MILWAUKEE - Freshman Alyssa Fischer netted a game-high 22 points in just 15 minutes off the bench to lead the way as the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee women's basketball team rolled to an 84-45 victory over Tiffin University Friday night at the Klotsche Center.
 
The Panthers raced out to a 10-2 lead over the Dragons in their exhibition opener and then used an 11-0 run at the end of the first quarter to pull away. Milwaukee led at halftime by 22 points at 45-23 and that was as close as it would be the rest of the way.
 
"We really wanted to show the conditioning level that we are in and I think that we did that tonight," UWM head coach Kyle Rechlicz said. "I think we pushed the ball exceptionally well and I thought a lot of our girls played with a lot of heart. There are going to be certain things that are consistent this year, and that's how fast we push and how hard we play. And I thought we accomplished that tonight, which was what was most important to our staff."
 
Fischer made quite the first impression, scoring her 22 points on 7-of-11 shooting, sinking 4-of-6 three-pointers along the way. She took over in the second quarter, pouring in 10 points in a row as UWM took control of the contest.
 
"She can definitely shoot," Rechlicz said. "That's one of the things that she works really hard on is getting in the gym and getting extra shots up. And she's got the confidence to do it."
 
Sophomore Jenny Lindner added 14 points on 5-of-8 shooting and was joined in double-figures by freshman Emma Dau, who ended her first game in a Panther uniform with 10 points.
 
Sophomore Steph Kostowicz chipped in with nine points and a team-high five rebounds. All 13 players that were in uniform played, with 11 finishing in the scoring column. Deidre McKay scored 11 points to lead the Dragons.
 
Milwaukee shot well, finishing at 50.8 percent (33-of-65) for the game, including an impressive 52.4 percent (11-of-21) from three-point range. The defense forced 26 turnovers that it turned into a 33-2 advantage in points off turnovers. Milwaukee also allowed zero second-chance points and held Tiffin to under 30 percent from the floor overall on the evening.
 
The 2015-16 campaign gets started for real next, with the Panthers welcoming UMKC to the Klotsche Center Monday. Tip off time for the season opener is set for 7 p.m.