MILWAUKEE, Wis. – Following three straight road Big Ten matchups, the Milwaukee women's basketball team returns to their home court where they are 1-0 this season. The Panthers are looking to shake a three-game losing streak against Arkansas Pine Bluff, a first-time matchup of the two teams.
 
SCOUTING THE GOLDEN LIONS
Arkansas Pine Bluff has just one contest under its belt, falling to Coastal Carolina 76-69 in the season opener.
 
The Golden Lions shot over 40 percent from the field and from long range but were dominated on the boards by Coastal Carolina.
 
Guided by first year head coach Dawn Brown, Arkansas Pine Bluff returns six student-athletes from a year ago after finishing 5-20 overall.
 
Senior Aiya El Hassan finished 6-for-12 from the floor as she led with 18 points in the opener to go with four rebounds and a pair of steals.
 
LAST TIME THEY MET
The meeting on Tuesday marks the first time between Arkansas Pine Bluff and Milwaukee.
 
WHATS ON TAP?
Following Tuesday's tip, Milwaukee has the weekend off before hitting the road once again. The Panthers head to DePaul for a matchup on Tuesday, November 26 before heading to New York to take on Columbia University.
 
BACK AT THE KLOTSCHE
The Panthers had three straight road games but will find comfort on their home court where they are 1-0 this season. After a pair of road games to end November, Milwaukee spends all of December at the Klotsche Center, hosting six straight contests on its home court.
 
LAST GAME
Taking on their third Big Ten opponent in one week, Milwaukee was put to the test yet again on Sunday. The Panthers were plagued by turnovers early and couldn't get anything going from three-point range as they fell 71-40 to Wisconsin at the Kohl Center.
 
TURNOVER TROUBLES
Teams coached by Kyle Rechlicz have been historically good at taking care of the ball with the top four marks for fewest turnovers in Milwaukee history during her tenure. So far this year, that is not the case as Milwaukee is averaging 21.8 turnovers per contest. The Panthers have at least 20 turnovers in three of four games this season.
 
BATTLING ON THE BOARDS
Through four games, Milwaukee holds a positive rebounding margin of 3.3. The Panthers dominated the boards 47-29 in the opener against Parkside  and held their own in the Big Ten stretch. At Minnesota, Milwaukee outrebounded the Golden Gophers 39-32.
 
IMMEDIATE IMPACT
After playing for the Milwaukee women's soccer team on Friday in the NCAA Tournament, McKaela Schmelzer suited up for her first contest this season and earned the start. Schmelzer played 26 minutes at Wisconsin and pulled in three rebounds to go with an assist and two steals.
 
STEADY STAVER
Following three straight starts to open the year, Staver was the first off the bench for the Panthers at Wisconsin. The junior played a valuable sixth-man role going 4-for-5 from the floor with two boards and an assist in 18 minutes.
 
In four games this year, Staver is averaging 5.3 points and 2.3 rebounds in 21 minutes per game while shooting 40.9 percent from the field.
 
LOCKING DOWN THE ARC
Milwaukee has improved its three-point defense in each game so far this season. After allowing 15 three-pointers against Parkside, the Panthers lowered that number to nine at Purdue and then four at Minnesota. Against Wisconsin, the Panthers allowed just three triples. The last two games, opponents are just 7-for-38 from long range against Milwaukee, an 18.4 shooting percentage.
 
MILWAUKEE RUNS DEEP
In four games, the Panthers have already piled up 104 bench points. Milwaukee has showed that depth with all 12 players earning minutes and each one contributing in the points column. The Panthers have 10 different players averaging at least 10 minutes per game.
 
FISCH LETTIN' IT FLY
Against Minnesota, Alyssa Fischer came in off the bench to provide a spark for Milwaukee as she knocked down four three-pointers in five attempts. The redshirt senior led the Panthers with 12 points and added three rebounds at Minnesota. Last season, Fischer led the team, hitting 40.6 percent of her shots from deep. The Manitowoc, WIs. native ranks third on the team with 60 career triples.
 
WE'LL TAKE SOME MOORE
Anaiah Moore came finished 3-for-4 from the floor at Minnesota, scoring a career-best seven points. Late in the game against the Gophers, Moore tossed up an entry pass that found the bottom of the net for her first triple of the year. The sophomore added a rebound and assist on Thursday.
 
FOR STARTERS
With the victory over Parkside on November 6, Milwaukee improved its record to 11-19 in NCAA Division I season-openers (dating back to 1990-91).
 
Head Coach Kyle Rechlicz is now 5-3 in season openers. In her Milwaukee debut, the Panthers dominated Chicago State 82-58 in 2012-13.
 
Milwaukee has now won three consecutive season-openers at home, the previous two coming in 2016-17 (76-68 over Western Illinois) and 2015-16 (70-48 over UMKC).
 
SOMETHING TO PROVE
Milwaukee was predicted to finish fifth in this year's Horizon League preseason poll. The Panthers earned 57 total poll points and were picked to come in behind Green Bay, Wright State, IUPUI, and Youngstown State. In the 2018-19 preseason poll, Milwaukee was also chosen to finish fifth in the Horizon League.
 
NON-CONFERENCE RECAP
Last season, the Panthers picked up five non-conference victories. Milwaukee topped Columbia and Purdue Fort Wayne at home and took down UC Riverside, North Dakota, and North Dakota State on the road. That marks four straight years with at least five non-conference wins for the Panthers.
 
TAKING ON TOP TALENT
In addition to three Big Ten teams, Milwaukee also faces Marquette, who finished 27-8 last season. The Golden Eagles topped Rice 58-54 in the first round before narrowly falling to Texas A&M 78-76 in round two. In total, Milwaukee takes on 10 opponents that won at least 15 games from a year ago including seven that tallied 20 victories.
 
CATCH ALL THE ACTION
Fans will have the opportunity to watch the Panthers all season long. All 15 of Milwaukee's home games will be carried live online at ESPN3/ESPN+. The three road Big Ten games can be found on the BIG10 Network while other road games will also stream live through ESPN.
 
Panther fans will also be able to listen to this year's games everywhere they go, as Matt Menzl calls all the action on the Black & Gold Network. Menzl will be courtside for all 29 regular season contests, as well as all postseason action. The Black & Gold Network is streaming live online and can be accessed at MKEPanthers.com.
 
BLACK & GOLD ON DEMAND
Panther fans can also re-live all of the action by listening to archived games on the Black & Gold Radio Network. All games are chronicled at mixlr.com/milwaukee-panthers/showreel where fans can re-live Matt Menzl's broadcast in its entirety.