MILWAUKEE, Wis. – Sydney Levy and Alyssa Fischer combined for 33 points and nine three-pointers to help the Milwaukee women's basketball team top Wright State 60-58 on Saturday afternoon. The Panthers locked down defense, built a double digit fourth quarter lead, and fought off the Raiders comeback to start Horizon League play with a victory.
 
"We were battle tested coming into conference and I just kept preaching to our team that we have to stay consistent with who we are and that's playing really hard," Head Coach Kyle Rechlicz commented. "Our team defense was great. On offense end, people were unselfish, and they played their roles. Our post players did great job finding our shooters on the perimeter. It was really fun to see everything come together."
 
Levy got it rolling early and finished with 20 points on 6-for-14 shooting from long range while Fischer scored seven points in the final period, scoring 13 points in the win. Fischer finished 5-for-10 from the floor with three triples.
 
The Milwaukee (4-8, 1-0 Horizon League) defense stepped up in the third period and held Wright State (5-7, 0-1 Horizon League) without a field goal the final 5:08 of the frame. The Panthers continued the staunch defense in the fourth, allowing just one field goal for the first 9:02.
 
Our staff worked really well together at determining our defensive game plan," Rechlicz continued. "We were constantly trying to mix it up on them and it slowed them down and took them out of their element."
 
Meanwhile, seven points from Fischer and a fastbreak layup from Alyssa Moore gave the Panthers their largest lead of the game at 56-46.
 
Wright State kept it tight, however, as it went 6-for-6 from the free throw line over the next two and a half minutes and the Raiders' Michal Miller knocked down the first field goal of the period to pull WSU within three.
 
After Wright State traded two free throws for one to cut the deficit to two, Brandi Bisping calmly sank two in a row with eight seconds left to put Milwaukee up four. The Raiders got a putback layup on the final possession of the game, but the basket fell as time expired as Milwaukee claimed the victory.
 
Both teams came out of the locker room hot, each shooting over 58 percent in the first quarter with Wright State holding an 18-16 advantage after the first.
 
In the second, Wright State dominated the boards 15-4, but couldn't turn that advantage into any second chance points as the Panthers hung tough. Levy went 2-for-5 from three-point range to lead Milwaukee and WSU's lead was just four at the half.
 
After the break, the defense stood tall for Milwaukee, holding Wright State to 15.4 percent shooting from the floor. The Panthers erased their deficit and thanks to a Fischer triple in the final possession, led by three after 30 minutes of play, setting up the fourth.
 
Saturday marked Levy's second 20-point performance of the year, her first against NIU on December 5 when she hit eight three-pointers. Fischer's 13 points topped her previous best of 12 this season.
 
Sydney Levy is one of our more confident players and I trust her a lot," Rechlicz said. "I believe everything she shoots is going in. It's easy to run stuff with her. Alyssa is a senior being the leader that she is, she is someone we love to have on the court because she can pass and now she's getting the defensive side down.  
 
Moore played a strong 12 minutes off the bench for Milwaukee, totaling four points, four assists, and two rebounds.
 
McKaela Schmelzer also dished out a team-high four assists in addition to five points and a rebound.
 
Bre Cera finished 3-for-5 from the floor for eight points and also totaled three rebounds and a pair of assists in the win.
 
The Panthers will wrap up their six game homestand on Monday with a 7:00 pm tip against Northern Kentucky. Tickets along with live coverage links for the home contest can be found on MKEPanthers.com.