MILWAUKEE – For the second time in three games this season, the Milwaukee women's basketball team fell in overtime as the visiting Butler Bulldogs edged the Panthers by a 79-70 score.
 
Three players for Milwaukee scored in double digits led by Kacee Baumhower and her team-best 24 points. Anna Lutz scored 17 and Kamy Peppler added 10 for the Black & Gold. Peppler also led the team with seven assists, while Lutz held the team lead in rebounds with eight and blocks with three.
 
The Panthers held a seven-point lead heading into the fourth quarter, but missed multiple opportunities to put the game out of reach as Butler charged back and led by as many as six before Milwaukee sent the game to overtime late. The Bulldogs outscore Milwaukee 13-4 in overtime to pick up the nine-point win.
 
"We had a tremendous effort tonight against a very good Big East opponent in Butler," commented head coach Kyle Rechlicz after the game. "I thought we lost some of our ability to execute plays in the beginning of the fourth quarter and we ran out of time late in the game to get that back."
 
Rebounding was also key in the decision as Butler held a 36-26 advantage, including a 14-7 lead on the offensive glass. The Bulldogs had 17 second-chance points, while Milwaukee held the advantage in points off turnovers with 26 points on 21 Butler giveaways.
 
"We definitely need to continue to work on playing in tight scenarios late in games as two of our losses have come in overtime."
 
Despite connecting on 45.5 percent from the field, and 42.9 percent from three, the Bulldogs made 50.9 percent of their attempts from the field with 27 makes compared to the 25 of Milwaukee.
 
Both teams shot well in the first half, including a 14-for-26 effort for Milwaukee while the Bulldogs shot 17-for-31. Both sides connected on four three-pointers through the opening 20 minutes. Milwaukee held the lead for 9:52 in the first 20 minutes, with Butler leading for 9:50 as the score was tied for just 18 seconds in the closely-contested opening half.
 
The Panthers trailed by three at the break, with Butler holding a one-score lead at 38-35.
 
Milwaukee regained the lead on its first possession of the second half on a make by Lutz, but Butler took back its lead until the 4:42 point when Peppler tied the game at 45 with a layup. MKE led by as many as five in the closing minutes of the third and took a 58-51 lead going into the fourth quarter.
 
The Bulldogs scored the first 13 points of the fourth and took a six-point lead with 2:38 to go in regulation. Jorey Buwalda snapped the drought with a pair at the line before Baumhower made it a one-score game with 97 seconds left. With Butler ahead 66-63, it was Peppler from the right elbow to tie the game with a three ball with 16.5 seconds left to level the score and send the game to overtime.
 
After the score was tied at 68 in the extra session, the Bulldogs took advantage of a pair of Panther turnovers and took a six-point lead. Milwaukee got as close as four in the waning minutes, but the Bulldogs were able to capitalize at the free throw line with seven makes in the final five minutes to hang on for the nine-point win.
 
Lily Carmody led Butler with 20 points off the bench, while Caroline Strande had 17 and Kilyn McGuff added 10. Carmody also led the Bulldogs with four assists and four steals. Cristen Carter had a team-best nine rebounds for Butler.
 
Baumhower ended the game 9-for-17 from the field and had a season-best four three pointers. Lutz added six shots from the field and Peppler scored four times, as the duo had a pair of three-point makes each. Peppler also had three steals.
 
Jada Donaldson scored seven points and had five rebounds, while Buwalda scored six in her season debut. Payton Rechlicz chipped in with four points while Izzy Pugh rounded out the scoring for the Panthers with two points.
 
After three games in the first six days of the 2024-25 season, Milwaukee will be off until Nov. 14, when the team hosts Valparaiso at the Klotsche Center with tip set for 6:00 p.m.