UWM snaps four-game losing streak, coach Bart Lundy wins 500th game

The record will show a 95-83 victory for the UW-Milwaukee Panthers over IU-Indianapolis on Sunday afternoon, Jan. 11.

But it was so much more than that.

It was an ever-shrinking group fighting through yet another injury in a season defined by them – this one to the do-everything Danilo Jovanovich – and still coming out on top. It snapped a four-game losing streak, with the Panthers setting season highs against a Division I opponent with 60.3% shooting and 95 points.

And it was the 500th career victory for Bart Lundy, now in his 24th season as a collegiate head coach. He's the 22nd active coach to reach the milestone after spending 14 seasons in two separate stints at Division II Queens University in Charlotte and now 10 at the Division I level, including the last four at UWM (8-10, 4-3 Horizon League).

BOX SCORE: UWM 95, IU Indy 83

"Grateful," said Lundy. "Grateful for every player and coach and administrator. Just, extremely grateful. It's a little surreal. That's a lot of games. They don't talk about your losses, but I probably remember the losses more.

"I told the group that of all the 500, this is one of the more memorable. But not because it was 500, but because of what we were up against and how they came out and stuck together.

"Just grateful. Absolutely grateful."

The Panthers trailed, 43-41, at halftime and 71-65 with 9 minutes remaining before closing the game out on a 30-12 run with 13 of those points coming from senior Amar Augillard, who finished with a career-high 28 on 10-for-16 shooting, seven rebounds and four assists in 28 minutes.

Afterward, Augillard and the rest of his teammates gave Lundy a celebratory shower in the locker room at UW-Milwaukee Panther Arena to celebrate their leader's big moment.

"I didn't even know that he was up to 500 wins," said senior wing Aaron Franklin, who had a career game himself with 19 points and 14 rebounds in 34 minutes. "I was like, 'Man, how long has this guy been coaching?' I'm extremely grateful. He's like a mentor to me and I'm going to have a great relationship with him for the rest of my life.

"I really take advantage of having a person around me like Bart. Me and the group love that."

UWM's 60.3% shooting for the game was the 10th-best performance in school history against a Division I opponent, sparked by an incredible 72.4% effort in the second half (21 for 29).

The Panthers trailed, 71-65, after an Indianapolis layup with 9:00 left before pouring it on with a steady dose of Augillard and Franklin attacking the basket on one end and UWM finally clamping down defensively on the other.

An Isaiah Dorceus running bank shot and consecutive Sekou Konneh layups gave UWM a 22-5 run that left the Jaguars (4-16, 0-9) gasping after playing well over their skis for the first 30 minutes or so.

"It was just stops," Lundy said of the run. Indianapolis shot 53.3% in the first half compared to 44.1% in the second.

"We were able to get stops and rebounds," he continued. "I really thought our group looked like they were not going to be denied. Our drives were violent, two feet, getting to the rim. There were a lot of times in that game where we could have split apart after losing four in a row.

"It's a good group. They were good together. They were cheering for each other – big things, small things. Just proud of that group."

Augillard, the transfer from Fresno State, is going to need to continue to shoulder the load offensively with UWM so shorthanded.

He came to Milwaukee with an offensive reputation and scored 25 in his third game but had only one other 20-point outing previous to Sunday. At 6-foot-5 and with a burly frame, the Zion. Ill. native showed against Indianapolis he has the ability to drive and score while being contested in traffic as well as firing away from beyond the arc.

"Huge breakout game for Amar," said Lundy. "Of all the plays, his free-throw rebound at the end (resulting in two free throws with 38.5 seconds left) kind of put the game away)."

Then there's the 6-5 Franklin, who has been pressed into starting due to all the injuries and has responded with his first two career double-doubles and 7.8 rebounds per game over his last six.

"When you're healthy, you want to take advantage of it and be in good spirits and overall just have fun," said Franklin of his recent contributions. "I know we were down (mentally) losing four games in a row. It was good, everything that we carried out (Sunday) and were were just happy for each other."

As for the status of Jovanovich, the Whitnall product has been playing all season with an injured right shoulder that's now finally catching up to him. He left Friday's game and didn't return, and his status moving forward is up in the air.

"He's going to rest for a while and see if the shoulder is going to be there," Lundy said. "It's not going to change, but we'll see if it'll calm down.. He just can't play the way that it is. We'll see what happens.

"We sure do miss him."

Freshman Josh Dixon finished with 20 points, his third such performance in his last eight for the Panthers.

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: UWM snaps four-game losing streak, coach Bart Lundy wins 500th game