FAIRBORN, Ohio – Trailing early in the first, the Milwaukee women's basketball team rallied to cut the deficit to three but couldn't get over the hump and fell to Wright State 67-58 on Friday afternoon. The Panthers shot 71.4 percent in the second quarter but failed to take advantage of Raiders' scoring droughts in the second half.
 
Outside of the second quarter, the Panthers had trouble getting things going offensively. Milwaukee finished just 13-for-40 (32.5 percent) from the floor in the other three quarters including 0-for-14 from long range.
 
One of the top rebounding teams in the league, the Raiders dominated the boards 41-25 and scored 36 points in the paint.
 
Wright State (12-5, 12-3 Horizon League) took control right from opening tips as it connected on its first five shots for a 10-2 advantage.
 
The Raiders continued to roll in the first frame, shooting 69.2 percent from the floor.
 
It was Milwaukee (15-4, 12-3 Horizon League) who was on fire the following quarter as they connected on 71.4 percent (10-for-14) of its shots to cut into the deficit.
 
The Panthers pulled within two before a late three-pointer had the Raiders up 42-37 at the half.
 
Emma Wittmershaus and Kendall Nead provided a boost off the bench with seven points apiece in the first half.
 
Momentum was with Milwaukee out of the break as the Panthers kept the WSU lead to three over the first two minutes but then a drought hit. Wright State rattled off 10 straight to lead 56-43 with 4:01 to play in the third.
 
The Raiders did not score the rest of the quarter, but Milwaukee managed just four points in the final four minutes and trailed by nine going into the fourth.
 
Brandi Bisping scored four straight points and drew a charge early in the fourth to spark the Panthers and trim the deficit to seven, but another Wright State triple deflated the energy for Milwaukee.
 
The defense stood up late in the fourth and again held Wright State to another lengthy scoring drought, but Milwaukee scored just two points over the final 4:46 as the Panthers dropped their third straight game.
 
Bisping was the lone Panther in double digits as she scored 13 points to go with nine rebounds and three assists.
 
Wright State's Angel Baker finished with 27 points, seven rebounds, and three assists to pace the Raiders.
 
Milwaukee and Wright State will meet once more tomorrow afternoon to close out the series. Tipoff is scheduled for 1:00 pm CT from the Nutter Center with live coverage links on MKEPanthers.com.