MILWAUKEE – Tied after three quarters, the Milwaukee women's basketball team outscored visiting Wright State 17-12 in the fourth quarter to earn a 75-70 win on Saturday afternoon at the Klotsche Center.
 
It was a balanced scoring effort in the final frame, paced by Madison Fitzgibbon with five points, while Tierney Madigan and Grace Lomen each added four. The Panthers shot 60 percent from the field in the quarter, while the defense stood tall, limiting Wright State to 3-of-13 shooting (23.1 percent).
 
"This was a huge game, and we were able to protect home court against a really good team like Wright State," said head coach Kyle Rechlicz after the game. "They've lost some games due to injuries but they're starting to get healthy again. Wright State has always been a great shooting team, but our staff made some great adjustments defensively and our team was really locked in defensively."
 
Fitzgibbon finished with 14 points and Lomen scored 10, while Jorey Buwalda had a team-high 17 points and eight rebounds.
 
Buwalda helped Milwaukee build an early 11-0 lead, scoring eight of the Panthers' first 11 points, including a pair of three-pointers. Milwaukee led 20-12 after the first quarter, but the advantage evaporated as Wright State outscored the Panthers by seven in the second, trailing by one at halftime, 35-34.
 
The third quarter was back-and-forth, featuring six lead changes and three ties, including a period-ending layup by the Raiders that knotted the score at 58.
 
"With our young team that hasn't always been our forte," said Rechlicz on the team's composure when holding leads. "We talked about playing our best basketball in late January and February and how we really need to grow as a unit and not consider ourselves young anymore because many of our players have gotten so many minutes."
 
Wright State took a three-point lead early in the fourth before Fitzgibbon connected on a clutch three to tie the game at 67. Payton Rechlicz followed with a mid-range jumper to put Milwaukee back in front, and a steal by Jada Williams led to a jumper from Lomen that gave the Panthers a two-possession lead.
 
Milwaukee's response drew praise from Rechlicz. "To respond the way we did was impressive. Payton hit some big shots down the stretch, Jorey was phenomenal today, but then you have Jada, who was exhausted playing the type of our zone but just kept fighting, getting stops, and playing tremendous defense."
 
The remainder of the game came down to free throws, with Milwaukee sealing the win with a pair from Madigan in the closing seconds.
 
Rechlicz finished the game with eight points and five assists, while Kendall Barnes also scored eight. Madigan added six points and Williams finished with five.
 
Claire Henson led Wright State with 13 points and six rebounds. Rylee Sagester scored 12 points off the bench, all from beyond the arc, while Lauren Scott had 10. Breezie Williams contributed nine points and eight assists, while Ellie Magestro-Kennedy scored nine.
 
Milwaukee heads on the road for a pair of games, beginning Thursday evening at Youngstown State with a 5:30 p.m. (CT) tip at the Beeghly Center.