UWM Women’s Basketball Team Wins Horizon League Title but Falls Short in Tournament

The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee women’s basketball team won a share of the horizon league regular-season title but lost in their second game of the Horizon League tournament.

The UWM Women’s basketball team went 15-5 in the Horizon League conference play and 19-7 overall. Along with Wright State, they won a share of the Horizon League Regular Season title.

“It’s a really big accomplishment especially given the time period we are in,” said Coach Kyle Rechlicz, the head coach for the women’s basketball team. “In September, we didn’t even know if we were going to get to play games with everything going on in the world.”

In the final game of the regular season, the Panthers won 72-53 against UIC. The Panthers were led by Brandi Bisping with 16 points, while freshman Kendell Nead added 11 points along with Sydney Straver with 10 points.

Bre Cera, a redshirt senior on the team, said she was excited to get to experience winning the title for the first time. She was happy she got to share that experience with not only her teammates but her sister as well. Her sister, Angie Cera, is a freshman playing for UWM.

This year was the first year since 2006 that the Women’s team won the regular-season title.

“We’ve talked about the 2005-2006 team a lot and the pride they showed for Milwaukee and how do we get back to that and build our legacy,” said Rechlicz.

In the first game of the Horizon League Tournament, the Panthers knocked off Youngstown St. at home winning 77-68. Mckaela Schmelzer led the team with 24 points, while Bre Cera added 13 points, followed by Brandi Bisping with 10 points.

In the second game of the Horizon League Tournament, the Panthers traveled to Indianapolis to take on IUPUI. According to Cera, this was the first time anyone on the UWM basketball team had made it to the final four.

“There is a level of excitement,” said Rechlicz. “We talked all week about how you live up to the hype but also calm yourself enough to play your style of basketball.”

The Panthers lost to IUPUI 56-46. They were led by Brandi Bisping with 12 points, followed by Emma Wittmershaus with 10 points.

“It was disappointing,” said Cera. “It was just our shooting. That probably was one of the worst shooting performances we’ve had this year.”

“The only advantage we felt IUPUI had over us was they were coming in having won the tournament before,” said Rechlicz. “We did everything right except hit shots.”

The Panthers shot 28.4% from the field and 12% from the three-point line. Although the shots did not fall, Rechlicz was impressed with their defense.

“If you would have told me before the game that we were going to hold them to 56 points, I would have told you we won,” said Rechlicz.

Although they lost in the tournament both Rechlicz and Cera were proud of how the team performed all season long. They both said their success came mostly from one thing: Team Chemistry.

“I’ve never had a team that has bought into each other as much,” said Rechlicz. “Everyone was in it together, nobody cared who got the glory. The goal was winning, not about individual success.”

“This year it came down to a different level of respect for each other and respect towards knowing what each individual brings,” said Cera. “We know how to respect each other’s differences.”

Both Cera and Rechlicz agreed the pandemic also played a huge part in the team’s strong chemistry. Everyone sacrificed so much to make sure we could play and stay healthy said Cera.

“We really committed to treating every practice like it was our last practice and every game like it was our last game,” said Cera.

Another big thing Rechlicz and Cera believe lead to the success of the Panthers was the game schedules. This year, due to COVID, the schedules were set up so teams would play the same teams back-to-back in a weekend instead of two different teams.

“We are a very scout-orientated team, so having the same team in one week made it a lot easier,” said Cera.

“We have very high IQ players, I think only having to do the one scout a week was definitely a benefit,” said Rechlicz. “They got to really focus on that scout and lock in on the team and all their tendencies.”

Rechlicz also talked about how they had a deep bench. From the strong upperclassman leadership to the talented freshman everyone brought something important to the game.

Looking towards the postseason and next year Rechlicz is excited for what the team will be able to accomplish.

“We really have a core group that we feel like when the senior class graduates these players will be able to fill into their shoes very seamlessly,” said Rechlicz.

Although they loss in the Horizon League tournament, the Panthers gained a spot in the Women’s National Invitation Tournament. They will take on Drake, March 19^th at 8:00pm in Rockford, Ill.

To see the full bracket for the WNIT and to follow along with the Panthers throughout the tournament visit: https://womensnit.com/index.aspx