MILWAUKEE – Behind a season-best .520 shooting percentage, Milwaukee women's basketball completed a season sweep of the Detroit Mercy Titans on Thursday evening with a 76-68 victory.
The Panthers finished 26-of-50 from the field, including 10 from beyond the arc, the fifth time this season Milwaukee connected on at least 10 three-pointers in a game.
Jorey Buwalda paced the Panthers with 21 points and 10 rebounds, shooting 7-for-9 from the floor.
Madison Fitzgibbon added 15 points on 5-of-7 shooting and led Milwaukee from deep with a 4-for-5 performance.
Kendall Barnes also went 5-for-7 from the field, finishing with 12 points and six rebounds.
"We carried over the energy and intensity from the Green Bay game into tonight," said head coach
Kyle Rechlicz. "As a coach, I couldn't have asked for much more. The way we handled pressure late and shot the ball at home shows the big steps we're taking as a team."
In addition to its efficiency, Milwaukee shared the ball effectively throughout the game. The Panthers recorded 19 assists, its most against a Division I opponent this season, led by five from
Jada Williams and four from
Grace Lomen.
Milwaukee faced early adversity, falling behind 9-1 in the opening three minutes. The Panthers responded with back-to-back threes from Buwalda and
Payton Rechlicz, igniting a run that helped the home side take a 24-17 lead after the first quarter.
Detroit Mercy answered in the second, briefly reclaiming the lead at 27-26 midway through the period when Makayla Jackson connected from the left wing. The score was tied at 39 late in the half before Barnes grabbed an offensive rebound and converted in the closing seconds to give Milwaukee a 41-39 halftime advantage.
Buwalda and Barnes led the Panthers in the opening half with 11 and eight points, respectively, while Jackson scored 16 first-half points for the Titans.
Coming out of the break, Buwalda scored eight more points and Fitzgibbon knocked down a pair of three points in the third as Milwaukee carried a 59-55 lead into the fourth quarter.
Detroit Mercy stayed within striking distance, tying the game at 62 and again at 64. Barnes then made a pair of free throws before Rechlicz drained a key three-pointer to push the lead to two possessions. Fitzgibbon added a basket with under two minutes remaining, and Milwaukee sealed the win at the line to secure the 76-68 victory.
"It was great to see Jorey playing with confidence and back to her normal self," Rechlicz said. "Payton was incredibly solid and knocked down a huge three in the fourth quarter. Jada moved the ball with pace and purpose, creating five assists. It's great to see it all coming together, and now we need to carry that into Saturday."
Rechlicz finished the game with eight points and seven rebounds, while
Tierney Madigan scored eight points, including her first career three-pointer.
Sophia Rampulla chipped in six points, highlighted by a three.
"Three of our freshmen really showed up tonight," Rechlicz added. "Kendall and Tierney were determined to find ways to score in the paint, while Madison was dominant from beyond the arc."
Jackson led Detroit Mercy with 21 points, while Anya Anderson added 14 and Jasmine Edwards scored 10. The Titans shot 35.5 percent from the field (22-for-62) and 23.1 percent from three-point range, while keeping the game close by converting 18-of-23 from the free throw line.
Milwaukee will look to close out its three-game homestand on Saturday afternoon when the Panthers host Oakland at 2:00 p.m. at the Klotsche Center.
