MILWAUKEE, Wis. - The Milwaukee women's basketball team closes its non-conference schedule on Saturday, hosting North Dakota in a 2:00 pm bout. Saturday's game is a Panther Family Pack Game where fans can get four tickets, four hot dogs, and four hats for a special price of $45. The first 100 youth fans (12 and under) will also get a Santa Hat on Saturday.
 
SCOUTING THE FIGHTING HAWKS
North Dakota moved to 8-3 after picking up an 83-52 win over Mayville State on Wednesday evening. The Fighting Hawks have now won four of their last five contests and rank top 20 nationally in rebounds per game (10th/45.73), assists (14th/195), and blocked shots (16th/55).
 
North Dakota is led by a pair of forwards in Julia Fleecs and Jaclyn Jarnot, who lead the team with 11.3 and 10.5 points, respectively. At 6-6, Melissa Leet provides a huge post presence, averaging 9.2 points and a team-best 7.5 rebounds per game. Leet also leads the Summit League and ranks seventh in the nation with 3.27 blocks per game.
 
In addition to the strong presence inside, the Fighting Hawks are not afraid to let it fly from long range, with 285 three-point attempts, which ranks 13th in the country. North Dakota has connected on 92 three-pointers, good for 17th in the nation.
 
LAST TIME THEY MET
Milwaukee earned its first win over North Dakota in last year's meeting, taking a 64-46 decision. The Panthers dominated the paint, led by Megan Walstad's 15 points and seven rebounds. The freshman finished 6-for-8 from the floor.
 
SERIES HISTORY
Prior to last year's victory, the Panthers and Fighting Hawks have only met two other times, with North Dakota taking both. ND earned a 78-66 win in 2013 at the Klotsche Center and followed with an 83-76 victory in Grand Forks in 2014.
 
WHATS ON TAP?
After a grueling non-conference schedule, the Panthers will open the Horizon League slate on Saturday, December 28. Milwaukee hosts Wright State and follows with Northern Kentucky (12/30) before hitting the road.
 
LAST TIME OUT
Lizzie Odegard recorded her second double-double of the year, but it was not enough as Milwaukee fell 63-51 to Bowling Green on Saturday afternoon. The Panthers held a 40-38 rebounding advantage but couldn't get the shots to fall, hitting just 31.3 percent from the floor in the loss.
 
ODEGARD OWNS THE PAINT
Lizzie Odegard recorded her second double-double of the season against Bowling Green, totaling 10 rebounds and a season-high 14 points. The senior also dished out a pair of assists. Odegard has led Milwaukee in rebounds in five of the last six games and has reached double digits three times this year. Against NIU, Odegard pulled in 17 rebounds, the most boards for a Panthers player since Jenny Linder totaled 15 in the 2017-18 season. The Minnesota native is averaging a team-best 7.2 rebounds per game which ranks seventh in the Horizon League.
 
LIGHT IT UP, LEVY!
With 11 points against the Falcons on Saturday, Sydney Levy has now scored at least 10 points in three consecutive games, averaging 16 points per game during that stretch. The sophomore is 13-for-26 from three-point range over the last games and has at least one triple in nine of 10 games this year. The sophomore is converting three-pointers at a 42.3 percent clip this season, which leads the Horizon League of those averaging at least 2.0 three-point makes per game.
 
BATTLING ON THE BOARDS
The Panthers pulled in 14 offensive rebounds on Saturday, their second highest total this season. Milwaukee has double digit offensive boards in six games this season, averaging 10.3 per contest. The team's rebounding margin of +1.3 currently ranks third in the Horizon League.
 
CUTTING DOWN ON MISCUES
After ranking near last in the NCAA in turnovers over the first six games of the season, the Panthers have limited their mistakes over the last four contests. Milwaukee was averaging 23.5 turnovers per game but has cut that number drastically to 15.8 since November 30.
 
SHOOTING STRUGGLES
The Panthers have had troubles shooting the ball recently, holding a streak of five straight games converting less than 40 percent of their field goals. Milwaukee is 2-1 when shooting at least 40 percent but 1-6 in all other games.
 
CHANGE IT UP
Head Coach Kyle Rechlicz switched up the starters for the sixth time this season, looking for the right combination. She has the ability to go deep on the bench as 10 different players are averaging at least 10 minutes per game. The designation of "starters" has not really affected Milwaukee, however, as the Panthers have totaled 279 points off the bench, an average of 27.9 per game.
 
SUCCESS AT THE STRIPE
Milwaukee hit just six of 10 attempts from the free throw line against Bowling Green but overall, still has found success at the stripe. Milwaukee has connected on at least 80 percent of its foul shots three different times and at least 70 percent in seven games. After shooting just 66.8 percent from the charity stripe in 2018-19, the Panthers are converting 72.2 percent of their free throws this year, which ranks fourth in the Horizon League.
 
Brandi Bisping has been a major factor for Milwaukee at the line. The junior is now 30-for-33 from the line, a 90.9 percent clip which ranks second in the Horizon League and 13t in the nation. Only Jalisha Terry of Oakland is converting at a higher percentage, hitting 91.2 percent (31-for-34) of her free throws.
 
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.