The UW-Milwaukee Panthers didn’t necessarily need a big game from Faizon Fields, not with their Division III opponent, Dominican University of River Forest, Illinois, making it to the Klotsche Center with fewer than 30 minutes to spare before tipoff on Tuesday night, Nov. 25.
And indeed, the game ended up being a rout, with UWM tying a school record for points in a 125-70 victory.
But with much larger expectations moving forward – specifically, Horizon League regular-season and tournament championships – the 6-foot-10 post is going to be expected to up his production accordingly for a team that appears to have many of the right pieces in place on the perimeter.
“I mean, he might be the biggest piece,” said coach Bart Lundy, whose team also set a school record with 49 field goals. Eight Panthers in all scored in double figures, with Fields one of those with 12 points on 6-for-7 shooting in 15 minutes.
UWM (3-4) came in on a three-game losing streak following an especially tough stretch of games at Indiana, Texas Tech and Wichita State.
BOX SCORE: UWM 125, Dominican 70
“When we’re playing these high majors, especially defensively, he’s just an anchor for us,” Lundy continued.”He understands everything we’re doing. His ball-screen coverage is almost perfect. He’s fouling less. The game’s slowed down for him, and he’s really coming into his own.
“I think with he and Danilo (Jovanovich), we have a combination inside that’s as good as anybody. They can score a little bit, but defensively and being able to handle the ball, they can do a lot of different things.”
Fields came into the game with modest season averages of 5.7 points and 5.5 rebounds, with a 16-point, nine-rebound effort in the season opener easily his best to date. Foul trouble has helped conspire to limit the Memphis native to only about 20 minutes per game so far, another number that figures to climb once conference play begins in earnest.
There is a body of work in place already that suggest Fields can be a difference maker; he set a school record as a sophomore by posting four straight double-doubles while averaging 9.3 points, 6.4 rebounds and 1.1 blocks before a series of injuries limited him to just 21 games a year ago.
“I think when we get in the league, he’ll score more,” said Lundy. “You look at him and think he’s going to be a traditional back-to-the-basket guy, but he’s really not. He’s really good in space, passing the ball, and he can finish better in our league.
“His confidence is through the roof and he’s taken a leadership role that he didn’t take before. He’s a guy that I’ll ride with every minute he plays.”
Isaiah Dorceus on point
The Panthers’ 26 assists were tied for fifth-most in school history, with junior-college transfer Isaiah Dorceus accounting for eight to go along with 12 points in 28 minutes.
It was easily the most impactful game to date for the 6-0 junior from Orlando, who made his second start of the season at point guard with Esyah Pippa-White coming off the bench in a role reversal.
“The big thing was getting Isaiah back healthy,” said Lundy. “Through the summer and fall he was playing great, then he had a shoulder injury and it was a little worse than we thought it was. Then, some knee stuff and he kind of got down on himself because it was the start of the season and he’s not doing what he wanted to do.
“And so it’s been a process with him, getting him physically and mentally back healthy. And he changes everything for us.”
Pippa-White, meanwhile, chipped in six points and six assists in 24 minutes. The 6-2 junior from Portland is averaging 22 minutes per game, up from just over four a season ago.
“When we’re able to play ‘Pip’ some on the ball but also move him off the ball, you’ve got more ball movers out there,” Lundy said. “I look at our team and those two, along with Faizon and Danilo, are our ball movers. And to have a guy in there that can push the pace like we want to and being able to move the ball is crucial.
“Not having (Dorceus) really healthy through that stretch really hurt us.”
John Lovelace Jr. returns to courtside
For the first time since suffering a broken leg in practice and undergoing season-ending surgery, Brown Deer senior John Lovelace Jr. was courtside rooting on his teammates.
“Everything’s been successful,” Lundy said. “I think he’s in a good place. He’s really happy to be back around basketball and back around the team. The team’s really happy to have Johnny back around as well.”
As for Lovelace’s future, Lundy said it’s unclear. The 6-8 senior would have a year of eligibility remaining should he be cleared physically to return at some point and want to play.
“It’s hard to say. I don’t know what the answer would be with that,” he said. “The good thing is he’s walking on it now (in a walking boot).”
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Faizon Fields among eight double-figure scorers in record night for UWM
Reporting by Todd Rosiak, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
