MILWAUKEE - The IU Indianapolis men's basketball team fell victim to a familiar script on the road at Milwaukee on Sunday (Dec. 29), playing the Horizon League preseason favorite neck-and-neck to the wire before falling late in an 88-81 defeat. Sean Craig had a team-high 22 points, eight rebounds and four steals and Paul Zilinskas added 21 points in the loss. 

Milwaukee (10-4, 3-0 HL) won a fifth straight game and was paced by Themus Fulks' 26 points and five assists and Kentrell Pullian contributed 20 points, including four treys. 

"I thought we really competed in a tough road environment," head coach Paul Corsaro said. "They're a really good, really balanced team and we were right there with them. We still need to figure out how to finish off games. We've proven that we can compete with really good teams, but now we need to get over that hump and finish them off."

The game was tied at 72 all with 2:57 to play when Jarvis Walker drilled a pair of free throws after being fouled as the shot clock was to expire. However, Milwaukee rattled off the game's next seven points and the Jaguars were forced to play the foul game over the final 85 seconds as the hosts secured the win at the free throw line. 

The Panthers lived at the line, making 27-of-37 attempts while the Jaguars were just 14-of-17 for the day. 

The first half was nip-and-tuck, featuring seven ties, the final of which being a 35 all score at intermission. The Jags shot 54 percent in the first half, despite making just 3-of-10 from long range. Neither side led by more than two possessions in the second half until Fulks put Milwaukee ahead at the free throw line, 79-72 with 1:25 remaining. 

The Jaguars had a chance to make it a one-possession game after Craig collected a steal in the full court press, but Zilinskas misfired on an open three with 1:12 to play. 

Fulks finished 14-of-16 at the free throw line, matching the Jaguars' output on his own. 

The Jaguars largest lead after the break was a 47-42 advantage after DeSean Goode scored in close off an Alec Millender assist. 

Ultimately, the game featured 16 ties and seven lead changes. 

Walker finished with 12 points and four assists off the bench, but was limited to just 18 minutes due to foul trouble. Goode added eight points and Timaris Brown scored seven points in just 11 minutes. Freshman Keenan Garner had six points and three rebounds and 7-foot center Julian Steinfeld finished with six rebounds and a season-high three blocked shots. 

The Jaguars finished play at 47.6 percent from the field and 7-of-23 (30.4 percent) from three. Milwaukee shot a blistering 68 percent after halftime en route to a 54 percent effort for the game. The Panthers also outscored the Jaguars 31-5 on fast break points and won the glass by a 36-26 margin. 

IU Indy will return home to host Youngstown State at noon on New Year's Day inside Corteva Coliseum (formerly Indiana Farmers Coliseum) at the Indiana State Fairgrounds. The game will be broadcast on ESPN+ as Greg Rakestraw (pxp) and IU Indy Hall of Famer Bob Lovell (analyst) describe the action. Fans can purchase tickets by clicking here.