MILWAUKEE – The Milwaukee women's basketball team returned to play on Saturday afternoon and fell to the visiting Purdue Fort Wayne Mastodons by a 65-55 score at the Klotsche Center.
 
Milwaukee held a 55-53 lead with just over four minutes left in the game, but the Mastodons closed out the game on a 12-point run to record the road victory.
 
The Panthers (7-7, 1-2 Horizon) were led by Kendall Nead with a game-high 21 points, while Jada Donaldson was also in double figures in scoring with 14 points. Donaldson's 14 points were a new season-high after scoring 12 points at McNeese in mid-November.
 
Anna Lutz led Milwaukee on the glass with 11 rebounds, while Nead was second for the Black & Gold with seven rebounds. Nead and Lutz each had a block on the afternoon, while Kamy Peppler recorded Milwaukee's only steal of the game.
 
The Panthers had 16 assists, with six different players picking up at least two assists, led by Grace Crowley with three. MKE also tied their season low for turnovers with just 11 giveaways on the afternoon against the Mastodons.
 
However, Milwaukee struggled to find any rhythm on offense with just 21 field goal makes on the game, tied for the third least on the year, while scoring a season-low two three-point baskets.
 
"We've got to hit shots when the game is on the line," said head coach Kyle Rechlicz after the game. "We had a good week of practice where we were hitting shots, so I did not expect us to go 2-of-20 from the three-point line."
 
While the Panthers connected on just 10 percent from three, MKE shot 38.2 percent from the field overall including 54.3 percent (19-of-35) from shots inside the arc.
 
Both teams were slow to get going on offense as the score was tied at six with 4:26 left in the opening quarter. Angie Cera connected on a three-pointer to give Milwaukee a three-point lead as the Panthers held a 15-11 lead after the opening period.
 
MKE scored the first three points of the second quarter on free throws by Donaldson and Nead to open its largest lead of the game at seven points with just a minute gone by. Back-to-back threes by Purdue Fort Wayne sliced the Panther advantage back down to one before the Mastodons were able to tie the score at 22 with 1:45 left in the half.
 
Donaldson connected on a last-minute jumper off a pass by Lutz to send Milwaukee into the locker room ahead by a 24-22 score.
 
The Mastodons wrestled the lead back to open the third quarter with seven unanswered to open the stanza. Midway through, Donaldson knocked down another key shot with a three-pointer off a Nead pass to put the Panthers back up by two at 31-29. MKE was unable to pull away as PFW kept the game within one possession and tied the score at 39 heading into the fourth.
 
After the Mastodons scored on their first possession of the fourth, Milwaukee answered back to even the score on a make by Nead. Purdue Fort Wayne regained the lead with a make at the 8:02 mark and led through the next four minutes before the Panthers got a shot made by Nead to take a 54-53 advantage, and the ensuing and-one free throw by Nead put the Panthers ahead by a pair.
 
Purdue Fort Wayne closed out the fourth quarter on a 12-0 run as the Panthers were held scoreless on their final eight shot attempts. Ultimately the Mastodons ran away late for the 10-point win.
 
Milwaukee will be back on the court on Monday afternoon for a 2:00 p.m. start against Cleveland State at the Klotsche Center.