MILWAUKEE, Wis. – Megan Walstad scored 12 of her 19 points in the second half to help the Milwaukee women's basketball team fend off Wright State 58-47 at the Klotsche Center on Thursday night.
 
The Panthers shot 70 percent (7-for-10) in the fourth quarter to cement the victory.

"It wasn't super pretty and I give a lot of credit to Wright State's players for just how hard they played," head coach Kyle Rechlicz commented. "I loved our fight, I loved our bench energy. I thought our bench was incredible. I'm excited to get this first win but we've got a lot of work to do to make sure we are continuing this along the stretch."

"It was really nice to have Emma [Wittmershaus] back able to play again," Rechlicz said. "That helped with our rotations. I also thought there was a lot of people that stepped up on our team to find a way to get this win."

After just 15 minutes in her first game this year at Florida State, Emma Wittmershaus put in 25 minutes of action and totaled six points, five rebounds, two assists, and two steals. 
 
McKaela Schmelzer and Walstad got things going for the Panthers early on, totaling 13 points and 10 rebounds to help MKE build a seven-point advantage through 10 minutes of play.
 
Milwaukee (1-3, 1-0 Horizon League) continued to keep the Raiders at arm's length before a 7-0 Wright State run tied the game at 30 with just over three minutes to play in the third.
 
Walstad and Kendall Nead quickly tilted the scoreboard in the Panthers' favor, as they combined to score 10 straight points and put MKE up 40-30 through three.
 
Wright State (0-3, 0-1 Horizon League) continued to put the pressure on and put together its best quarter in the fourth, going 8-for-14 (57.1 percent) from the floor, but the Panthers had an answer for each Raiders' basket.
 
WSU cut it to eight with 1:58 to play, but this time it was Sydney Staver who converted a layup and the Panthers hung on for the win.
 
Milwaukee won the rebounding battle on Thursday, totaling 35 compared to just 25 for Wright State.
 
The Panthers also committed just five fouls, the fewest in the last 15 years, allowing the Raiders to get just two free throw attempts.
 
Walstad led all scorers with 19 points and added eight rebounds and a pair of blocks.
 
Schmelzer recorded her first career double-double with 10 points and 13 rebounds. The senior added five assists and a steal in the win.
 
Staver contributed all over the court with six points, three rebounds, two assists and a career-high four steals.
 
The Panthers will be back at the Klotsche Center on Saturday as they host Northern Kentucky at 10:30 am.
 
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