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.”