MACOMB, Ill. - The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee women's basketball team played Western Illinois University evenly for the majority of the second half but could not overcome a cold-shooting opening 20 minutes in falling, 79-59, Tuesday evening at Western Hall.
 
"They are a good team," Milwaukee head coach Kyle Rechlicz said. "A lot of credit goes to them and the execution of their game plan. I thought that we actually played pretty well, we just didn't hit shots. When you shoot better from three-point range than your overall field goal percentage it's not really going to help you."
 
The Panthers (4-8), once again competing with just eight players suited up for the contest, had the lead down to 10 on a handful of occasions but could never get over the hump, with the Leathernecks (8-5) scoring 19 of the final 28 points of the night to earn the victory.
 
"I think it was a little mental for our team," Rechlicz said. "I think it's not easy when you look down the bench and know we have a couple of subs. Steph (Kostowicz) fought through some painful moments in the game and made some great plays on the ball. Even with how hurt she was, she played with a lot of heart. She wasn't 100 percent so that forced the rest of the team to help us make runs, even when they were tired."
 
Junior Jaleesa Armstrong paced Milwaukee with 20 points, including a 4-for-6 effort from three-point range. Senior Ashley Green was the only other player in double-figures with 13. In addition, senior Macie Dorow set a career-high with eight rebounds.
 
"Our top scorers (Ashley Green, Jenny Lindner, Jordyn Swan) all really struggled from the field," Rechlicz said. "I think they combined to shoot about 28 percent. We need the three of them to step up night-in and night-out."
 
Tori Niemann led Western Illinois with a double-double, grabbing 10 rebounds to go along with a season-high 22 points. Ashley Luke, the Preseason Summit League Player of the Year, came in averaging 16.8 points, was held under double-figures until very late in the game, finishing with 10.
 
"I thought we did a great job on Ashley Luke, their best player," Rechlicz said. "I thought that everyone was committed to boxing her out and keep her off the boards and really limited her touches in the paint. I thought our efforts against her were outstanding."
 
The Panthers made half of their 24 field goals after intermission but it was not enough to offset the first 20 minutes. A cold shooting first half hurt the team, making less than 25 percent of its shots in a period where it trailed, 37-24, heading into the locker room.
 
The contest still went back-and-forth, consisting of a handful of mini-runs that turned momentum each time.
 
The last one made a huge difference on the scoreboard, with the Leathernecks scoring the final nine points of the half to build their advantage to 13.
 
The Panthers fell behind by 13 on an earlier occasion, with a 13-0 run by Western Illinois making it 26-13 at the 10:19 mark. They battled right back, however, using an 11-2 stretch of their own to trim the deficit to just four points at 28-24 on a three-pointer by Dorow with 7:26 left in the frame. Unfortunately for Milwaukee, that was its final made field goal of the half.
 
Up next, the Panthers start 2015 with Horizon League play, opening a two-game swing through the state of Michigan with a battle against Detroit. Game time January 7 is scheduled for 6 p.m. CST.
 
"There were three or four games in the non-conference schedule where if we had been a little more disciplined we could have pulled out victories," Rechlicz said. "As long as we learned from those losses and apply it in league play and not make the same mistakes twice then I am okay with that. With such a young team and new players, we knew we would take hits early. Now is the time to get more disciplined and step up in conference play."