UWM 77, Robert Morris 69: It was bombs away for Patrick Baldwin Jr. and the Panthers
Patrick Baldwin Jr. returned from a three-game absence in a big way on Saturday afternoon, tying a UW-Milwaukee record set all the way back in 1991 by knocking down all 6 of his three-point attempts.
He finished with a career-high 26 points as well, leading the way to a badly needed 77-69 victory over Robert Morris at UW-Milwaukee Panther Arena.
But as impressive as his performance was -- he also added seven rebounds in a game nationally televised on ESPNU -- UWM got contributions from plenty others in evening its Horizon League record at 1-1 and snapping a six-game losing streak.
Josh Thomas came off the bench to score 19 points. Donovan Newby scored a career-high-tying 16 points. Jordan Lathon was a stat-stuffer supreme with six points, nine rebounds and 10 assists from the point-guard spot.
And Joey St. Pierre did the grunt work down low, adding eight rebounds and four blocked shots in 32 minutes.
Most important, the Panthers turned in what was easily their best shooting performance of the season, going 14 for 25 (56%) from three-point range — a major factor against a Robert Morris team that employed an active 2-3 zone defense the entire game.
"It’s huge because they’re almost daring you to shoot it a little bit," coach Pat Baldwin said. "We got some plays in the elbow area as well. But for us to be able to knock down the threes and open it up a little bit, that gave a little bit of space down in the paint.
BOX SCORE: UW-Milwaukee 77, Robert Morris 69
"Shooting is a game-changer; that’s 42 points right there off of 14 threes, and that’s huge. You need that in a game like this when they’re playing zone and they want to try and keep you out of the paint.
"Our guys had their feet set, they were ready to shoot and they took advantage of it."
Baldwin Jr. certainly was ready, making his first start since spraining his left ankle Nov. 23.
He hit 7 of 8 shots and all 5 of his threes in the first half, including four in a span of five possessions that helped spark a 22-7 UWM run.
A 9-0 run by the Colonials (0-7, 0-2) to close out the first half left the Panthers down a point, 37-36, at halftime.
Baldwin Jr. hit his sixth three in as many tries with 15 minutes 40 seconds remaining in the game, tying the UWM record for accuracy (minimum five attempts) set by Joe Schultz against Cal State-Northridge on Feb. 11, 1991.
"I don’t like to look too deep into personal records. Whatever it takes to get the team the win," he said. "It’s a nice record to keep in the back of your head, but knowing that it contributed to a win is something that feels better to me."
The game was tied at 61 with 6:14 left when UWM hit a trio of threes in a span of four possessions to finally pull away — one by Lathon and two by Thomas. The 14 threes overall were three more than the previous team high set in the game Baldwin Jr. was injured.
"We needed it badly," said Baldwin of the victory, which was his team's first since its season opener at North Dakota on Nov. 9. The Panthers are off now until Dec. 10, when they play a non-conference game at Colorado.
"Obviously, we want to win every game and I think of every game as a must-win. I think our guys are confident but to get even more confident, you need those ‘Ws’ in that column in order to take it to another level, and the work that you put in, you want to make sure that you see the fruits of your labor.
"But this was huge – especially in conference. We’re 1-1 now, and we don’t play another conference game until the 30th."
Even more impressive was the fact the Panthers played as though they didn't even miss their leading scorer, DeAndre Gholston, who was held out after injuring his ankle Thursday.
The return of Baldwin Jr. certainly helped fill the void.
"Anytime you’re sitting out it takes a toll on you mentally," he said. "But, just being around the guys, they gave me confidence and I was there mentally and emotionally. So, just finally getting out there and being out there, you saw the energy that I was playing with out there.
"I was just so happy to be with the guys and finally competing."
UWM also set a season high with 22 assists on 26 field goals, won the rebounding battle and blocked 10 shots — a total that tied for third-most in school history.
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This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Patrick Baldwin Jr. hits all six of his threes to lead UWM past Robert Morris
