MILWAUKEE, Wis. – The Milwaukee women's basketball team held Wisconsin to just 24.1 percent shooting after halftime and cut an 18-point deficit to five, but just fell short in the opener, dropping a 58-49 decision.
 
"I thought there were a lot of nerves in the beginning of the game," head coach Kyle Rechlicz said. "We got into a great rhythm in the second half. If we played like that at the of the game, I think it would be a little bit different of an outcome. I was really proud of our fight - we never quit."
 
The Panthers could not get anything to fall in the first half and were plagued by turnovers as Wisconsin got out to an early advantage.
 
MKE finished just 5-for-24 (20.8 percent) in the half with 12 points. The Badgers capitalized on 14 Panthers' turnovers, scoring 17 points off the miscues to pull in front 27-12.
 
Freshman Kamy Peppler provided a much-needed spark to open the third quarter, knocking down a three-pointer and following with a layup before a pair of Emma Wittmershaus free throws cut the deficit to eight.
 
Wisconsin responded, however, building the lead back to double digits before Milwaukee went on another run.
 
After a Badgers' bucket to open the fourth, Milwaukee rattled of a 10-0 run to pull within five with 5:14 to play.
 
Angie Cera helped Milwaukee keep it close with a jumper in the paint, but back-to-back empty possessions allowed Wisconsin to use free throws to build back the lead. The Badgers went 5-for-8 from the line in the final 34 seconds to put the game away and hand MKE the loss.
 
Cera led the Panthers with 11 points on 4-for-10 shooting and added two rebounds and an assist.
 
Grace Crowley played some big minutes and led MKE with eight boards to go with eight points on 2-for-2 shooting from the floor and a 4-for-5 performance from the line.
 
The Panthers will next host Loyola Chicago on Thursday at 7:00 pm.
 
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