UWM overwhelms Cardinal Stritch for second-biggest win in program history

UW-Milwaukee fell just short of setting a program record in coach Bart Lundy's third game as coach on Saturday night.

With 14 of 15 players getting into the scoring column, the Panthers' 112-38 homecoming victory over Cardinal Stritch at UW-Milwaukee Panther Arena ranked as the second-largest in program history.

Only a 100-21 victory over Mount Senario on Dec. 27, 2000 was bigger.

Overwhelming their overmatched NAIA opponent from the outset in this one, the Panthers also finished in the top 5 in the annals in a few other categories:

∙ The Wolves' 21.9% shooting was third-lowest by an opponent;

∙ Their 38 points were tied for third-fewest;

∙ The Panthers 112 points and 41 field goals were tied for fourth-most;

∙ UWM's 55 rebounds were tied for fifth-most.

So now, through the first three games of Lundy's tenure, UWM has beaten MSOE by 56, lost at Purdue by 31 and beaten Cardinal Stritch by 74.

Next up for the Panthers is another Power 5 opponent, Iowa State, on Nov. 20 in Ames, Iowa.

"I appreciate Cardinal Stritch being willing (to play)," Lundy said. "We got some contributions from a lot of guys. When you get up by a lot of points you get to see who's going to be disciplined, who's going to be silly, who's going to stick with what we do.

"I thought they took it seriously that we're trying to get better as a team, regardless of the score. In a week here we've twice been on this side of it and once on the other side. But I thought through those 120 minutes we've stayed playing hard and within the structure and the discipline of what we're trying to accomplish."

Angelo Stuart scored 18 points, Jalen Johnson 17, Elijah Jamison 16 and Kentrell Pullian 12.

Only freshman Brian Taylor III failed to score for the Panthers while another freshman guard, Justin Thomas, had his string of two straight starts snapped by what Lundy called a "coach's decision."

Heralded sophomore Keon Edwards also made his UWM debut after missing the first two games with an ankle injury. He chipped in two points on 1-for-4 shooting with five rebounds in 15 minutes.

Here are three takeaways from the victory.

Here's why UWM has played two non-Division I opponents so far

In a perfect world, UWM's schedule would consist of almost entirely Division I opponents, with a healthy dose of those playing in Milwaukee.

But as a mid-major, that's just not a reality.

Here's how Lundy described the thought process behind opening against a Division III team, then playing an NAIA school.

"When I got the job (late March) there were only three games scheduled – at Purdue, at Iowa State and at Rhode Island," he said. "There wasn't a home game on the schedule. We had eight to schedule and I can't express to you how many hours were spent putting the schedule together. It took the entire summer and almost into the school year to get it completed.

"This particular date, the 12th, a lot of teams use this weekend for 'buy' games. There's lots of stuff going on if you just look through college basketball, and there just wasn't anybody that was willing to come here on this date. We thought we had it a dozen times and it fell through.

"We ended up, through some creative scheduled, getting seven of those eight at home. If you're going to become a good mid-major program, you've got to get home games. Nobody will ever realize what goes into it. We tried for a long time to get a Division I opponent (tonight). We just couldn't find one."

Pullian, Jamison play above their heights

Pullian, a 6-foot sophomore guard and Jamison, a 6-3 freshman, are the shortest and third-shortest players suiting up for the Panthers this season.

Yet after Pullian pulled down a game-high eight rebounds in 16 minutes and Jamison seven in 22, the duo ranks first and second on the team on the glass after three games with averages of 5.3 and five, respectively.

Not bad at all on a team that is stacked up and down with longer, rangier players whose primary jobs are to crash the glass.

"They're both excellent rebounders for guards," Lundy said. "KP was the leading scorer and rebounder on his team (Division II Eastern New Mexico) last year (12 points, 5.2 rebounds), so it's something he's good at it. He's got a nose for it.

"We generally have guys that go after offensive rebounds and guys that get back in defensive transition, and we've had to adjust because he's so good going to get offensive rebounds that we might have a 6-7 guy getting back and (Pullian) going to the glass."

Lundy keeps 'em loose

Through three games Lundy has utilized three different starting lineups with the junior Stuart the only player so far to receive the nod in each.

That's by design.

"In the past I've been very bullish about staying with the same starting five and really only changing if there was a loss or we were getting off to a bad start," he said. "But I'm trying to establish a culture and a program of discipline, so I'm giving a lot of guys opportunities in those roles and kind of rewarding guys that are doing right – not just on the floor but off the floor – and not starting some guys that aren't doing quite as well in some areas.

"We're not to the point where it matters who starts; it's really who finishes. But I think until, say, Christmas, when we really get heavy into conference, you can expect to see different starting lineups."

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This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: UWM pounds Cardinal Stritch for second-biggest win in progam history