The Milwaukee Mustangs made a case for the defense at the Bradley Center Saturday night.

Make that a case for the D-E-F-E-N-S-E!

In one six-minute flurry in the second quarter, the Arena Football League team had a field goal, two ‘Pick 6’ interceptions for touchdowns and another score following a recovered fumble on a kickoff.

That morphed a 14-7 ‘stang deficit into a 30-14 lead in short order, even for the fast pace that is the AFL.

The Tampa Bay Storm was an all-too willing donor this night and Milwaukee earned its second victory of the season, 50-33, before a crowd of 4,012 at the BC

The now 2-5 Mustangs had been scuffling through the first third of the season, to capture the essence of understatement.

Enter the (now 2-5) Storm to help turn the tide.

“They finally stepped up,” Head Coach Bob Landsee said of his charges. “It’s amazing how these things happen when you come out and match them point for point from the beginning.

“This team still has to learn how to win. We’ve got to build on this and not take a step backward,” Landsee stressed.

A step forward would mean a win on the road against the division-leading Cleveland Gladiators Friday night.

Marcus Everett, whose one-handed snag of a Brian Zbydniewski pass at the Storm four-yard line started the onslaught saw the win a different light.

“This is the turning point of our season,” Everett, who had another ‘Pick 6’ called back due to a penalty, said afterward. “This is the first time we put two good halves together.

“We were prepared for them (Tampa Bay). We watched a lot of film and we just made plays,” Everett, who was named Ironman of the Game, added.

The ‘stangs were able to do something that had eluded them earlier this year.

That is to say they took an early lead at home.

Milwaukee scored on its first possession, using QB RJ Archer passes to Damian Harrell and Ernest Smith among others before Mykel Benson rolled in from the one for a 7-0 lead with 10:50 to go in the first.

The Storm used half of that time to even the score when Zbydniewski caught a streaking Hank Edwards for 27 yards and the equalizer at the 8:28 mark.

The fumble bug-a-boo reared its ugly head on Milwaukee’s next drive and when the Storm recovered on the 20 yard line, Zbydniewski hooked up with Amarri Jackson on the next play for a 14-7 lead with 4:54 to close out the first quarter scoring.

Garrett Lindholm’s foot drew Milwaukee closer with a 21-yard field goal in the first minute of the second stanza.

Everett’s heroics at the Storm four would have been enough to stir up the crowd.

But the din grew even louder when Kelvin Rodgers had a ‘Pick 6” of his own from the 10 and louder still when stellar DB Andre Jones recovered the fumbled kickoff return at the Storm 10.

A fourth ‘Pick 6’ was brought back to the Tampa Bay 19 after a block in the back on the interception return.

But one of Archer’s arrows found future hall-of-famer Damian Harrell all alone under the net and the ‘stangs built up a 37-14 cushion.

The Storm rose up again with a 4-yard connection between Zbydniewski and Huey Whittaker.

Lindholm was able to dissect the goalposts for a 23-yard chip shot and the ‘stangs had doubled Tampa Bay, 40-20, with 2:51 to go in the stanza.

Whittaker caught a long ball down the left sideline at about the five yard line and muscled his way to just get across the goal line for a 40-27 margin.

But the Bay’s onside kick attempt was recovered by Milwaukee and the quarter ended.

Archer decided to take the scenic route for the final two yards and the gap returned to 20 points early in the final quarter.

In this game, it seemed that every time the Storm threatened, Milwaukee would snuff out the attempt with a turnover.

Mustang DB Jones scoop of Michael Lindsey’s bobble served as another example.

Eric Ward stepped into Archer’s spikes after the starter suffered a “mild sprain” on the ensuing drive and Lindholm’s third field goal (18 yards) of the game made it 50-27 Milwaukee with 5:00 left in the contest.

Terrence Royal’s one-yard plunge served only to busy the scoreboard operator and Justin Lawrence sacked Zbydniewski on the two-point conversion.

The obligatory onside kick failed the game ended with a 50-33 positive result for Milwaukee.