MATTOON, Ill. – Junior Kendall Nead registered her first double-double of the season with 19 points and 13 rebounds as she helped lead the Milwaukee women's basketball team past the Eastern Illinois Panthers by a 59-52 win at the Laker Field House on the campus of Lake Land College.
 
Nead continued her streak of double-digit scoring to open the season with her 12th consecutive 10-plus point performance of the year, while also pulling down a career-best 13 boards, surpassing her previous career best of 11 set last season during the team's trip to Wright State.
 
Three players for Milwaukee ended the night in double digits with Kamy Peppler scoring 14, while Angie Cera contributed with 11 points, including a team-best three three-pointers. Two of Cera's three-point baskets came in a key fourth quarter to fend off the charging Panthers of EIU late in the game.
 
Defensively, Milwaukee held Eastern Illinois to just 52 points, including three out of four quarters that saw EIU put up 13 points or fewer. The home Panthers shot just 31.1 percent from the field and only 23.8 percent from three. It was the fifth time in the last seven games that MKE held an opponent under 60 points.
 
"I thought our defense was fantastic," commented head coach Kyle Rechlicz. "I thought we did a good job of helping in the gaps and our double-teams in the paint were quick … I was proud of how we stepped up on that side of the floor."
 
On the other end, Milwaukee's offense controlled the play, especially in the middle two quarters, outscoring EIU 38-33 during that span. MKE shot 48.3 percent in the second and third quarters, ending the game 22-for-55 for a 40.0 percent effort on offense.
 
"Offensively we were working on trying to get downhill more," Rechlicz added. "We wanted to take better shots and do a better job of finding the open person more."
 
To round out the box score, Anna Lutz picked up six points and six rebounds, while Grace Crowley had four points. Jada Donaldson opened the scoring for Milwaukee with a three-pointer, while Vanessa Jurewicz and Jada Williams had one point apiece in the scoring column.
 
Williams tied her season, and career, best mark with three assists trailing just Peppler, who led the team with five helpers as the Panthers finished the game with 14 assists on 22 makes. Peppler also led the team with three steals, while Nead and Jorey Buwalda each had two to their credit.
 
Milwaukee was one block shy of its season high, ending the game as a team with four with Buwalda, Jurewicz, Nead, and Peppler all recording blocks during the game. For Peppler it was her first block of the season, while both Jurewicz and Nead tied their season-best marks.

While Milwaukee shot well overall on the night, scoring was limited for both sides until EIU connected on a three-pointer 2:27 into the opening quarter. Donaldson got Milwaukee on the board with a three pointer from the right wing to even the score. After a pair of free throws by Eastern Illinois, Cera connected on a driving layup to tie the score at five with 4:14 left in the opening period.
 
Milwaukee was able to tie the score at nine on a Nead jump shot, before Lutz then got a shot off the high glass to give MKE its first lead of the game at 11-9 with 46 seconds left before the end of the first quarter.
 
The Panthers of Milwaukee extended their lead in the opening minute of the second quarter on a jump shot by Crowley, and a three-pointer by Peppler made it 16-9. EIU had a layup before Cera drilled a three ball and a free throw by Peppler as Milwaukee took a nine-point advantage.
 
Eastern Illinois sliced Milwaukee's lead back down to five in the closing minutes of the half, with an 11-7 run as MKE led 27-22 at the break.
 
EIU opened the scoring in the second half with a jump shot, but the Panthers scored the next five as Nead scored a three-pointer to reach double figure in points for her first double-double of the season, after securing seven rebounds in the opening quarter. Peppler followed with a layup to give MKE an eight-point lead but EIU score the next six to draw back within two at 32-30.
 
Milwaukee responded with back-to-back three on consecutive possessions with Nead sinking the shot at the 7:00 minute mark, while Peppler knocked hers down with 6:31 to go. EIU scored next with a jump shot, before MKE scored the next seven with Nead, Peppler, and Crowley putting the Panthers ahead 45-32.
 
EIU scored a pair from the line, answered by a jump shot from Lutz to keep MKE ahead by 13, Nead scored next for Milwaukee after a strong move to the basket to give the Panthers a 49-34 advantage. However, Eastern Illinois refused to go down with ease and scored the final eight points of the third as Milwaukee led 49-42 heading into the fourth.
 
Cera opened the fourth with a three-pointer to put MKE back ahead by 10 at 52-42, EIU then scored the next five, but Cera answered with another three ball off a pass from Crowley to make it 55-47. The two teams went scoreless for nearly four minutes before a media timeout with 2:46 to go.
 
After the break, Milwaukee had just three on the shot clock and drew up a play that resulted with Lutz converting a layup off a Peppler dish. Eastern Illinois finally ended their own near six-minute scoreless drought with a layup off a steal, before making the back end of a two-shot foul with under a minute to go.
 
With 15 seconds to go, Peppler iced the game with a pair from the line as Milwaukee came out on top with a 59-52 victory.
 
Milwaukee will close out non-conference play on Wednesday, December 20, when the Panthers welcome in the Viterbo V-Hawks, for a 7:00 p.m. tip from the Klotsche Center.