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recap Saint Marys
71
Milwaukee MKE 1-4
73
Winner Saint Mary's (CA) SMC 3-1
Milwaukee MKE
1-4
71
Final
73
Saint Mary's (CA) SMC
3-1
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 F
Milwaukee MKE 13 9 24 25 71
Saint Mary's (CA) SMC 25 9 20 19 73

Game Recap: Women's Basketball |

Last-Second Shot Rims Out For Milwaukee

Fischer nets a career-high 23 points

MORAGA, Calif. – The Milwaukee women's basketball team got an incredible individual effort from junior Alyssa Fischer and stormed back from down 14 late, only to see their last-second shot rim out in a 73-71 loss at Saint Mary's in the first game of the Saint Mary's Thanksgiving Classic Friday from McKeon Pavilion.
 
Alyssa Fischer exploded for a career-high 23 points – with 17 coming in the second half – as MKE (1-4) erased a 14-point deficit and tied the game up at 71-all with 15.3 seconds left on a three-pointer by Jamie Reit from the right wing.
 
Sydney Raggio hit a jumper with 1.5 left on the clock to put Saint Mary's (3-1) back up, 73-71.
 
After a timeout, Milwaukee got a good look at the basket, but the ball rimmed out and the Gaels survived at home.
 
"We really felt like, in the first half, that we were getting great shots. We just weren't hitting them," Rechlicz said. "A lot of them were rimming out. I think even Alyssa Fischer started 2-6. We talked about it at halftime and said 'Let the game come to you, and move the basketball a little more from one side of the court to the other.'
 
"I couldn't be more proud as a coach. I thought we played an excellent game and an excellent second half. We really bought into the concepts and just really played with a lot of heart. It just didn't finish up our way in the end."
 
Fischer led all players, finishing with 23 points on 8-14 shooting – including 7-13 from behind the arc – to more than double her previous career high of 10. She also led the team with six rebounds in just 18 minutes on the court.
 
The seven made threes are tied for the third most in program history and are the most since Jessica Wilhite drilled eight in a game back in 2002.
 
"Alyssa Fischer is a shooter for us," Rechlicz said. "She has a quick release, she has an ability to get shots off and she played that role very well tonight and our team found her. I was really impressed by how our team was trying to get her the basketball, especially in situations where we needed a basket."
 
Megan Walstad also finished in double figures with 13 points, to go with four rebounds and four steals.
 
Megan McKay finished with 15 points and nine rebounds to lead the Gaels.
 
After a tough first quarter for the Panthers that saw SMC sink an uncharacteristic seven triples, the Gaels claimed a 25-13 lead after one and a 34-22 lead at the break.
 
The second half was a different story, as Milwaukee's offense finally found its rhythm.
 
Brandi Bisping started the half with a three-pointer to get things rolling. Walstad hit a triple before Fischer started her barrage with three third-quarter treys to close things to 49-46 with just 1:20 left in the frame.
 
But, SMC got a quick five points – including a cold-blooded three as time expired to put the home squad back up by eight with just 10 minutes left.
 
Despite what could have been a back-breaker to end the third, Milwaukee continued to battle and stayed within arm's reach the rest of the way.
 
Bre Cera made a nice move down low to cut things to 67-62 with 2:27 left before Fischer's seventh and final three pointer closed the gap to 69-68 with just 36 second left on the clock.
 
After a Saint Mary's bucket, Milwaukee called timeout and Rechlicz drew up the perfect play. With everyone in the gym expecting Fischer to be the triggerman, the inbound went to the hot hand – only to see her instantly feed the ball to Jamie Reit. The junior buried the three from the right wing to tie things up with 15.3 left to play.
 
The Gaels were able to go back ahead with just 1.5 left, and Milwaukee's final chance rimmed out in a narrow loss following a thrilling comeback attempt.
 
Milwaukee's bench outscored Saint Mary's non-starters, 34-19, and MKE finished with a 30-22 edge in points in the paint. The Panthers also held the advantage in points off turnovers, 23-13) and fast-break points, 6-0.
 
The Gaels were a perfect 12-12 from the charity stripe, compared to Milwaukee's just two free-throws in three attempts.
 
MKE will finish up their California trip on Saturday with a 2 pm Central tip time against UC Riverside from Saint Mary's McKeon Pavilion.
 
 
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