LAKE CHARLES, La. – Junior Kendall Nead had a historic performance to lead the Milwaukee women's basketball team to an 88-67 victory over the host McNeese Cowgirls on Friday evening at the Legacy Center.
 
Nead finished the game with a career-best 38 points as she became just the third different Panther to score 38 or more points in a game. All-time leading scorer Traci Edwards owns the program record with 45 points and the second-best single-game performance with 42 points. The only other 38-point game came back in 1998-99, when Andrea Filipek scored 38 points in a game that season.
 
In addition to her point total, Nead tied the Milwaukee program record for field goals made in a game as she connected on 17 of her 23 attempts, which equals Edwards' mark of 17 set back on January 20, 2007, in the team's win over Cleveland State. Her 23 attempts tied for the third most in a game, last done in March of 2016, when Jenny Lindner had 24 against Oakland.
 
Milwaukee's 88 points as a team is the most for a Panther squad since the team reached 90 points on February 23, 2018, against Detroit Mercy at the Klotsche Center. The 88 points on the road was the most since January 5, 2017, as the Panthers won an 88-65 game over UIC on that day.
 
Milwaukee had 26 points in the paint on the game with 12 in the first half and 14 in the second half.
 
"We kept telling our team that we needed to be better at finishing in the paint and we accomplished that tonight," said head coach Kyle Rechlicz after the game. "To bounce back after our last game [against Louisiana Monroe] in less than 24 hours, says a lot about who we are as a team, and we played really well tonight."
 
The team also continued its hot stretch from beyond the arc as the Panthers connected on 13 three-point baskets, reaching double figures for the second time this year. It was also the 10th time under Rechlicz that the Panthers scored 13 three-point baskets and most since last season's performance of 13 at Youngstown State on February 23.
 
Kamy Peppler led the Panthers with six three-pointers to match her career-best from this past Sunday at UIC. Nead ended the contest with three, with Jada Donaldson added a pair of three pointers. Angie Cera and Jada Williams rounded out the Panther prowess from three with long shots of their own.
 
Milwaukee passed the rock well with 27 assists, the most assists for Milwaukee in a single game since the team had 31 in a double overtime matchup against Bradley on December 4, 2012, with 31 that contest. It was the most for the Black & Gold for a regulation contest since December 17, 2000, with 28 assists against Central Michigan.
 
Donaldson and Cera had a career-bests with eight and six assists, respectively, while Peppler also had a half-dozen helpers. Nead tied her career high with three steals, while Donaldson added two swipes in the effort.
 
Jorey Buwalda led the Panthers on the glass with the 14 rebounds for a season-high with seven points and one assist. All nine to get minutes for the Panthers on Friday evening recorded at least one rebound, including four for Donaldson, and one each on the defensive glass for Kalvina Eubanks, Justina Hernandez, and Vanessa Jurewicz.
 
The Panthers had 23 points off turnovers and 16 second-chance points, while MKE outscored McNeese in fast break points at 11-8.
 
Milwaukee won the tip and got things started with a bang as Nead hit a three to open the scoring. The Panthers led by as many as 11 in the opening quarter on a Nead jumper with 3:19 to go to make the score 17-6. McNeese outscored Milwaukee 9-4 down the stretch of the opening quarter, with the Panthers ahead by a 21-15 mark after the first 10 minutes.
 
The Cowgirls got to within one score with a three-pointer just 2:30 into the second quarter before Milwaukee scored the next four on a pair from the line by Buwalda and a jumper in the paint by Nead. McNeese erased another six-point Panther lead and led by a pair at 31-29 before Nead stemmed the tied with a jump shot off a Peppler pass.
 
Nead scored on back-to-back possessions before a Donaldson three gave Milwaukee a six-point advantage with 45 seconds to go in the half as MKE led by a 39-33 score at the break.
 
After the break, McNeese got the score to within one possession again before Nead sank a shot followed by a layup by Buwalda. Peppler connected on a three-point shot to put Milwaukee up by 10 at 47-37, before Nead gave MKE a 12-point lead. After a Cowgirl layup, Peppler connected on another three followed by a jumper by Donaldson as the Panthers opened a 15-point lead.
 
A three-point shot by Williams kept the Panthers ahead by 15 with 3:24 to go for her first career field goal, while Peppler gave Milwaukee its largest lead of the quarter at 16 with just under two minutes left and led 64-51 after three.
 
The Panthers opened the fourth quarter going 9-for-9 from the field, including the first four by Nead. Cera knocked down a three to keep the run going before scoring again to put the Panthers ahead by 20 at 79-59. Peppler, Donaldson, and Buwalda also hit shots from the paint as the Panthers reached the 85-point plateau for its largest lead of the game at 26.
 
McNeese scored the next four before Peppler finished off the scoring for the Panthers the with a three-point basket to give Milwaukee an 88-63 lead. The Cowgirls scored the final four points at the free throw line to close the scoring with the Panthers registering the 88-67 win.
 
Milwaukee closes out the weekend in Louisiana on Saturday, when the Panthers take on Mississippi Valley State at 1:00 p.m. at the Legacy Center.