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Kelsey Cunningham
Kelsey Cunningham
82
Youngstown State YSU 8-15, 4-8 HL
86
Winner Milwaukee UWM 15-8, 7-5 HL
Youngstown State YSU
8-15, 4-8 HL
82
Final
86
Milwaukee UWM
15-8, 7-5 HL
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 F
Youngstown State YSU 24 16 23 19 82
Milwaukee UWM 24 22 23 17 86

Game Recap: Women's Basketball |

Panthers Win Barn Burner Over Youngstown State

Milwaukee out-rebounds YSU, 38-17.

MILWAUKEE – Steph Kostowicz went 6-for-6 from the free-throw line in the final 1:15 of the game to help ice an 86-82 win for the Milwaukee women's basketball team over a hot-shooting Youngstown State squad Thursday evening from the Klotsche Center.
 
YSU (8-16, 4-9 Horizon) shot a season-best 56.4 percent from the floor, including connecting on 13 three-pointers, only to see Milwaukee (16-8, 8-5 Horizon) respond with a 55.2 shooting percentage of their own – also a season best – in the big home win.
 
"Two high-scoring teams coming together, you're not always going to see a lot of defense in those games," Milwaukee head coach Kyle Rechlicz said. "We knew this was going to be a really tough game. Coming off the week at Michigan, we were wondering where our confidence was going to be.
 
"It was a tough game in the sense that they can shoot the ball. And with Mary Dunn being back and being that post presence, it just puts us in a really bad position.
 
"We had some people really step up off the bench for us. Kelsey Cunningham being one of them in the scoring category and defensive category, and Christina Wakeman coming in and getting stops. She was really able to get some stops that were big for us down the stretch."
 
Two other very noticeable stats from Thursday's contest: UWM had 21 second-chance points to Youngstown's three and Milwaukee finished the game out-rebounding the Penguins by a lopsided 38-17, including limiting YSU to just one offensive rebound for the game.
 
"Just replaying the game in my mind, I thought this was the best job we've done boxing out – probably since I've been here," Rechlicz said. "We were consistently putting bodies on people and going to get the ball.
 
"There were some really key rebounds down the stretch. Jenny had to snatch one were there were about three people around her. We only gave up one offensive rebound so I'm definitely not complaining about that. I hope that continues for the rest of the season."
 
Steph Kostowicz led all players with a game-high 22 points, while Kelsey Cunningham provided a huge spark for the Panthers off the bench with 12 points, four rebounds and three assists.
 
Jenny Lindner finished one rebound shy of her fifth double-double of the season with 17 points and nine rebounds to go with three assists. Lindner also grabbed rebound No. 500 for her career in this game, making her the 25th player in program history to reach that milestone. The junior also is just the 13th Panther to score 1,000 career points and grab 500 career rebounds.
 
Alexis Lindstrom also finished in double digits with 14 points and five rebounds, while Bailey Farley stuffed the stat sheet with nine points, six rebounds, two steals and one block.
 
Indiya Benjamin led the way for the Penguins with 21 points on a season-best 5-of-7 shooting from behind the arc.
 
After a layup by Cunningham early in the fourth quarter, Milwaukee claimed a 73-64 lead with 9:33 to play and what felt like momentum on their side. Youngstown State had other ideas, going on a 10-1 run to tie the game at 74-all with just over five minutes left on the clock.
 
Despite the shift on the scoreboard, the Panthers remained calm. Cunningham went 1-2 from the line to reclaim the lead, followed by a jumper from Lindner to go up 77-74.
 
But, YSU continued to fire from long range and hit two more three balls to tie the game back up at 82-82 with 1:01 left on the clock.
 
Kostowicz drew a foul on the ensuing possession and connected on both of her free throws to make it 84-82 with just 45 seconds remaining.
 
On the game's most important possession, the Panthers came up big, forcing a defensive stop with Kostowicz again drawing a foul to ice the game at the line with two more freebies.
 
Despite the close contest the whole way, UWM only trailed for a mere 32 seconds in this one, coming early in the second quarter.
 
Up next for Milwaukee is a big contest against Cleveland State Saturday at 2 pm. In the rematch of a Milwaukee buzzer-beater just two weeks earlier, Saturday's game will also be Alumni Day for the Panthers, and the team will also be sporting special jerseys for the annual Pink Out game.
 
 
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