GREEN BAY, Wis. – Behind a solid defensive performance in the first half and timely shots down the stretch, the Milwaukee women's basketball team earned a 61-58 victory over in-state rival Green Bay on Saturday afternoon. The win marks the Panthers first at the Kress Center since 2014.
 
"It feels really good," head coach Kyle Rechlicz commented. "I said to our team that it was neat to see how they reacted afterwards because we believe it's a two-game series not one. We are really focused on making sure we are handling our business for two games."
 
In the first half, the Milwaukee (4-1, 1-0 Horizon League) defense stood tall, holding Green Bay to just 25.9 percent shooting from the floor and 2-for-15 from three-point range.
 
"I thought we played a really great first half from a defensive perspective," Rechlicz continued. "And then in the second half we let up defensively and let some of their players get going. We have to really lock into the next round, watch a lot of film, and see if we can make adjustments."
 
Offensively, the Panthers got it going from long range early as Bre Cera and Sydney Staver combined for three triples in the first six minutes of action.
 
Megan Walstad went to work in the second quarter, scoring 10 of the Panthers' 14 points to help Milwaukee take a six-point advantage into halftime.
 
Green Bay (1-3, 0-1 HL) began to find its groove in the third period, hitting 52.9 percent of its shots, but the Panthers kept their foot on the gas. Up 27-25, a pair of steals by Alyssa Moore sparked a 15-5 Milwaukee run to give the Panthers their largest lead of the day at 42-30.
 
"It was really awesome to see Alyssa gain some confidence. We really needed her to step up and she really brought it today," Rechlicz said. "We always know she has the quickest hands out of anyone I've ever coached. So, she can get pick steals, but she was doing more that. She made some really great passes, hit a three, she just really played up her level and that energy was really feeding us during that quarter especially from the offensive perspective."
 
The Phoenix pushed again late, but MKE's lead was seven after 30 minutes of play.
 
In the fourth, some early foul calls in Green Bay's favor helped chip away at the Phoenix deficit, but the Panthers had an answer any time they got close.
 
A pair of Green Bay free throws cut Milwaukee's lead to one at 2:47, but Staver calmly knocked down a free throw and a big three-pointer to push the lead back to five.
 
The Phoenix answered with a triple of their own with 1:37 to play but after a few traded empty possessions, Brandi Bisping and Cera hit three free throws to seal the win.
 
Three Panthers reached double digits led by Walstad's 16 points. The redshirt sophomore added eight rebounds in 34 minutes. Staver added 13 points while Cera stuffed the stat sheet with 13 points, five rebounds, three assists, and a steal.
 
Moore made the most of her minutes and finished with eight points, three boards, five assists, and a pair of crucial steals.
 
The Panthers will return to the Kress Center tomorrow for another matchup with Green Bay. Tipoff is set for 1:00 pm with live coverage links on MKEPanthers.com.