FAIRBORN, Ohio – Miquela Santoro and McKaela Schmelzer combined for 36 points to lead the Milwaukee women's basketball team to an 80-55 victory at Wright State on Saturday afternoon.
 
"I felt like we were really locked in at the start of the game and in the third quarter start which was really great for us to see both on the offensive and defensive end," head coach Kyle Rechlicz commented.
 
Milwaukee (8-11, 7-5 Horizon League) matched its season-best shooting percentage of 53.6 as the Panthers scored a season-high 80 points against the Raiders.
 
"We talked about continuing that momentum of coming out and playing that style where we're locked in on both ends, we're going to be pushing to be in some of these really good games. I'm excited about the way that we fought through 40 minutes tonight," Rechlicz continued.
 
Santoro, an Ohio native, matched a career-high with 19 points on 8-for-13 shooting and added two assists and three steals in the win.
 
"We had a lot of people step up. It's nice when you can bring a player like Miquela home and she's able to have the game that she has," Rechlicz said. "She was incredible on both ends of the floor… She's such a competitor."
 
It was all MKE out of the gate as the Panthers connected on their first six field goal attempts for a 14-2 advantage. The Panthers continued to roll in the first quarter, finishing 10-for-17 from the floor to pull in front 27-13.
 
Wright State (2-16, 1-12 Horizon League) battled back in the second quarter and used the deep ball to knot it 33-33, but then the Panthers again stepped on the gas. MKE finished the half on a 13-4 run for a 46-37 halftime advantage.
 
Milwaukee put it all together after the break, going 13-for-28 from the floor while holding the Raiders to just 22.8 percent (8-for-35).
 
The Panthers' lead reached as many as 29 points as they cruised to a 25-point victory, their largest of the season.
 
Schmelzer started the game 6-for-6 and finished with 17 points to go with three rebounds and five assists in the victory.
 
"This was one of the better games McKaela had," Rechlicz said. "Mck is the pulse of our team. She's such a leader on the court to keep us focused on what we 're trying to do. An overall really great game."
 
Emma Wittmershaus and Megan Walstad also reached double figures for MKE, totaling 23 points and 15 rebounds. Macy McGlone joined down low and totaled seven rebounds, four points, and two assists in 15 minutes of action.
 
Alyssa Moore came off the bench and ran the point in the fourth quarter, finishing with three points, two rebounds, and two assists.
 
The Panthers matched a season-high with 19 assists and also outrebounded Wright State 46-28 in the win.
 
MKE next gears up for a pair of home games beginning with Robert Morris on Thursday, February 3 at 7:00 pm.
 
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