MILWAUKEE, Wis. - The Milwaukee women's basketball team returns to the Klotsche Center for one final weekend before the Horizon League Tournament. The Panthers welcome Youngstown State on Thursday, February 27 for a 7:00 pm contest, sponsored by Mountain Dew.
 
SCOUTING THE PENGUINS
Youngstown State had a tough stretch in January - February, dropping six straight but the Penguins have since won two of the last three and sit in seventh in the Horizon League standings.
 
Chelsea Olson does it all for Youngstown State, leading the team and ranking in league's top 10 in points (12.1), rebounds (7.4), and assists (3.0).
 
The Penguins are not afraid to fire from long range, ranking third in Horizon League with an average of 6.5 three-pointers per game.
 
Youngstown State also excels at the free throw line, leading the league and ranking fourth in the nation with a 79.4 percentage.
 
LAST TIME THEY MET
The Panthers improved to 29-16 over Youngstown State thanks to a 74-62 victory on January 26. Sydney Staver poured in a career-high 19 points and added six rebounds and three assists to help propel Milwaukee to victory.
 
SERIES HISTORY
The Panthers are 29-16 overall against the Penguins including a 15-6 mark at the Klotsche Center. Youngstown State has held the edge in recent years, winning 11 of the 16 matchups.
 
WHATS ON TAP?
Following Thursday's game, Milwaukee will wrap up the regular season with a 1:00 pm tilt against Cleveland State. Although the seeding is to be determined, the Panthers are guaranteed a home game for the first round of the Horizon League Tournament on Tuesday, March 3 at 7:00 pm.
 
LAST TIME OUT
The Panthers shot nearly 70 percent in the fourth quarter to earn a comeback win over UIC 66-60 on Sunday afternoon. The Panthers erased a 13-point second half deficit and scored 29 points in the final frame to complete the victory at Credit Union 1 Arena.
 
FINISHING IN THE FOURTH
For a long stretch of the season, Milwaukee could not piece together a solid fourth quarter. Over the last five games, the Panthers have changed that. Since February 8, Milwaukee is averaging 24 points in the final 10 minutes, shooting 52.9 percent from the floor, 50 percent from three, and 88.9 percent from the line. The Panthers are 4-1in those five games.
 
POUNDING IN THE POST
Lizzie Odegard and Brandi Bisping have been a dominant 1-2 punch in the post in Horizon League play this season. In 16 games, the duo is averaging a combined 18.9 points, 12.6 rebounds, and 2.9 assist per contest. Together, Bisping and Odegard have 20 double digit scoring games and eight double digit rebounding games this year.
 
Bisping earned her first-career Horizon League Player of the Week award on February 17. The junior averaged 20.5 points, 9.0 rebounds, 2.0 assists, and 2.0 steals in a pair of victories that week. The award was her first and also the first for a Panther since December 23, 2018 when Odegard earned the honor. Bisping was also named Horizon League Player of the Week by the College Sports Madness website.
 
MOORE OF THAT!
Redshirt sophomore Alyssa Moore has seen her minutes increase as of late, averaging 16 per game. In 15 minutes against Detroit Mercy, Moore dished out a career-best six assists with zero turnovers. Moore added two points, two rebounds, and two steals, finishing plus-24 in the victory. Against UIC, Moore knocked down her first triple of the season, scoring four points and added two steals and a rebound in the win.
 
FLEXIN' IN FEBRUARY
Milwaukee is 5-1 in February, it's best record since going 8-0 in February 2006. The Panthers have been especially solid on the offensive end.

• 46.1 FG%
• 40.0 3PT%
• 83.3 FT%
• 68.5 PPG
• 37.5 RPG (+7.2 margin)
• 15.3 APG

REIT ON!
Senior Jamie Reit has been hot at the right time for Milwaukee. In the last six games, Reit is leading the team with 12.5 points per game, shooting 52.8 percent from the floor and 54.5 percent from three-point range. The Stanley, Wis. native is also averaging 6.5 rebounds and 2.2 assists per game during that stretch. When Reit hits at least two three-pointers, the Panthers are 6-2 this season.
 
CONVERTING FROM THE CHARITY STRIPE
Milwaukee has found success from the free throw line this Horizon League season and currently ranks third with a 75.8 percentage. If you remove the opening weekend of league play, the Panthers are 144-for-183 at the charity stripe, a 78.7 percentage, which would ranks second in the Horizon League and seventh in NCAA Division I. Overall, Milwaukee is shooting 74.4 percent from the stripe this season, over 70 points better than last year's mark of 66.8 percent. The Panthers rank 49th in the nation from the line.
 
THRIVING FROM THREE
Much of Milwaukee's recent success has been in part due to its three-point shooting. The Panthers have converted more than 35 percent of their triples in five of the last eight games. In Milwaukee's 12 victories this year, the Panthers are shooting 38.8 percent from deep. In the 15 losses, Milwaukee is shooting just 24.6 percent from three-point range.
 
PLAYOFF PUSH
With the victory over UIC on Sunday, the Panthers earned a home game for the Horizon League Tournament First Round. Milwaukee currently sits in sixth place but could finish anywhere from second to sixth. 
 
REDSHIRT RECORD
After logging minutes against IUPUI, redshirt senior Alyssa Fischer set a new Milwaukee record for most games played by a Panther in NCAA Division I with 130. Fischer topped Jenny Lindner (2014-18) for all-time games played.
 
POUR ON THE POINTS
The Panthers dominated in their victory over Detroit Mercy, earning a 76-51 win. The 25-point victory is the largest margin since Milwaukee topped Oakland 83-53 on February 23, 2019, a span of 29 games.
 
DOUBLE TROUBLE
In the win over Detroit Mercy, Milwaukee had four players reach double figures. When the Panthers have at least four players score at least 10 points, they are 4-1 this year.
 
MAGIC NUMBERS
60: When holding an opponent to less than 60 points, the Panthers are 5-1. When Milwaukee scores at least 60 points, the team holds a 12-3 record this year. When MKE scores less than 60, the Panthers are 0-12.
 
40: When shooting at least 40 percent this season, Milwaukee is 10-2. On the other side of the ball, the Panthers are 4-10 when the opponent shoots at least 40 percent.
 
34: When the Panthers hit at least 34 percent of their three-point attempts, Milwaukee is 9-3.
 
15: When Milwaukee dishes out at least 15 assists, the Panthers are 7-3.
 
10: When the Panthers outrebound their opponents by at least 10, Milwaukee is 6-0 this year.
 
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.
 
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.