MADISON, Wis. – Milwaukee women's basketball team was unable to get its offense going on Monday evening and fell to Wisconsin by a 75-46 score at the Kohl Center.
 
The Panthers shot just 29.6 percent from the field, connecting on 16-of-45 overall, while the host Badgers made 27-of-60 from the floor to finish at 45.0 percent. Wisconsin was led by Breauna Ware with 13 points, while Jovana Spasovski scored 11 as the duo contributed for 24 of the team's 46 points off the bench.
 
Jada Williams paced the Panthers with eight points, while Valerie Cassidy-De Falco scored seven. Rita Gomes connected on a pair of second-half three-pointers to finish with six points.
 
"We knew that we were to face a lot of toughness and physicality versus Wisconsin," said head coach Kyle Rechlicz. "They are a much-improved team, and Coach Pingeton has them playing well."
 
Turnovers were once again costly for Milwaukee, as the Badgers scored 32 points off 25 Panther giveaways. Wisconsin also controlled the inside game with 34 points in the paint to Milwaukee's eight.
 
Jorey Buwalda secured a team-best eight rebounds for Milwaukee, followed by Kendall Barnes with five defensive boards. Rebounds were fairly even between the two sides, with the Badgers holding a slim 32-30 advantage.
 
Wisconsin scored the first 10 points of the game before Williams knocked down her first of two first-quarter three-pointers to end the early drought. UW regained its 10-point lead and took a 20-10 advantage into the second.
 
"I felt like we started off slow and had too many turnovers towards the beginning of the game," Rechlicz added. "Our young players are still learning how to play together with each other … I know that we will grow from this game."
 
The Panthers chipped into the deficit and cut it to seven following a mid-range jumper by Madison Fitzgibbon with 6:08 left in the half. However, the Badgers responded and took a 14-point lead into halftime.
 
Milwaukee hung with Wisconsin in the third, outscored just 18-16, as the Panthers had a seven-point rally in the quarter behind scoring from Gomes, Cassidy-De Falco, and Izzy Pugh. Ultimately, the Big Ten squad proved to be too much for Milwaukee to overcome, as the Badgers won by 29.
 
"Although the score doesn't show it, we had some great moments that we can build on," Rechlicz concluded. "It was one of our best rebounding efforts of the season."
 
Milwaukee returns home on Thursday evening when the Panthers host Western Michigan for a 6:00 p.m. tip at the Klotsche Center.