The 2024-2025 Men’s basketball season is in full swing after a weekend of action at the McLeod Center against UW-Milwaukee and UC-Irvine. The Panthers handled Milwaukee in their Thursday night contest, winning the competition 87-68. Senior Tytan Anderson led the team with 19 points, followed closely by junior guard Trey Campbell with 16. Campbell spearheaded the lead extension for the Panthers late in the first half scoring three 3-point shots in a row on Panther possessions.
Like the first game against Dubuque, the team had a carousel of scorers, as five players scored 10 or more points. Of those players, all had a field goal percentage of over 50%. The boards were dominated by Jacob Hutson and Campbell, as the two combined for 15 rebounds. The pair would also go on to show out on the defense side of the ball, with five blocks recorded between the two.
The Panthers held the lead since the first points were scored and never lost it, extending their highest lead of the night to 25 late in the second half.
Milwaukee had several opportunities to go on scoring runs in the game, though they were quickly shut down by the Panther defense. After the game, Coach Ben Jacobson cited it was the leadership and enthusiasm of Anderson that was the difference maker in those moments. The infectious nature of the team’s senior leader prevented any scoring runs as the team did not “play the scoreboard”, according to Coach Jacobson.
After 60 hours of rest for the team, they suited up once again Sunday against the UC Irvine Anteaters at Mcleod. Unlike Thursday night’s contest, the Panthers could not get going from the field, only shooting 39.7% throughout the game. While the two teams kept it pretty close in the first half, the Anteaters would pull away in the second as the Panthers did not seem to get going on offense.
The usual scoring carousel was not seen, as only three players scored over 10 points in the contest. Hutson led the team with 13 points, including some impressive 3-point scores in the first half. Anderson would lead the team in rebounds, hauling in 7 boards for the Panthers.
The Panthers now sit with a 2-1 record and while there is still a lot of time before conference play begins, they will look to have early season success to be well-prepared for the Missouri Valley. Their next contest is Thursday at Wichita State, a former team in the Valley who have a long tradition of having a solid basketball program. The Panthers will look to bounce back against their former conference foes and get back in the win column early in the season.
