MILWAUKEE, Wis. — As Milwaukee Area Technical College's lone returning player from last year's roster, sophomore guard Rachel Schlies showed Tuesday evening against Oakton why head coach Arom Murrell was eager to have her back this season after missing most of last year with a leg injury.

After being held to just two points through the first three quarters, Schlies erupted for nine in the fourth on 3-of-5 shooting (60 percent), including a perfect 2-for-2 at the free-throw line, to spark a late rally and lift the Stormers to a 68-65 win. The victory handed Oakton — which entered at 9-1 overall — just its second loss and secured MATC's first home triumph of the season, improving the Stormers to 4-5.

"I think my teammates mostly helped me get going in the fourth quarter by stepping it up both offensively and defensively," Schlies said. "I was guarding one of their better players, so that took a lot of energy out of me. But my teammates picked me up at halftime and told me when I got the ball to just find my shot. And that's what I did."

Unforced turnovers plagued the Stormers early, as MATC committed 10 miscues in the opening quarter, including three straight in the final 1:24 that fueled a 6-0 Oakton run. The Owls capitalized with a 12-2 edge in points off turnovers to grab control, but MATC responded by opening the second frame on a 6-0 spurt of its own to knot the score at 20-20. The teams traded baskets through much of the quarter before Oakton again took advantage of Stormer mistakes, converting five of MATC's seven second-quarter turnovers into eight points during a decisive 14-6 closing run. In total, Oakton scored 10 points off turnovers in the period, but MATC stayed within striking distance at the break by shooting an efficient 50 percent from the field (15-of-30).

Trailing by eight to start the second half, MATC quickly clawed back behind sophomore forward Moriah Landry and freshman guard Emani Summers. Landry opened the quarter with back-to-back buckets in the paint before Summers followed with consecutive steals she converted coast-to-coast into layups, trimming the deficit to 38-37. The surge kept the game within one possession for much of the frame, eventually tying it at 42-42. A free throw from Sa'Nyai Mitchel briefly gave the Stormers their first lead since the opening minutes at 43-42, but Oakton answered with a 7-2 run to close the quarter ahead 49-45. MATC's defense was the difference in keeping the game tight, holding Oakton to just 17.6 percent shooting (3-of-17) in the period — including only three points over the first five minutes.

"I thought the way we responded out of the locker room was really a credit to our girls," Murrell said. "They had some pride and that's really what it was. I could have ripped them when we went into the locker room, but I didn't because it was a competitive first half. A lot of the issues we had, credit to Oakton because they are a good team, but I honestly believe many of the problems we suffered in the first half were self-inflicted. We talked about cleaning those things up, which gave us an opportunity to shave the lead and make it more competitive."

Staying within two possessions to open the fourth, Oakton looked to pull away with a quick 5-0 run on a three-pointer and mid-range jumper. With momentum slipping, sophomore reserve Lacee Rodriguez steadied MATC with a free throw before Schlies took over. After missing a three just seconds earlier, Schlies swiped a steal and went coast-to-coast for a layup, then buried a triple to cut the deficit to 54-51. From there, the game remained a one-possession battle over the final six minutes. Trailing 64-63 with 1:03 left, Schlies delivered again with a mid-range jumper off a feed from Mitchel, forcing Oakton to call timeout. Out of the break, MATC's defense forced a miss, setting up Laila Hamiel to sink one of two free throws after being intentionally fouled. Oakton had a chance to tie in the closing seconds, but Jaylen Zachary split a pair at the line with three ticks remaining. Schlies was fouled on the ensuing possession and calmly knocked down both free throws to seal the 68-65 victory.

"Schlies absolutely gave us a spark in that fourth quarter," Murrell said. "We're still kind of limiting her minutes, and since I knew the game was going to be close, I wanted her to have fresh legs down the stretch. It seemed to be effective because she was pretty fresh and lights out in the second half altogether, but definitely in that fourth quarter."

Schlies led the Stormers with 11 points, two rebounds, two blocks and a steal. Landry finished one rebound shy of her fourth double-double of the season, posting a team-high 14 points along with nine boards, four steals and two assists. Freshman center Zihre Sellers anchored the defense with a remarkable nine blocks while adding eight points and eight rebounds.

"Nine blocks is ridiculous," Murrell said of Sellers' defensive effort. "That definitely proved her value. I know she's capable of that."

Summers contributed 12 points, seven rebounds, two assists and three steals. Hamiel chipped in 11 points on 5-of-10 shooting (50 percent) and added six rebounds and seven assists.

"I think everyone stepped up and believed in themselves," Schlies said of the team effort.

UP NEXT
MATC (4-5) will travel to Escanaba, Mich., this weekend to participate in the Terrace Bay Hotel Holiday Classic with North Central Michigan and Bay College. The Stormers open against North Central Michigan College at 1 p.m. Friday before closing the weekend with a 1 p.m. matchup against Bay College on Saturday.