MOON TOWNSHIP– After losing a heartbreaker to first-place Green Bay 81-76 in overtime on Thursday, the Men’s basketball team turned their attention to a foe who beat them just over a month ago by just two points, the Milwaukee Panthers.

With the all-time series tied three to three, the Colonials were looking to continue to dominate in the UPMC Events Center as they have won all three games against the Panthers in their home building.

Milwaukee came out of the gates wanting to play fast, as they put the press on the Colonials and flew up the court once with the ball. A few fast break threes had them with a slim lead to open play.

“It’s all about prep,” Markeese Hastings said about the press. “We practiced before games, and we knew going into this one they would be coming and trying to make you think and make mistakes.”

“We worked really hard in practice, and I wanted to make sure that I was open and able to help as much as possible,” Stephan Walker added.

Walker had 16 points and nine rebounds in the win.

Milwaukee’s pressure and tight defense started to work midway through the half. The Colonials had four turnovers, and the pressure led to some quick and sloppy passes that went the other way. But they turned to their defense when the Colonials needed to return to the game. Strong play and great rebounding, especially by Chris Ford, helped RMU gain a lead.

Hastings put the team on his back late in the first half, getting stops, passing the ball, and scoring at will to extend the lead. He hit a big three and a nice dunk, which put the Colonials up 34-23. The Colonials could end the half up 36-27 with great play on the boards. Ford put great work on the glass with seven first-half rebounds, giving the Colonials a +10 advantage.

“I felt my form was great, but I also felt that I’ve been working so hard just putting shots up,” Hastings said. “My teammates set me up, especially Josh [Corbin], and it was easy to take the shot knowing I was open.”

The second half was a lot of feeling out as both teams didn’t do much to grab the lead, and the scoring showed with only two baskets in the first three minutes. The Colonials felt they could get more inside the paint in the second half, and it was exactly where they went. RMU also turned up the defense as the Panthers shot one for six to open the half.

Once the half started to get moving, the Colonials were able to knock down some shots to extend their lead to 46-35 halfway through. They were up to a 50-percentage clip. The Colonials kept up the good play on the boards and were still shooting very well, as they entered the home stretch of the game they were up ten with about seven minutes to play.

“We knew we needed effort, and I felt we had that,” Head Coach Andy Toole said. “They are a good team and make you work to get the rebound. I loved the effort tonight.”

With five minutes to play after giving up a 7-0 run, the Colonials ran a great play and pass from Corbin to none other than Hastings to bring the Colonials back up the six. RMU continued to play their dominant defense and kept growing the lead late in the game when it mattered most. Once again, rebounding was what led the Colonials to victory.

“We needed to be humble, and we needed to get the stops. Jackson [Last] helped a lot; he’s a leader on and off the floor and made a big difference on defense today,” Stephaun Walker said.

The Colonials will return on Wednesday as they trek to Youngstown to take on the Penguins.