DETROIT – Six first-quarter three pointers set the tone early as Milwaukee women's basketball defeated Detroit Mercy, 74-61, on Thursday evening at Calihan Hall.
 
Grace Lomen knocked down the first nine points for the Panthers, all from distance, as the senior finished with a team-best 21 points. Jorey Buwalda added 14 points and 11 rebounds for her sixth double-double of the season, while also contributing two of Milwaukee's 12 three-pointers on the evening.
 
All five of Milwaukee's starters combined for the dozen triples, as Madison Fitzgibbon knocked down three, Payton Rechlicz added two, and Jada Williams contributed one.
 
The Panthers ended the game shooting a season-high 51.9 percent from the floor and 57.1 from three-point range, while outrebounding the Titans, 42-32. Defensively, the Panthers held Detroit Mercy to 36.7 percent from the floor and a meager 15.8 percent from deep.
 
Detroit Mercy scored first for its only lead of the game before Milwaukee rattled off the next 11 points and never looked back. The Panthers led 22-6 after the first quarter and pushed the advantage to as many as 22 in the second, taking a 38-23 lead into halftime.
 
"We played very unselfish tonight," said Kyle Rechlicz. "To have 13 made baskets in the first half and 12 assists on those baskets really showed how our team was willing to move the ball and play for one another. I was really proud of that."
 
Of Milwaukee's 13 makes in the opening 20 minutes, 10 of those came from beyond the arc. Lomen led the Panthers with 11 first-half points, while Buwalda tallied nine points and four assists, with Fitzgibbon and Rechlicz each added six.
 
"Grace is a confident player and such a great leader, her teammates trusts her," added Rechlicz. "They want the ball in her hands, and we've got to keep feeding her. She's hot right now."

After connecting on a game-high 8-of-10 shot in the first quarter, the Panthers matched the effort again in the third, scoring a game-high 26 points in the period. Milwaukee outscored the Titans 26-16 and saw its lead swell 64-39 after 30 minutes.
 
Detroit refused to go down quietly in the fourth, scoring 12 points on seven Milwaukee turnovers and seven second-chance points on four offensive rebounds while outscoring the Panthers, 22-10. However, the Titans' comeback attempt fell short as the Panthers held on for the 13-point victory.
 
"Every game in the Horizon League is a challenge," concluded Rechlicz. "It's one of those things where anybody could win any game. I told our team it's a new season [as we begin the second half] and we can't play be playing young anymore, we have got to start playing mature basketball and our team has really locked into that."
 
Fitzgibbon finished the game with 10 points and three assist, while Rechlicz scored nine points with two assists. Tierney Madigan had five points and nine rebounds, while Kendall Barnes added five on the scoresheet. Sophia Rampulla led Milwaukee with three steals.
 
Aaliyah McQueen scored 18 to lead the Titans, while Jasmine Edwards had 15 points and 14 rebounds with three steals.
 
Milwaukee returns to action on Saturday afternoon, visiting Oakland for a 1:00 p.m. (CT) tip at the O'Rena.