Milwaukee City Wire

The Milwaukee women's basketball team faced a tough loss against the Robert Morris Colonials, who outscored them 19-5 in the fourth quarter to secure a 58-52 victory on Thursday evening. Despite an early lead, the Panthers could not maintain their momentum.

Kamy Peppler led all scorers with 20 points, including three successful shots from beyond the arc. Kacee Baumhower contributed 14 points for Milwaukee. For Robert Morris, Isys Grady scored 12 of her team-high 17 points in the final quarter, sparking a crucial 14-2 run that shifted an eight-point deficit into a four-point advantage for the Colonials. This lead was maintained until the end of the game.

Milwaukee had started strong, shooting 48.5 percent from the field during the first three quarters. However, they struggled in the last ten minutes, making only two out of fifteen attempts and missing all eight three-point tries.

"You win the first three quarters, and you expect to put yourself in a great position against a good team," said head coach Kyle Rechlicz post-game. "They're a team that plays tough and we got their best effort in the fourth quarter … we were defending them well in the fourth, but we could not get a basket to fall."

Rechlicz noted that his team was "settling" too much during this period and emphasized their need to be physically tougher by driving towards the basket rather than relying on long-range shots.

At halftime, Milwaukee held a five-point lead at 26-21 after shooting ten-of-twenty-five from the field with contributions from Baumhower and both Kamy and Kallie Peppler. Kamy Peppler had an impressive third quarter scoring spree with fifteen points, helping extend Milwaukee's lead to as much as ten points before RMU closed it down to one point by period's end.

Robert Morris' Mya Murray and Jada Lee each added ten points to their team's tally while Murray nearly achieved a double-double with nine rebounds. The Colonials dominated second-chance opportunities with eleven offensive rebounds compared to six by Milwaukee.

Jada Donaldson led Milwaukee with six rebounds while Baumhower topped assists and steals charts for her team.

The Panthers aim to recover when they host Youngstown State Penguins on Saturday afternoon at Klotsche Center.