MILWAUKEE – A season-high 13 three-pointers was not enough for the Milwaukee women's basketball team as Cleveland State used a pivotal third quarter to move past the Panthers by an 89-81 score on Saturday afternoon.
 
Kacee Baumhower led the Panthers with five three-point makes and a team-best 21 points in the effort to lead all Milwaukee scorers. Anna Lutz had 14 points and Jorey Buwalda scored 12 as the duo were tied for the team lead with five rebounds apiece.
 
Mickayla Perdue put together a 30-point performance for the Vikings, who used a 10-2 run in the third quarter to take a two-point deficit into an eight-point advantage. Perdue capped off the run with a three-point make with 6:59 left in the third giving CSU a 54-46 lead.
 
"Our fight was incredible," noted head coach Kyle Rechlicz after the game. "It was not our best defensive performance of the season but they're a very good offensive team. Cleveland State was a good challenge for us, but we did not quit."
 
Milwaukee trailed by as many as 16 midway through the fourth quarter, but clawed its way back into the contest late with a pair of late three-point makes to get the score back within 10 at the end. The difference proved to be free throw shooting as the Vikings made 13-of-14 in the fourth quarter to seal the win.
 
"Ultimately, we lose the game by eight," Rechlicz added. "But they were plus-18 from the free throw line, which helped them get the win."
 
Milwaukee also had a strong showing at the charity stripe sinking 10-of-11 attempts on the afternoon.
 
Kamy Peppler had eight assists as the Panthers had 21 helpers as a team on 29 overall makes from the floor.
 
The Panthers hung with the preseason league favorites in the first 20 minutes of action, knocking down nine three pointers in the opening half. Buwalda had 10 first-half points with Izzy Pugh adding nine and Anna Lutz scoring eight to help lead the Milwaukee offense that connected on 48.3 percent from the field in the half.
 
MKE finished the opening half 15-of-31 from the field (48.4 percent) and were 9-of-16 (56.3 percent) from three.
 
The halftime score was tied at 44, with Mickayla Perdue leading Cleveland State with an 18-point performance in the half. Her 18 points including a perfect 7-for-7 from the free throw line, as she played all 20 minutes.
 
After Milwaukee scored the opening bucket of the second half, it was a 10-point Cleveland State run that ultimately proved to be the difference in the game as the Vikings led 54-46 following a three-point make by Perdue.
 
In the fourth, CSU went on a 13-2 run to take its largest lead of the game at 16 with 5:51 left in the game. The Vikings connected on a combined 17-of-18 free throws in the second half, including 13-of-14 from the line in the fourth quarter to ice the game.
 
The Panthers had some late heroics by Baumhower and Peppler, as Baumhower scored a three-point make off a Peppler dish. Peppler then stole the ball on the ensuing possession and passed it to Baumhower again, who knocked down another three ball to close out the scoring at 89-81 in favor of CSU.
 
Pugh finished the game with her nine points, while Payton Rechlicz and Peppler scored eight apiece. Jada Donaldson knocked down five with Kallie Peppler contributing four points off the bench.
 
Beyond the 30 points from Perdue for Cleveland State, Jordana Reisma scored 17 and Destiny Leo scored 16. Grace Ellis had a strong showing as well with a team-best seven rebounds to go along with five points and four assists.
 
Milwaukee continues its stay at home on Thursday evening, when the Panthers host the Robert Morris Colonials at 6:00 p.m. at the Klotsche Center.