-6am. It may be tough to see due to increasing clouds.
Increasing clouds on Tuesday with highs in the low 40s. Chance of rain and storms possible Wednesday through Friday with warming temperatures.
Today: 39 Lake. Mostly sunny.
High: 44°
Wind: SE 5-10
Tonight: Partly cloudy this evening, mostly clear overnight.
Low: 27°
Wind: SE 5
Tuesday: 39 Lake. Mostly cloudy.
High: 43°
Wind: E 5-10
Wednesday:41 Lake. Chance for scattered showers and t-storms.
AM Low: 32° High: 45°
Wind: E 5-10
Thursday: 39 Lake. Mostly cloudy. Chance storms.
AM Low: 37° High: 42°
Wind: NE 5-10
Friday: Chance for showers and t-storms Warmer. Warming at night.
AM Low: 37° High: 57°
Wind: SE 5-15
Saturday: Mostly cloudy with AM rain showers. Blustery with falling afternoon temperatures.
AM Low: 47° High: 53°
Wind: NE 5-10
6-day planner
FOX6 Weather Extras
Local perspective:
Meanwhile, FOX6Now.com offers a variety of extremely useful weather tools to help you navigate the stormy season. They include the following:
FOX6 Storm Center app
FOX LOCAL Mobile app
FOX Weather app
FOX Weather
Big picture view:
Maps and radar
We have a host of maps and radars on the FOX6 Weather page that are updating regularly — to provide you the most accurate assessment of the weather. From a county-by-county view to the Midwest regional radar and a national view — it’s all there.
School and business closings
When the weather gets a little dicey, schools and businesses may shut down. Monitor the latest list of closings, cancellations, and delays reported in southeast Wisconsin.
FOX6 Weather Experts in social media
Milwaukee, WI
Four new community-powered fridges open on Milwaukee’s North Side
Community members and city leaders celebrated the opening of four new community-powered fridges on the North Side of Milwaukee. A ribbon-cutting ceremony was held on Friday, Feb. 27, at Metcalfe Park Community Bridges, 3624 W. North Ave., to mark the occasion.
The effort to fight food scarcity by opening community-powered fridges comes after several grocery stores closed in the area, creating a food desert.
District 15 Ald. Russell W. Stamper II, who saw several grocery stores in his district close over the past few years, served as the event’s emcee.
“We could either complain about the problem, or we could come together to find a solution,” Stamper said.
In July 2025, a Pick ‘n Save on the North Side closed, prompting the opening of a community-powered fridge at Tricklebee Café in the Sherman Park and Uptown area. Since then, several other grocery stores have closed in the area.
This led Stamper, FEED MKE, Metcalfe Park Community Bridges and One MKE to open four more community-powered fridges.
Christie Melby-Gibbons, executive director of Tricklebee Café, talked about the organization’s community-powered fridge. About a week ago, the fridge was empty for the first time since its launch, so staff turned to their online community for support.
“Within 20 minutes, a woman came in with bags of food and filled the fridge for less than $100,” Melby-Gibbons said.
The community-powered fridge network is run by residents on a take-what-you-need, leave-what-you-can model. Taking a grassroots approach to solving food insecurity in the area, community members provide fresh produce and other healthy food options to ensure that their neighbors have access to nutritious foods.
“Everybody deserves to eat. I can’t go to sleep at night knowing my neighbors are hungry,” said Melody McCurtis, deputy director of Metcalfe Park Community Bridges.
Here’s a list of all the community-powered fridges:
Metcalfe Park Community Bridges
3624 W. North Ave.
Rooted & Rising- Washington Park
3940 W. Lisbon Ave.
Sherman Park Community Association
3526 W. Fond du Lac Ave.
Dominican Center
2470 W. Locust St.
Tricklebee Café
4424 W. North Ave.
Jonathan Aguilar is a visual journalist at Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service who is supported through a partnership between CatchLight Local and Report for America.
This article first appeared on Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service and is republished here under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
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