Josh Dixon has biggest scoring day for UWM freshman in nearly 30 years

Josh Dixon is taking the term "next man up" to a whole different level.

Starting for the second straight game with the UW-Milwaukee Panthers decimated by injuries, the 6-foot-1, 160-pounder played like a giant as he poured in a game-high 28 points in 35 minutes to lead the way to an 81-71 victory at Cleveland State on Sunday, Dec. 21.

Dixon, a Charlotte native, scored 19 of his points in the second half including 13 straight and 15 of 17 during one spurt, and then put the game out of reach with a tough jumper in traffic and pair of free throws in the final 28 seconds.

The 28 points were the most by a UWM freshman since Roderick Johnson scored 31 against Northern Illinois on Feb. 14, 1996 and the fourth-most by a freshman ever in school history.

BOX SCORE: UWM 81, Cleveland State 71

It was the second straight career high for Dixon, who scored 24 two nights earlier in helping the Panthers (6-6, 2-0 Horizon League) to a win over South Dakota State at Fiserv Forum.

He finished 10 for 19 from the floor, 4 for 10 from 3-point range and 4 for 4 from the free-throw line.

"The thing I'm so proud of him for is he had some real ups and downs before being inserted into the starting lineup," coach Bart Lundy said. "Just being able to figure out shot selection, his role and where he fit in – he's so competitive.

"Just to have the wherewithal as a freshman to keep plugging away. His spirit was always good and he's such a good team guy and now he gets his opportunity.

"Boy, is he ever making the most of it."

Dixon wasn't the only player to step forward for UWM, however.

Danilo Jovanovich scored 16 of his 18 points in the second half to go along with nine rebounds and a team-high five assists while playing all 40 minutes. And then there was Chandler Jackson, who scored 11 of his career-high 14 points in the first half with only six Panthers players showing up in the scoring column in all for the game.

Faizon Fields grabbed 12 rebounds to go along with six points and Aaron Franklin pulled down eight in 16 minutes without scoring as UWM finished with a massive 48-29 advantage on the glass including 18 offensive boards that led to 18 points and turned the ball over a season-low five times.

All of a sudden, the Panthers are back to .500 overall at 6-6 and atop the Horizon League standings at 2-0 heading into the Christmas break.

"I told them coming here and getting our first real road win and we're 2-0 in the league and 6-6 with everything that's happened, I think you can consider the first semester a pretty good success," said Lundy. "Still a lot of growth is needed and we're definitely a work in progress, but we've persevered through a lot of stuff.

"It's been the hardest first semester since I've been here, for sure."

The game couldn't have started much worse for the Panthers, who found themselves in a 15-point hole midway through the first half before they finally began stringing some stops together on the defensive end and chipping into the deficit on the other.

UWM held Cleveland State (4-10, 0-3) scoreless for nearly 6 minutes during this span while rattling off 12 straight points and 20 of the game's next 23 to take a 32-30 lead.

And it was the heretofore anonymous Jackson, a 6-7 junior forward who unexpectedly did much of the heavy lifting in that run with a layup and then a pair of 3-pointers.

Jackson hit a third from long range with 58.6 seconds remaining in the first half to up his point total to 11 – equaling what the Indianapolis product scored total in the four games coming in.

"Three weeks ago he missed a game because he'd ripped a toenail off and he was redshirting for the year," Lundy said. "We talked to him after Seth (Hubbard) went down and said, 'You're probably going to get your opportunity.'

"Man, has he stepped up. He's so cerebral. We knew eventually he was going to make shots and get comfortable. But he covers up so many things defensively with his communication and knowing what the other team's coming at us with.

"Really proud of him. Those two (Dixon and Jackson) are really testaments to how to be ready for your opportunity."

Dixon got going with a runner early in the second half, canned a trio of 3s and then hit a runner on the baseline to give him 13 straight points.

A Jovanovich dunk halted the Dixon show momentarily, but Dixon responded with a layup after that to give him 15 of UWM's 17 points over a 6-minute stretch.

"He went at the right times and just made huge plays," Lundy said. "Even when he wasn't playing many minutes in games for us earlier, we were putting him in at the end of games because he really is never afraid of the moment and has made so many big free throws for us before he was playing this kind of role.

"He's just doing a lot for this team right now."

Amar Augillard scored all eight of his points in a 3 1/2-minute spell after that, and Jovanovich was the steadying hand the rest of the way as UWM steadily stretched out its advantage.

"He made play after play, not only with baskets but making passes," Lundy said of Jovanovich, the Whitnall product. "He just slows us down, gives us a place to go with the ball. He's just a good basketball player."

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Josh Dixon has biggest scoring day for UWM freshman in nearly 30 years