MILWAUKEE, Wis. – McKaela Schmelzer poured in a career-high 24 points to lead the Milwaukee women's basketball team to a 77-68 Horizon League Tournament Quarterfinal victory over Youngstown State. With the win, the Panthers advance to the semifinals for the first time since 2016-17.
 
"It was a great game," head coach Kyle Rechlicz commented. "I thought Youngstown and their staff did an excellent job with the scouting report. We had some players that really stepped up big especially McKaela Schmelzer and Bre Cera."
 
Schmelzer finished 7-for-9 from the floor, 3-for-4 from three-point range, and a perfect 7-for-7 from the line on her way to the career-high. She also added four assists and a steal.
 
"She's capable of doing that all the time," Rechlicz said of Schmelzer. "She can be a scoring point guard and is so quick off the dribble and has this ability to shoot. She's also in the gym as much if not more than anyone else on the team."
 
Cera matched her career high as she scored 13 points including a crucial eight straight in the fourth quarter.
 
"She played like a senior tonight," Rechlicz stated. "She came in for the shoot around tonight and we made one adjustment and she hit bucket after bucket."
 
Tied 60-60, Cera knocked down a jumper and then hit pivotal three-pointers on back-to-back possessions to give Milwaukee (19-6) a 68-60 lead with 4:38 remaining.
 
The Penguins' Chelsea Olson responded with her sixth three-pointer of the game to pull YSU within five but after strong defensive possessions, Brandi Bisping converted a layup to make it 70-63 MKE.
 
With under a minute to play, Youngstown State (10-8) was forced to foul, and the Panthers finished 7-for-8 from the line to seal the win.
 
It was Schmelzer early and often for the Panthers as she scored 13 points on 5-for-5 shooting in the first half to keep the Panthers close, trailing by just two at the break.
 
Youngstown State continued to find a way and led the majority of the third quarter, but Kendall Nead came off the bench and hit a three-pointer at the buzzer to go up 57-55 heading into the final 10 minutes.
 
Milwaukee matched a season-high with 10 three-pointers including three apiece from Schmelzer and Cera.
 
The Panthers outrebounded Youngstown State 37-28 and also limited the turnovers to just 12 in the victory.
 
The MKE bench owned a 21-2 advantage thanks to nine points from Miquela Santoro and eight from Nead.
 
Milwaukee will next head to the Indianapolis Farmers Coliseum to face No. 5 IUPUI in the Horizon League Tournament Semifinals. Additional information and live coverage links can be found on MKEPanthers.com.