MILWAUKEE, Wis.  – The Milwaukee women's basketball team had trouble with turnovers and saw a double-digit fourth quarter lead evaporate but a late jumper from Miquela Santoro helped the Panthers seal a 56-52 victory over Cleveland State on Friday afternoon.  
 
The win marks the Panthers ninth straight and 12 consecutive against Horizon League opponents in the regular season, matching a stretch from 2005-07 for the longest in program history.
 
"It's not the way we drew it up, but we found a way to win," head coach Kyle Rechlicz commented. "I thought Miquela [Santoro] and Sydney Staver both hit some shots in the second half which was really big. Megan [Walstad] had a great first half. And then we made free throws. We don't win this game without our great free throw shooting percentage."
 
A late three-pointer gave Milwaukee (12-1, 9-0 Horizon League) its largest lead of 13 points through three quarters, but the Vikings slowly began to chip away. Cleveland State (2-5, 2-5 Horizon League) recorded five fourth-quarter steals and scored eight points off of Panthers' turnovers as it cut the deficit to 54-52 with 38 seconds to play.
 
With the shot clock winding down on the ensuing possession, Santoro banked in a jumper from the free throw line to give Milwaukee a 56-52 lead with just 7.2 seconds remaining.
 
The Vikings had one final possession but couldn't connect and Milwaukee earned its ninth straight victory.
 
In the first half, the Panthers relied on Walstad down low as she totaled eight points on 4-for-5 shooting and added four rebounds. McKaela Schmelzer also shined, recording four points and five assists in the first 20 minutes as Milwaukee went into the break up four.
 
Santoro and Staver shouldered the load in the third, combining for four triples and 14 total points to push the Milwaukee lead to 13 before the final frame.
 
Brandi Bisping was clutch in the fourth as she finished 4-for-4 from the free throw line with six points and three rebounds.
 
"I thought Brandi did an excellent job at the end there getting to the line," Rechlicz commented. "Finding different ways to help our team."
 
For the second straight game, Bisping and Walstad each recorded a double-double. Bisping finished with 12 points and 15 rebounds while Walstad added 13 points and 12 boards.
 
Senior leadership played a huge factor in the win over Cleveland State as the collective group of Bisping, Bre Cera, Santoro, Schmelzer, and Staver combined for 41 points, 23 rebounds, and 14 assists.
 
The Panthers will return to the Klotsche Center for game two against Cleveland State tomorrow at 11:00 am. Live coverage links can be found on MKEPanthers.com.