GREEN BAY, Wis. (GreenBayPhoenix.com) --- Green Bay battled back down the stretch to make it a one-possession game with just over three seconds remaining, but the final attempt from the Phoenix missed its mark as Milwaukee secured a 68-65 victory in the league opener.
 
Amari Davis caught fire early for the Phoenix, scoring 15 of Green Bay's first 19 points. Davis finished with 18 points and buried a career-high four triples, which doubled his career total in a single game. Even more impressive is the fact Davis did so on only five attempts from long range.
 
Milwaukee led things at the break, 28-27, after converting on a three-pointer despite the Panthers missing their first eight attempts.
 
MKE created some separation in the second half with a 12-2 run, sparked by six-straight points from Donovan Newby, bringing the Panthers' advantage to 49-41 with just over 10 minutes to play.
 
A layup from Josh Jefferson which gave him a career-high 21 points was followed up by a jumper from PJ Pipes lowered the MKE edge to two points, 61-59.
 
The Panthers scored the next seven points, seemingly putting the game out of reach at 68-59 with only 17 seconds remaining. The Phoenix refused to quit, however, as Pipes and Lucas Stieber drained back-to-back triples to make it a one-possession game, 68-65, with 3.6 seconds remaining.
 
The Phoenix defense was able to create confusion on the MKE inbound attempt as the pass sailed out of bounds, giving the Phoenix the ball with a chance to tie. Green Bay was able to find Jefferson for a final attempt, but the shot missed its mark as MKE claimed a 68-65 win.
 
GB shot 39.1% overall (25-for-64) and 26.9% from 3 (7-for-26), while UWM finished at 47.2% (25-for-53) and 23.5% from long range (4-for-17).

Te'Jon Lucas led Milwaukee with 21 points on an 8-of-14 effort from the field.
 
Donavan Moore made his Phoenix debut after the NCAA announced Wednesday all Division I transfers can immediately play.

A quick turnaround returns both teams to the Kress Center tomorrow afternoon, with tip-off slated for 1 p.m. The game will be streamed live on ESPN3.


 
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