The Milwaukee women’s basketball started the season with a victory on Sunday evening. The Panthers won 76-68 over Western Illinois University.
After a technical foul shot was awarded to WIU, the excitement took off. WIU was not afraid to shoot against the Panthers on Milwaukee’s home floor at the Klotsche Center, starting the game 7-0 over the Panthers.
Once the Panthers got on the scoreboard, they took the tempo away from WIU. Jenny Lindner got great looks early, scoring 12 of her 23 points in the first period.
UWM Head Coach Kyle Rechlicz liked the early start.
“I thought we came out with a lot of energy and really executed,” said Rechlicz. “Western is a really great team, so it really tested both our defense and our offense tonight, and I think our team played really strong.”
Milwaukee topped their offensive intensity with their defensive effort in the second half. Stephanie Kostowicz and Bailey Farley forced several turnovers from WIU.
Kostowicz showed up big for the Panthers in her forward position, as a shot chart for Sunday displays many of her points coming from the paint. She was steady the entire game, adding 11 rebounds and five assists to her 20 points.
The Panthers earned a 10 point lead with three minutes left in the fourth period after senior guard Sierra Ford-Washington rebounded a missed three and took a shot on the other end. Milwaukee continued making all-around plays off defensive stops and good shot attempts.
Head Coach Kyle Rechlicz liked some things from Sunday’s game that she wants to take into the next game.
“We were looking to be in attack mode,” said Rechlicz. “Our sharing of the basketball was really good. We had 16 assists, which is really important. I also think we hit the boards really hard.”
UWM will hit the road to Illinois for a couple of games before returning to the Klotsche. The Panthers play Northern Illinois on Wednesday and Loyola on Sunday.