MILWAUKEE, Wis. - For the second straight weekend, the Milwaukee women's basketball team will face a fellow undefeated Horizon League opponent. This weekend, the Panthers welcome 4-0 Northern Kentucky to the Klotsche Center as they try to extend the best start in program history. Tipoff for Friday is set for 5:00 pm CT and Saturday at 4:00 pm CT. Live audio with Matt Menzl on the call along with a link for live stats can be found on MKEPanthers.com.
 
With no fans permitted across the league for the remainder of the Horizon League season, 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 NORSE
Following multiple COVID-19 related pauses, Northern Kentucky is back in action for the first time since January 1.
 
The Norse opened the Horizon League schedule with sweeps over Robert Morris and Purdue Fort Wayne but have been paused since. Most recently, NKU took on second-ranked Louisville and gave the Cardinals a run but fell 74-64.
 
Louisville transfer Lindsey Duvall has already made a big impact for the Norse as she leads the team with 15.1 points and 8.0 rebounds per contest. The redshirt junior is shooting 46.2 percent from the floor and 41.0 percent from three-point range.
 
Ivy Turner (9.8 ppg) and Grayson Rose (9.0 ppg) have also provided solid offensive pieces for head coach Camryn Whitaker's squad. Turner leads the team with 25 total assists this season.
 
LAST TIME THEY MET
The two last met in the Horizon League Tournament quarterfinals with the Norse earning a 78-58 victory. The Panthers were led by Sydney Staver and Jamie Reit, who scored 14 points apiece. NKU dominated the glass, owning a 36-25 rebounding advantage.
 
SERIES HISTORY
Northern Kentucky has had the Panthers number as of late, winning both regular season contests and a Horizon League tournament matchup. Overall, the Norse hold a 6-5 all-time advantage. Milwaukee does hold the edge at the Klotsche Center, winning three of five games against NKU at home.
 
WHATS ON TAP?
The Panthers hit the road for a series at Wright State on February 5-6 with a pair of 1:00 pm matchups from Dayton, Ohio. 
 
LAST TIME OUT
Trailing by seven with 7:44 to play, Milwaukee fought to get to overtime and finished 8-for-10 from the free throw line in two extra frames to claim an 85-83 victory over IUPUI. 
 
POWERING THROUGH LEAGUE PLAY
Milwaukee picked up its sixth straight Horizon League sweep to move to 15-1 overall and 12-0 in league play, extending the best start in program history.
 
The Panthers 12-game winning streak matches the longest since the 2005-06 season, when Milwaukee closed the regular season with 12 in a row.
 
Dating back to last season, MKE has won 14 straight league contests, the longest streak in program history.
 
RISING IN THE RANKINGS
For the first time in its NCAA Division I history, the Milwaukee women's basketball team is receiving votes in both national top-25 polls.
 
Milwaukee has climbed the College Insider Women's Mid-Major Top 25 poll all season, most recently checking in at No. 6 and now is receiving votes in the latest Associated Press poll as well as the USA Today/WBCA Coaches poll. The 15 wins are the most in NCAA Division I.
 
MKE's only loss of the season was to Bowling Green, who checks in at No. 20 with an 11-3 record.
 
RINSE AND REPEAT
Megan Walstad dominated the weekend once again, earning her second straight and third overall Horizon League Player of the Week honor.
 
Walstad averaged 18.5 points and 9.5 rebounds while shooting 71.4 percent (15-for-21) from the floor and going a perfect 5-for-5 at the line.
 
Walstad is Milwaukee's first three-time Player of the Week honoree since Traci Edwards in 2008-09. Edwards owns the most weekly awards in program history with 10.
 
PLAYER OF THE YEAR POSSIBILITY
Megan Walstad's weekend in Indianapolis continued to build her resume for potential Horizon League Player of the Year.

• 13.9 ppg (9th)
• 9.7 rpg (2nd)
• 56.3 FG% (1st)
• 91.1 FT% (2nd)
• 1.6 bpg (t-1st)
• 7 double-doubles (1st)

PERFECT FROM THE CHARITY STRIPE
Brandi Bisping continues to be automatic from the free throw line as she hit all 11 attempts at IUPUI. In Friday's win, Bisping went 11-for-11, her third game this season with at least 11 free throws made.
 
Bisping's three games with at least 10 free throws made is the first time a Milwaukee player has made 10 or more free throws in a game three different times in a season since Traci Edwards did it five times in 2007-08.
 
As a team, the Panthers finished 38-45 (84.4 percent) including 22for-23 in Friday's win. Milwaukee now has five games with at least 20 free throws made.
 
The Panthers currently rank second in the nation in free throws made (258) and free throw percentage (84.0). Only Arkansas has made more (308) while only UC Davis (84.2) has a higher percentage.
 
HUGE WEEKEND FOR WITTMERSHAUS
Emma Wittmershaus provided outstanding minutes off the bench for Milwaukee in the sweep of IUPUI as she averaged 12.5 points and 4.0 rebounds. The redshirt sophomore scored nine points on 4-for-5 shooting on Friday and followed with a career-high 16 points on 6-for-10 shooting on Saturday. She also hit a career-high three triples on Saturday.
 
In 12 Horizon League games, Wittmershaus is averaging 5.8 points and 4.0 rebounds while shooting 63.4 percent from the floor in just 14.5 minutes per game.
 
FLOOR GENERAL
It was an impressive weekend for senior McKaela Schmelzer, who played nearly 80 minutes in the two wins over IUPUI. Schmelzer did it all for the Panthers, averaging 10.0 points, 6.5 assists, and 3.0 rebounds per game.
 
CLOSING OUT SERIES
Milwaukee's defense has been particularly good this season and that is credit to their depth and ability to close out series.
 
In game two of the Horizon League back-to-backs, the Panthers are holding opponents to 28.7 percent shooting from the floor and 23.1 percent shooting from three-point range while allowing just 47.4 points per game.
 
The Panthers own a scoring margin of +20.0 points per game in the six game two victories. Milwaukee's shooting percentages also increase from 42.7 percent to 44.5 percent from the field and 32.7 percent to 34.2 percent from three-point range in games one to two.
 
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.
 
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.
 
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 until at least January 15, 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.