MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich. – Kamy Peppler had 14 of her game-high 19 points in the second half of Sunday's non-conference finale but it was Central Michigan to come away late with the 54-50 win at McGuirk Arena.
 
In a low-scoring first half, the Panthers held a 22-20 lead at the halftime break. A 20-14 third quarter in favor of the Chippewas proved to be the difference as Central Michigan won by four.
 
Peppler's 19 points were a season-high as she finished with eight field goal makes including a pair from three. Kacee Baumhower led the Panthers with six rebounds and had seven points, while Jorey Buwalda and Izzy Pugh chipped in with six points each off the bench.
 
It was an offensive struggle for both sides as Milwaukee finished the game shooting 29.7 percent from the field, while Central Michigan connected on just 26.2 percent overall. The Chippewas made more than double the Panther attempts at the free throw line with CMU finishing 17-of-20 from the stripe, while Milwaukee finished 8-for-9.
 
"I thought we did so many right things on the defensive end today … you hold a player that scored 32 points for them in their last game and kept her to 12 today," commented Milwaukee head coach Kyle Rechlicz on keeping Madi Morson in check.
 
Central Michigan won the rebounding margin by a 44-39 difference, taking advantage of 17 offensive rebounds to score 17 second-chance points.
 
"There were a lot of missed shots on their [Central Michigan's] end, which leads to a lot of offensive rebounds with the way that they crashed," Rechlicz added. "There were times I thought that we boxed out really well this afternoon."
 
Milwaukee had 15 turnovers to the 14 by CMU. A key factor in the outcome was points off turnovers, which the Chippewas won by a 17-3 differential.
 
"Some of the turnovers down the stretch against their press really hurt us … but at the end of the day we need to knock down shots," added Rechlicz. "We have to get to where we are hitting shots."
 
Milwaukee trailed 4-0 in the early going but a three-point make on the left wing by Payton Rechlicz sparked Milwaukee to a nine-point run. The Panthers held a three-point lead after the opening quarter at 12-9.
 
Central Michigan regained the lead with the first five points of the second quarter but back-to-back makes by Pugh and Peppler put the Panthers back in front. Milwaukee regained a five-point advantage as Buwalda hit a mid-range make, but CMU connected on a late three-pointer and trailed the Panthers 22-20 at halftime.
 
The lead changed hands nine times in the back-and-forth third quarter with neither side taking more than a four-point lead. Central Michigan closed out the period on a five-point run to take a 40-36 lead into the fourth.
 
After scoring the first four points in the fourth, the Chippewas had the largest lead for eight side at eight points. Pugh put a stop to the run with a layup and ignited an 8-3 rally by the Panthers to make it a one-score game at 47-44.
 
Both teams had made layups and scored additional and-one free throws, before the Chippewas scored four from the free throw line to regain a seven-point lead at 54-47. Baumhower banked in an off-balance three-pointer from the right wing in the waning seconds, but it was not enough as CMU held on for the win.
 
Madi Morson led Central Michigan with 12 points and Demetria Prewitt scored 10 points. Jess Lawson had a strong showing with nine points and a team-best seven rebounds.
 
Milwaukee heads into Horizon League play the rest of the season beginning with a visit to Cleveland State on Sunday, Dec. 29. Game time from the Wolstein Center is set for 11:00 am (CT).