Milwaukee couldn't overcome a nine-point halftime deficit and fell to Cleveland State 78-68 on Saturday.
Milwaukee got four Panthers into double figures, led by Darius Roy with 17 points, but it wasn't enough to defeat the Vikings. Jake Wright scored 15 points, while Van Johnson and Amir Allen each had 11. Allen also had 10 rebounds in the contest.
Tyree Appleby scored a game-high 19 points for Cleveland State, as the Vikings pulled two games back of Milwaukee in the Horizon League standings.
For the Panthers, it was their fifth straight conference loss heading into a rematch with Detroit Mercy on Thursday. Last month, Detroit Mercy bested Milwaukee by nine points.