ST. PAUL, Minn. – Four starters reached double figures in scoring, but the Milwaukee women's basketball team dropped an overtime nailbiter to St. Thomas by an 84-81 score at Schoenecker Arena.
 
Kacee Baumhower made her Panther debut and scored a career-high 26 points, while Anna Lutz had a 15-point, 11-rebound double-double. Kamy Peppler scored 14 points, including three three-point baskets, while Payton Rechlicz scored 13 in her collegiate debut.
 
The Panthers trailed by as many as nine in the first quarter but were able to erase the deficit and take a 51-50 lead late in the third. Milwaukee used a 16-8 run in the fourth to take a seven-point advantage at 67-60, however, the lead slipped away in the final 1:41 of regulation to send the game to overtime even at 67.
 
"I thought we showed a lot of tenacity and battled throughout the game to overcome a nine-point deficit and turn it into a seven-point lead," commented head coach Kyle Rechlicz after the game. "It shows the ability that our team has to work together and have success."
 
In the extra session, Milwaukee took several three-point leads but were unable to extend further before St. Thomas tied the score at 80, closing out the game on a 6-1 run to escape with the slim victory.
 
"We did a lot of the little things right, especially when the ball wasn't in our hands, and those aspects were positively impacting the game for us," Rechlicz added. "We had great moments in those areas … the only area of improvement is that we have to take better care of the basketball down the stretch, we have to be confident and believe that we are good enough to win games."
 
The Panthers shot 41.8 percent from the field but were only able to convert on four of their 18 attempts from beyond the arc. In contrast, the Tommies scored on 44.1 percent from the floor and 6-of-20 from three.
 
Milwaukee dominated the glass with 50 rebounds to the 36 by St. Thomas, scoring 22 second-chance points including 14 in the second half and overtime.
 
Jade Hill led the Tommies, scoring 35 points on 12-of-21 shooting, and 9-of-12 from the free throw line. Jo Langbehn had 17, and Sammy Opichka had a double-double with 12 points and a game-best 13 rebounds.
 
"You never want to start the season off with a loss, but give credit to St. Thomas," added Rechlicz. "They are a well-coached program with an experienced roster."
 
Baumhower had seven rebounds and three assists with a pair of steals, tied with Peppler for the team lead in swipes. Peppler also had a team-best five assists and pulled down seven defensive boards. Jada Donaldson had six points and five rebounds with one assist and a block in the effort.
 
Jada Williams scored four points and had six rebounds. Kallie Peppler scored three points in her collegiate debut. Izzy Pugh secured three rebounds with Sophia Rampulla pulling down a pair as the pair also made their first collegiate appearances.
 
Milwaukee returns home for a quick turnaround, hosting the Carroll Pioneers on Wednesday evening at the Klotsche Center with tip-off slated for 6:00 p.m. Coverage of the game will be available on ESPN+ with an audio stream available on the Black & Gold Network and the Varsity Network app (available in the App Store & Google Play).