MILWAUKEE, Wis. - The Milwaukee women's basketball team moved to 2-0 for the first time since 2009-10 after a victory on Saturday over Bradley and next focus their attention to Marquette this week. Live audio with Matt Menzl on the call along with a link for live stats for the 1:00 pm matchup can be found on MKEPanthers.com.
 
With no fans permitted at many venues this season including the Klotsche Center through November and December, fans can engage with the Panthers' Virtual Gameday hub, a page on MKEPanthers.com that houses any and all links fans will need for that gameday experience.
 
SCOUTING THE GOLDEN EAGLES
Marquette kicked off the 2020-21 campaign on the road, taking down North Dakota 90-82 on Sunday. Sophomore guard Jordan King put up 20 points for the Golden Eagles, who had 10 different players reach the scoring column. With the performance, King was named to the BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll.
 
Reigning BIG EAST Coach of the Year Megan Duffy leads a group that was selected to finish third in the conference. Senior guard Selena Lott was named to the Preseason All-BIG EAST First Team after averaging 15.5 points, 5.6 assists, and 4.2 rebounds a season ago.
 
As a whole, Marquette returns eight letterwinners and three starters from 2019-20. In addition to Lott and King, Camryn Taylor will continue to be a key piece after a BIG EAST All-Freshman team nod a year ago.
 
LAST TIME THEY MET
Milwaukee scored 22 points in the fourth quarter, shooting 53.8 percent, but fell to Marquette 78-56 last December. The Panthers forced 21 turnovers, recording 16 steals at the Klotsche Center. Jordan King and Selena Lott combined for 32 points for the Golden Eagles.
 
SERIES HISTORY
Marquette has won eight in a row over Milwaukee with the Panthers last victory over MU coming on December 31, 2008. Overall, the Golden Eagles hold a 24-3 advantage over MKE. The last five games between the two teams on Marquette's home floor have been decided by an average of 6.6 points.
 
WHATS ON TAP?
Following Wednesday's afternoon contest, Milwaukee wraps up the non-conference schedule on the road at Bowling Green. The Panthers then head into the Horizon League schedule on December 12-13 with a pair of games at Green Bay.
 
LAST TIME OUT
McKaela Schmelzer hit a three-pointer with 2:13 remaining to cap a 16-2 fourth quarter run and help the Panthers take down Bradley University 65-60 on Saturday evening. The triple put the Panthers on top 58-51 and MKE converted its free throws down the stretch to start 2-0 for the first time since 2009-10.
 
YEAR 50
November 25 not only marked this year's season opener, but it was also the start of the 50th season of Milwaukee women's basketball. Kyle Rechlicz, in her ninth season, is the seventh coach in program history and third with at least 100 victories. As a program since inception in 1971-72, the Panthers have totaled 13 conference or district championships, two NCAA Tournament appearances, 19 Bud K. Haidet Hall of Famers, nine All-Americans, and much more.
 
CHALK UP THE Ws!
Milwaukee picked up its second straight victory and moved to 2-0 for the first time since the 2009-10 season when the Panthers beat Evansville and SIU Edwardsville to open the year. Saturday's win over Bradley marked the first season-opening road victory since 2014-15 when MKE topped North Dakota State.
 
HOMETOWN HERO
Brandi Bisping, who grew up just miles from Bradley and whose sister played for the Braves, stuffed the stat sheet on Saturday. The senior recorded the fifth double-double of her career with 20 points and 12 rebounds. Bisping finished 12-for-14 at the free throw line, the most converted since Jenny Lindner hit 15 on January 20, 2018. Additionally, Bisping added four assist and a pair of steals. For the week, the Morton, Ill. native averaged 16.5 points and 12.0 rebounds as she was named College Sports Madness High-Major Horizon League Player of the Week.
 
KNOCKIN' DOWN THE FREE ONES
The Panthers connected for 23 more free throws in the win over Bradley on Saturday. In two games, Milwaukee is 45-for-56 (.804) from the charity stripe. It marks the first time the Panthers made at least 20 free throws in consecutive games since January 15 and 18 of 2018. The 45 made free throws in two games is also the most in a two-game stretch since February 20-25 of 2016 when MKE also combined for 45 in two games. Last year, the Panthers recorded the program's fifth-best percentage at the free throw line as a team (74.7 percent). The team school record for free throw percentage in a single season is 79.0. 
 
BATTLIN' ON THE BOARDS
For the second straight game, Megan Walstad reached double digit rebounds, pulling in 11 against Bradley. She now has four double-digit rebounding games in her career. In two games this year, Walstad is averaging 11.5 rebounds per game. Her 23 total boards leads the Horizon League and ranks 28th in NCAA Division I.
 
DOMINATING THE PAINT
The Panthers once again put in work on the glass, recording 42 rebounds for the second straight game. Milwaukee has outrebounded its opponents by 16 boards this year. The Panthers added 13 more offensive rebounds on Saturday after totaling 18 in the season opener, the most in a two-game stretch since recording 32 last year from December 14-21.
 
SEASON OPENING SUCCESS
With the victory over Ball State on Wednesday, Milwaukee improved to 6-3 in season openers under Kyle Rechlicz's leadership. Additionally, the Panthers move to 12-19 in season openers at the NCAA Division I level, dating back to the 1990-91 season. The Panthers also improved their home winning streak to seven games with the victory over the Cardinals.
 
SOMETHING TO PROVE
Milwaukee was predicted to finish seventh of 12 in the 2020-21 Horizon League Preseason Poll with 76 poll points. Defending champion IUPUI earned all 12 first place votes as the Jaguars were predicted to repeat.
 
A DIFFERENT LOOK
The 2020-21 campaign will be anything but normal as the Horizon League released a 20-game schedule for each team with schools playing one league opponent twice each week with games taking place on consecutive days at the same location. Milwaukee has just four non-conference bouts on its schedule, all wrapping up by December 6. The season opener on Wednesday, November 25 is the latest the Panthers have opened the year since 1994-95 when Milwaukee also began its season on November 25.
 
CATCH ALL THE ACTION
Although the Milwaukee Athletic Department announced it will not host spectators for any home men's or women's basketball games in the months of November and December, fans will have the opportunity to watch the Panthers all season long. All of Milwaukee's home games will be carried live online at ESPN+. Additional information for road game coverage can be found online.
 
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 calling the action for all 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.