MILWAUKEE, Wis. - Behind one of its best shooting performances this season, the Milwaukee women's basketball team downed Drake 84-46 in the first round of the postseason WNIT on Friday evening. The Panthers knocked down a season-best 12 three-pointers in the win.
 
The win marks the program's fourth postseason tournament victory and first since 2017-18. Additionally, Milwaukee captured its 20th win this year, the program's 10th 20-win season.
 
"I felt really good going into this game because this week, we've been really sharp," head coach Kyle Rechlicz commented. "It's been some of our best practices and the energy has been really good."
 
Milwaukee (20-7) fed off that energy, hitting its first three shots of the game and the Panthers never looked back. MKE poured in 40 first-half points, shooting nearly 50 percent from the floor and going 6-for-11 from three-point range.
 
Seven different players scored for the Panthers in the first 20 minutes led by Megan Walstad's 12 points.
 
"We moved the ball with purpose, and we were confident, which was key," Rechlicz continued. "When we're hitting threes, we're a really good team."
 
The offense was clicking but the defense did its part as well as Milwaukee held Drake (16-12) to just 14 points on 20 percent from the floor including a 2-for-18 performance from three-point range.
 
Milwaukee continued to score at will in the third quarter, cashing in 28 points including going a perfect 10-for-10 from the free throw line.
 
A field goal from Brandi Bisping at the 9:13 mark gave the Panthers a 30-point advantage and with two late free throws from Sydney Staver, Milwaukee's lead reached as many as 38 points.
 
Bisping and Bre Cera hit the first two shots of the fourth to push the lead to 42, the largest of the season for Milwaukee, and despite a messy fourth, the Panthers cruised to the win.
 
Ten different players scored for the Panthers led by Bisping with 19 points on 6-for-9 shooting.
 
Walstad finished with a double-double of 14 points and 12 rebounds while Staver also reached double figures with 10 points.
 
The Panthers dominated nearly every category of the game including rebounds (51-36) and assists (17-9).
 
Milwaukee also finished 18-for-19 from the free throw line in the win.
 
With the victory, the Panthers will now face Saint Louis at 8:00 pm tomorrow evening in round two of the postseason WNIT. Live coverage for the Round 2 matchup can be found on MKEPanthers.com.