MILWAUKEE, Wis. – Behind a strong shooting performance in the second half, the Milwaukee women's basketball team pushed past UIC 55-46 on Tuesday night to advance to the Keeps Horizon League Women's Basketball Quarterfinals.
 
"There's a lot of credit to UIC. They play very hard," head coach Kyle Rechlicz said. "We knew they were going to pack the paint and force us to hit shots outside. We tried to relax our team and it was great to see us come out and see us shoot so well in the second half."
 
The Panthers knocked down five of its seven three-point attempts after the break, shooting nearly 50 percent from the field in the final 20 minutes.
 
Milwaukee (15-15) also finished 10-for-12 from the free throw line in the final frame including hitting six of eight in the final 38 seconds.
 
Defense was the story in the first half as neither team could get anything going on the offensive end. MKE shot just 29.2 percent while UIC went 6-for-18 from the floor to take a 18-17 halftime advantage.
 
With just over a minute gone in the second half, UIC (2-26) pushed its lead to five points, but the Panthers stormed back.
 
Milwaukee rattled off a 12-2 run to pull in front 29-24 and would not relinquish the lead from there.
 
Sydney Staver and McKaela Schmelzer sparked the Panthers with back-to-back triples to open the second half and the lead quickly reached double figures.
 
The Panthers carried that double digit lead to the 1:03 mark in the fourth when the Flames cut it to eight on a three-pointer and began to foul.
 
MKE was not phased, hitting its free throws down the stretch to hold onto the victory.
 
Megan Walstad led Milwaukee with 14 points and eight rebounds, going 6-for-6 from the free throw line.
 
Schmelzer chipped in everywhere with nine points, six rebounds, and four assists while Staver hit three triples for 11 points.
 
With the win, the Panthers advance to the Quarterfinals of the Keeps Horizon League Championships and will face No. 3 Green Bay at the Kress Center at 7:00 pm.
 
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