The battle is there. But in the end it wasn’t enough.
In their third game in four days — a stretch that coach Bart Lundy knew would push his players to the limit — the UW-Milwaukee Panthers fought back from a big early deficit but ultimately failed to make a clutch play, falling 76-70 to Wright State in a Horizon League game on New Year’s Day.
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Danilo Jovanovich notched his first collegiate double-double with 15 points and 10 rebounds in 37 minutes, while Isaiah Dorceus scored 13 points and Amar Augillard added 12 points off the bench for UWM (7-8, 3-1).
But Wright State (8-7, 3-1), without leading scorer Michael Cooper, had all five starters score in double figures and took advantage of a huge gap at the free throw line — 21 of 25 compared to the Panthers’ 7 of 11 — to put UWM out of misery at 1-2.
The Panthers, who trailed by as many as 20 points late in the first half, used a steady dose of Jovanovic on offense to close the gap, with the 6-foot-8 senior either scoring by backing up defenders near the lane or distributing to teammates like Oguilard.
With 4 minutes and 15 seconds left in the game, Dorseus’ three-pointer from the left corner brought UWM’s score to 64-62, and the game became a tug-of-war.
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box score
Wright State got a layup on the ensuing possession — a score that proved particularly costly when Faison Fields sprained his right ankle while trying to defend and required help off the court — but the Panthers responded with a traditional 3-pointer from Oguillard to once again make it a one-point game.
The Raiders counterattacked with a three-pointer of their own, and then Oguilard hit a three-pointer from the right wing to bring the Panthers to 69-68 with 2:24 left in the game.
UWM forced a miss at the other end to create a chance to take its first lead since early in the first half, but Oguilard missed a breakaway and Dominic Pangonis responded with another three-pointer.
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The score was 72-68 with 1:27 left, but a poor pass from Aaron Franklin at the other end made the Panthers’ comeback more difficult.
Feather Forum in Milwaukee, WI Friday, Dec. 19, 2025 UW-Milwaukee forward Danilo Jovanovich (3) collides with South Dakota State guard Jaden Jackson (14) during the first half.
The Raiders got an offensive rebound with 31 seconds left but missed the shot. But UWM elected not to foul, setting the stage for a wild drive by T.J. Burch to trail 74-68 with 15.2 minutes left.
With 9 seconds left in the game, Dorseus’ breakthrough tied the score to 74-70, but Burch’s two free throws tied the score.
One of the highlights was the performance of 6-foot-10 junior Tate Mackenzie, who had one point in nine games and eight points on 4-of-5 shooting in 14 minutes off the bench.
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More important than offense is the presence his 260-pound frame provides, McKenzie is one of the Panthers’ only defenders who provides major resistance when the Raiders attack the rim.
With Fields leaving the Nutter Center on crutches, McKenzie’s presence may become even more important going forward – the latest in an incredible series of injuries to key figures for the Panthers, who next face a much-improved UW-Green Bay (7-8, 2-2) team on Monday, Jan. 5 at the Kress Center.
This article originally appeared in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Tough times for UW-Milwaukee end with frustrating loss to Wright State
