UWM Women’s Basketball lost 58-52 after being outscored 19-5 in the fourth quarter on Thursday at the Klotsche Center.
The Panthers are now 5-20 overall and 2-12 in the Horizon League. Robert Morris improved to 10-13 and 6-8 in the conference.
Kamy Peppler led the Panthers with 20 points in the contest. Kacee Baumhower joined her in double figures with 14 of her own.
Robert Morris players Isys Grady, Jada Lee and Mya Murray all finished in double figures. Grady spearheaded the Colonial offense with 17 points.
The Panthers did not get their usual production from their post players. Anna Lutz, Jorey Buwalda and Izzy Pugh all finished with two points.
Previous Matchups
Milwaukee lost their matchup at Robert Morris earlier this season by one point (56-55) on Dec. 7. The Panthers came up short again against the Colonials in another lower-scoring game.
“We came out better,” said head coach Kyle Rechlicz. “We just struggled down the stretch to get any offensive flow going.”
The Panthers’ last game was a shootout ending 89-81 with the Cleveland State Vikings coming away victorious. The defense played much better against Robert Morris.
“All week was [about] how can we help off their non-shooters, how can we help with the post players,” said Baumhower, talking about the game plan on defense. “Versus Cleveland State, they have a ton of shooters, so you got to get out of the gaps.”
The Panthers had trouble inbounding the ball throughout the game resulting in multiple turnovers. Milwaukee finished with 17 turnovers while Robert Morris had 15 of their own.
“They play a very different zone and it’s tough to emulate in practice,” said Rechlicz. “We thought we had a pretty good offense to run against it, but we weren’t making the pass early enough.”
The Panthers went into halftime with a 26-21 lead after a gritty first half.
The Colonials were held to 8/24 from the field and 2/8 from three. The Panthers made 10/25 of their field goals and 2/10 behind the arc.
Kamy Peppler did most of her damage in the third quarter, scoring 15 of her 20 points in the period. The Panthers’ biggest lead came at the 5:19 mark with a 40-30 advantage.
The fourth quarter was the turning point for Robert Morris. The Colonials went on an 11-point unanswered run from the 7:42 to 00:52 markers.
Baumhower brought the game within three on a free throw with 52 seconds left. The Colonials then drew three straight fouls and got to the free-throw line to help them outpace the Panthers’ attempts to claw back.
Milwaukee finished with splits of 37.5% and 21.7% from the field and three respectively while Robert Morris shot 36.4% on field goals and 20% from distance. The Colonials made three more free throws than the Panthers.
Season Trends and Outlook
The Panthers’ season has been plagued by second-half performances that come up just short.
“We have been in too many close games to not be the aggressor,” said Baumhower. “We just have to show up tomorrow and take it on the chest that we got punked in the 4th quarter.”
The last-place Panthers need to make a late-season push if they want better seeding for the Horizon League Tournament. Baumhower doesn’t see the end of the season as added pressure since all Horizon League teams are featured in the tournament.
“It’s more of a privilege than it is pressure to have another opportunity,” said Baumhower. “Rather than being out based on the regular season.
Milwaukee is back in action on Saturday against Youngstown State for the final game of their three-game homestand. The Panthers lost to the Penguins in their first clash of the season 66-50 in Ohio. That game starts at 2:00 p.m. at the Klotsche Center.