MOON TOWNSHIP, Pa. – Defense was swarming for the Milwaukee women's basketball team as the Panthers held Robert Morris to just 33.3 percent shooting in a 66-47 victory on Saturday.
 
Milwaukee matched a season-high with eight made three-pointers and got 35 points from the bench.
 
"I felt like this was one of the best games we played this year," head coach Kyle Rechlicz said. "Especially in terms of the energy. I really enjoyed coaching this group tonight. It was a really fun game to be a part of."
 
"I was really proud of our team for how aggressive we were. I thought we forced some really good turnovers and forced some rushed shots out of that which translated into offense for us," Rechlicz said. "I thought Miquela Santoro was really clutch tonight on the offensive end and then Kendall Nead coming off the bench for some really big minutes."
 
The Panthers (4-5, 3-1 Horizon League) got hot from long range in the first quarter, going 3-for-5 with triples from Santoro and Nead.
 
Then the defense took over as Milwaukee finished the frame on a 10-0 run, holding Robert Morris scoreless over the final 6:46 and forcing six turnovers for a 15-6 lead.
 
The Colonials (3-5, 1-3 Horizon League) scoreless streak continued to the 6:06 mark of the second quarter as MKE built its lead to 19-6 before Robert Morris started to claw back.
 
But the Panthers' bench stepped up and carried the load to keep MKE in front at the half, scoring all 14 points including seven from Nead for a 29-21 advantage through 20 minutes.
 
Milwaukee built its lead to double digits early in the third with back-to-back buckets from Santoro but RMU continued to hang around.
 
The Panthers always had an answer and after the Colonials hit a three to make it 39-29 in favor of Milwaukee, seven straight points had MKE in control at 46-29 with just 10 minutes to play.
 
Everyone contributed in the fourth quarter as Milwaukee got 12 players into the game with seven different scorers.
 
The Panthers' lead reached as much as 25 after Angie Cera's second three-pointer of the game and Milwaukee earned its first road win of the year, 66-47.
 
Santoro led all scorers with 15 points on 5-for-7 shooting, hitting both three-point attempts. The senior added a rebound and three assist.
 
Nead added a career-high 12 points, hitting her first five shots of the game and going 2-for-3 from deep.
 
Megan Walstad was held to just four points but contributed on the glass, pulling in a career-high 15 rebounds to go with three assists and a steal.
 
Milwaukee next returns home to take on in-state foe Marquette on Wednesday, December 8. Tipoff is scheduled for 7:00 pm from the Klotsche Center.
 
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