MILWAUKEE, Wis. – McKaela Schmelzer scored 13 of her team-high 18 points in the third quarter to help the Milwaukee women's basketball team rally from a double-digit deficit, but the Panthers ran out of steam in the fourth and fell to Oakland 66-53 on Thursday night.
 
"We knew they were going to pressure us into turnovers. I did not think we handled that in the first half well," head coach Kyle Rechlicz said. "I thought we came out in the second half with a sense of urgency and a little bit more aggressive play. But to get beat in the paint knowing our post players, that is not a statistic you want to see."
 
Schmelzer finished with 18 points on 7-for-14 shooting and added seven rebounds and three assists for the Panthers.
 
"I thought McKaela had a really good game. Especially in the second half," Rechlicz said. "She was really good with the ball in her hands and she's had a really great week from an offensive perspective."
 
Milwaukee (5-8, 4-2 Horizon League) struggled in the first half, scoring just 19 points on 6-for-23 (26.1 percent) shooting, but came out of the half with some fire.
 
Schmelzer scored a quick eight points including a pair of three-pointers and Megan Walstad added a pair of baskets to cut the deficit to six at 42-36 with 3:22 left in the third.
 
Oakland (5-7, 3-2 Horizon League) responded in the paint, scoring six points and adding free throws to build the advantage back to 11 at the end of the third.
 
Schmelzer and Sydney Staver responded to combine for seven straight points to open the fourth and cut the deficit to four but MKE was held without a field goal for the final 9:20 of the game as Oakland earned the win.
 
Walstad battled back from early foul trouble and finished with nine points and six rebounds. The six boards pushed her over 500 for her career to become the 28th player in program history to reach the milestone.
 
Staver finished with 12 points on 9-for-10 shooting from the free throw line while Kendall Nead added eight points and three rebounds off the bench for the Panthers.
 
Milwaukee totaled 24 turnovers which led to 19 points for Oakland.
 
Due to Saturday's cancelation, Milwaukee's next game is scheduled for Thursday, January 6 at UIC. Tipoff is scheduled for 6:30 pm from Chicago.
 
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