The first real test of the season for the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee was also a lesson for the Panthers.

Milwaukee got punched in the mouth from the jump in their first game against a NCAA Division I opponent and never fully recovered defensively in an 87-67 loss to Northern Iowa on the road Thursday night in Cedar Falls, Iowa. 

The backcourt duo of Themus Fulks (18 points) and AJ McKee (16) led the way  for Milwaukee, which dropped to 1-1 on the young season, while Jamichael Stillwell finished one rebound shy of a double-double. 

Here’s what we learned from a challenging evening for Milwaukee. 

Defense gets a run for its money

There was a bit of a step up in competition from Monday night’s opener against D-III Lawrence when Milwaukee stepped onto the floor at the McLeod Center. 

UNI, picked to finish second in the Missouri Valley Conference, put on a clinic of offensive efficiency. 

BOX SCORE: Northern Illinois 87, UWM 68

Led by lights-out shooting from Tytan Anderson and Trey Campbell, the host Panthers shot 60.4% from the floor, pouring it on from the very outset of the game through the final buzzer.

UNI shot 65.4% in the first half to jump out to a 45-34 lead, a deficit that could have even been much worse for the visitors after they trailed 23-5 halfway through the period. 

A Campbell three in transition ballooned UNI’s lead to a game-high 20 points at 76-56, then moments later a fastbreak alley-oop by Wauwatosa East graduate Leon Bond III put an exclamation on the performance. 

UNI shot 12 of 24 from three-point range, the product of some unexpected shot-making and defensive lapses by Milwaukee.

“I thought it was both,” Panthers head coach Bart Lundy said. “We weren’t connected and were not as focused on defense as we’d liked to have been. Give them credit. They have guys that don’t always make shots like that made a lot of shots tonight. They’re too good a team to beat when you get into a hole like that.”

Wisconsin products sting Milwaukee

A trio of native Wisconsinites played a role in giving Milwaukee fits. 

The effort was led by Bond, a high-flying junior who initially began his collegiate career at Virginia as a three-star prospect. The wing went 4 for 6 from the field and hit two threes to finish with 11 points and four rebounds. 

“He’s a good player,” Lundy said of Bond. “He changes a lot for them defensively with his athleticism.”

Freshman Will Hornseth from De Pere, played only 11 minutes but gave Milwaukee fits in the first half in particular on his way to finishing with 11 points on 4-for-4 shooting.

DeForest’s Max Weisbord rounded out the stat sheet with two points, three assists, two rebounds and a steal.

On the margins

There wasn’t a whole lot to write home about for Milwaukee, which was only 6 ½ point underdogs coming in and felt it should at the very least compete with UNI.

But for Panthers fans looking for a silver lining there was at least something: They continued to play well in areas on the margins in which they often struggled last season. 

Milwaukee, all things considered, dominated on the glass. Despite missing 20 more shots from the field than UNI, it won the rebound battle, 34-31. This was thanks to grabbing 14 offensive rebounds off of 39 misses while allowing only five. 

Lundy’s team also finished with more turnovers forced (13) than committed (9). 

These were two particularly frustrating areas the past two years for the Panthers, who have opened this season at the very least pleased with the turnaround so far.

“We’re rebounding it well,” Lundy said. “We have to get those assist numbers. Part of that is shot making but part of that is making plays for others. I don’t think it’s going to be a consistent problem but it was a problem tonight. We’ve just got a more physical group with size that goes after the ball. Guys are boxing out more. It’s a team effort.”

MILWAUKEE — “I have people come up to me on the street and say, ‘Good for you for getting out in the world.’ Like that’s not normal. I’m just a person.”

Ebony Lewis is just a Milwaukee East Sider who loves art, theater, and her dog. She especially loves to paint. However, she can’t paint with her hands. She uses her feet.

“Feel what you’re feeling through your painting,” Lewis said.

She was born with arthrogryposis. It’s a muscle disorder. All of her limbs are clubbed. Her arm movement is minimal, so she uses her feet to text, heat up coffee, and write things down.

“Honestly, anything you do with your hands, I can do with my feet.”

But that has also brought challenges both growing up and now as she navigates life as a 20-year-old seeking independence.

Since elementary school, she has been involved with school plays. At Tosa East High School, she was a stage manager for many of the productions. After graduating, she wanted to earn her bachelor’s degree at a film school. She tried attending a university in Chicago, but there weren’t many adaptive options. Then she looked at schools in Los Angeles, but there weren’t affordable caregivers, so she stayed in Milwaukee. However, that presented its own set of challenges.

Watch Ebony Lewis’ inspiring story…

How a Milwaukee artist navigates life using just her feet

“I had my roommates move out on me because they said they couldn’t handle the level of care I needed, which wasn’t them taking care of me. It was caregivers coming in, but they didn’t like that,” Lewis said.

Now, she lives in a one-bedroom apartment on Milwaukee’s East Side. While she has a license, she is forced to rely on help getting around because she can’t find funding sources for a modified vehicle to drive.

“It’s just kind of been one slap in the face after another of me just trying to live my life and society not allowing it,” Lewis said.

To handle all the stress, she took up painting as a way to express herself. She paints landscapes, her dog, and anything else that comes to mind.

In addition to her painting, she’s also advocating for herself and her community.

James Groh

“I want (life) to be more adaptable for us. I don’t want us to have to fight constantly to just live,” she said. “People view us as things that need to be helped and fixed and not as actual humans. And we’re all placed in the same bubble. It’s taken a lot to show people what I can do, and a lot of people have tried to stop me from just being a normal person. They want to keep you in this box, and you’ll try to change their mindset, but they’re so stuck on it, you know. It’s very hard.”

She also wants people to recognize that not all disabilities are the same.

“Because I have abilities other people don’t. Other people can do things I can’t do,” she said.

Lewis’ goals are to eventually attend film school, get more disabled people involved in filmmaking, and live a normal life.

“I’m very determined. I want to do what I want to do, and I don’t care if people tell me I can’t. I don’t care if I can’t. I’m going to try to figure this out. I’m very go-go-go. Nothing stops me.”

Given Ebony Lewis’ attitude, it won’t be surprising when she accomplishes all her goals.

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The Milwaukee Police Department is looking for a critically missing woman and baby.

Ziqrebineka Ingram, 21, and Zy’onna Haney, 1, have not been seen since 1:00 a.m. Thursday morning.

Ingram is described as a Black woman, standing about 5’5″ tall and weighing around 145 pounds. She has black hair and brown eyes.

MPD

She’s believed to be with Zy’onna, who is described as a Black baby, about 2′ tall and weighing around 20 pounds.

Both were last seen on Thursday morning around 1:00.

Anyone with any information is asked to call the Milwaukee Police Department District 3 at 414-935-7232.

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