MILWAUKEE, Wis. - The non-conference schedule continues for the Milwaukee women's basketball team as the Panthers visit Minnesota for the first time in three years. Similar to that season, it is the Gophers' Field Trip Day game with tipoff scheduled for 11:00 am at Williams Arena. The game can be seen on B1G+ and will also have live stats and live audio with
Matt Menzl on the call. All links can be found on MKEPanthers.com.
SCOUTING THE GOPHERS
Minnesota picked up a big 105-54 win over Chicago State on Monday to improve to 6-5 this season including 5-2 on its home court in Williams Arena.
Mara Braun leads an impressive group of five players averaging double figures as she scores 18.8 points per game on 40 percent shooting. Braun is the Gopher's top deep threat with 23 three-pointers.
Alanna Micheaux has been efficient in her second season for Minnesota, averaging 12.5 points and 7.2 rebounds per game in 24.3 minutes of action.
Mallory Heyer (11.5 ppg), Katie Borowicz (10.5 ppg), and Amaya Battle (10.5 ppg) also average double figures for head coach Lindsay Whalen.
As a team, Minnesota has been solid on the boards, averaging 44.9 per game with a positive 4.5 margin.
LAST TIME THEY MET
Milwaukee put together an impressive outing and led by two at halftime but ultimately fell 77-61 at Williams Arena on November 14, 2019. The Gophers capitalized on 33 MKE turnovers, turning them into 35 points. Bre Cera led with 10 points on 4-for-4 shooting.
SERIES HISTORY
Milwaukee won the first matchup between the two teams in 1997 but Minnesota has won three in a row against the Panthers. All four have been on the road for MKE.
WHATS ON TAP?
The Panthers will wrap up their non-conference schedule with a home game against Maine on December 22. Tipoff is scheduled for 7:00 pm from the Klotsche Center. MKE will be celebrating Christmas early, encouraging fans to wear their ugly Christmas sweaters to the game.
LAST TIME OUT
Angie Cera scored a career-high 21 points, but a late comeback fell just short as the Milwaukee women's basketball team dropped a 51-45 contest to Eastern Illinois on Saturday afternoon.
ARE YOU CERA-IOUS?
Angie Cera was on fire in the second half against Eastern Illinois on Saturday, finishing with a career-high 21 points. The sophomore finished 7-for-15 from the floor and hit four three-pointers.
In the second half alone, Cera went 5-for-10 with three triples for 16 of the Panthers' 29 points.
Cera is putting together a career-year so far with highs in points (9.4), rebounds (2.0), and assists (1.9). She's already surpassed her previous career-best with 14 three-pointers this year.
THAT'S WHAT WE NEAD
Kendall Nead has been finding her shooting tough recently, hitting 48.3 percent of her shots over the last three games while averaging 10.1 points.
Nead finished with eight points and four rebounds against Eastern Illinois.
Prior to Saturday, the sophomore reached double figures in back-to-back games for the first time in her career with 10 points against Green Bay and 13 against IUPUI.
This season, she is averaging 7.7 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 1.7 assists per game.
NEED TO FIND A WAY
Milwaukee will need to find some offense on Wednesday to keep up with Minnesota. So far this year, the Gophers rank 31st in NCAA Division I with 79.1 points per game.
In the four road games this year, Milwaukee has struggled offensively. The Panthers are scoring just 48 points per contest on 35.5 percent shooting on the road.
DEFENSE ON LOCK DOWN
It was another solid defensive effort on Saturday, holding Eastern Illinois nearly 20 points below its scoring average. MKE held the Panthers to 34.7 percent shooting, the third time in the last four games and seventh time this season the opposition failed to reach 40 percent.
The Panthers' defense has been strong to start the season, holding opponents to 58.4 points per game on 37.0 percent shooting, both of which rank fourth in the Horizon League. Milwaukee also ranks second in the league with 3.67 blocks per game, led by
Megan Walstad's 14 swats.
MKE has held the opponent to under 60 points in five different games including a season-low 44 points against UIC on November 16. It is the lowest for an opponent since holding Oakland to 41 points on February 12 last season.
With the Panthers scoring just 43 points in that game, it marks the first time since February 7, 1974 that both teams failed to reach 44 points or more.
A LITTLE BIT FROM EVERYONE
As it stands right now, the Panthers do not have a single player averaging at least 10 points per game but have with 6.0 or more per contest.
The last time Milwaukee did not have at least one player averaging double digits was 2019-20. That year, Brandi Bisping (9.3 ppg) and Lizzie Odegard (9.0 ppg) led the charge for the Panthers.
MAGIC NUMBER
In college basketball, there is no perfect recipe for a win but for Milwaukee, field goal percentage has been a pretty good baseline.
In the last seven seasons, Milwaukee is 85-25 (.778) when hitting at least 40 percent from the field. Bump that field goal percentage to 43 percent and the Panthers are 65-12 (.844).
When shooting under 40 percent since 2016-17, Milwaukee is just 25-60 (.294).
FINDING A WAY INSIDE
Emma Wittmerhaus has been the Panthers' most consistent presence inside this season, averaging 9.7 points and 5.3 rebounds per game. She has recorded at least 10 points in six games.
In the win over Green Bay, Wittmershaus recorded the second double-double of her career with 14 points and 11 boards.
The redshirt senior is having a career-year, leading the team in points per game and field goal percentage (45.7).
A FLIP AT THE FREE THROW LINE
Milwaukee bounced back at the charity stripe over the last three games, going 24-for-31 (77.4 percent) from the free throw line.
It is a welcomed change after struggling over the previous four contests. During that stretch, MKE was just 23-for-43 (53.5 percent) from the line.
On November 16, Milwaukee was held without a free throw attempt for the first time in its NCAA Division I history, a span of 932 games.
From 2020-22, the Panthers recorded the second-best percentage from the charity stripe in the nation. MKE hit 82.1 percent (691-842) of its foul shots trailing only Iowa's 82.4 percent (878-1065).
MKE set the NCAA single-season record in 2020-21 with a mark of 83.8 percent, only to have the Hawkeyes top it last year with a percentage of 84.6.
ON THE HORIZON
The win over Green Bay marked Milwaukee's fourth straight year opening the Horizon League schedule with a win. It also improved head coach
Kyle Rechlicz' record to 7-4 in league openers.
The Panthers have recorded seven straight winning seasons in Horizon League play including a 13-9 mark last year.
RACKIN' UP THE BOARDS
In the win against Boise State, Milwaukee racked up a season-high 56 rebounds. It marks the most boards since also have 56 on February 23, 2018 in a 90-45 victory against Detroit Mercy.
The Panthers pulled in 21 offensive rebounds, the most since Milwaukee had 22 in a 65-68 victory at UIC on January 6, 2022.
GO GET IT, GRACE
Grace Crowley has put together an impressive start to the season after playing limited minutes last season.
Through nine games, Crowley is averaging 6.3 points and 4.4 rebounds per game. The redshirt sophomore is shooting 60 percent from the floor and is 21-for-26 (80.8 percent) from the free throw line. Additionally, Crowley has added 13 assists and eight steals this season.
She's done all of that off the bench in just 16.4 minutes per game, which is eighth on the team.
BENCH MOB
Milwaukee found its depth early on this season with over 20 bench points in four of the first six contests.
Against Wisconsin, MKE starters were held down, but the bench sparked a rally in the second half and finished with 24 points.
Crowley has been a major factor off the bench as well, accounting for 13 of 28 against Loyola Chicago, eight of 21 against Marquette, and 13 of 20 against Boise State.
PRESEASON HONORS FOR WALSTAD
Megan Walstad was named to the Preseason All-Horizon League First Team following another impressive campaign in 2021-22. Walstad dominated down low, earning her second straight First Team All-League award last season. She led the team and was among the league's leaders in points per game (14.4), rebounds per game (9.1), field goal percentage (48.8), free throw percentage (88.9), and blocks per game (1.5). Walstad was also named to the All-Defensive Team for the second straight year.
Walstad joined a group of just three others in program history to earn All-League First Team honors on more than one occasion in the Panthers' Division I era and is just the second in MKE history to earn All-Defensive Team distinction multiple times.
Additionally, Walstad was one of 25 players to be named to the 2022 Becky Hammon Mid-Major Player of the Year preseason Watch List.
WELCOME TO THE CLUB
Head Coach
Kyle Rechlicz announced the addition of freshman
Kamy Peppler and
Jada Williams as well as transfer
Jessi Giles for 2022-23.
Peppler graduated from Hortonville High School and was named 2022 Ms. Basketball by the Wisconsin Basketball Coaches Association after averaging 13.8 points, 3.5 rebounds, 5.1 assists, and 3.3 steals per game to lead the Polar Bears to a 24-2 record.
Williams was a unanimous selection to the All-CIML First Team after a season in which she averaged 14.8 points and 7.4 rebounds per game for Mason City High School.
Giles has one more year of eligibility after a standout career at Dakota State, a member of the NAIA. With the Trojans, Giles was named an NAIA All-American three seasons and was two-time North Star Athletic Association Player of the Year. Giles is the all-time scoring leader in Dakota State women's basketball program history, racking up a total of 1,955 points during her four-year career.
MISS BASKETBALL IN THE HOUSE
Kamy Peppler was crowned 2022 Miss Basketball for Wisconsin but it's not the first time Milwaukee has had a student-athlete with that title arrive on campus.
In fact,
Megan Walstad earned that title in her home state of Minnesota after leading Eastview High School to a perfect 32-0 record as a senior.
Prior to that, just one other player in program history donned the title of Miss Basketball. Meredith Onson (2005-08) was a consensus Wisconsin Player of the year in 2002-03. Onson originally attended Boston University but transfered to Milwaukee for the 2004-05 season.
MILESTONE WATCH
Megan Walstad's name is already all over the Milwaukee record books but she has the opportunity to etch her name in a few more times.
For her career, she has already cracked the program's top 10 in the following.
- Points per game (9th, 12.4)
- Rebounds per game (4th, 7.6)
- Field goal percentage (4th, 50.9)
- Free throw percentage (5th, 84.0)
- Total rebounds (9th, 669)
- Total blocks (4th, 124)
- Double-doubles (6th, 19)
Additionally, Walstad could reach the top 10 in total points (currently 18th) and offensive rebounds (currently nine away from 10th).
FOR STARTERS
The Panthers hold a 12-21 record in season openers at the NCAA Division I level, dating back to 1990-91. Last season, MKE hung around with Ball State but was outlasted 84-75 in overtime.
Megan Walstad led four players in double figures with 15 points. Head Coach
Kyle Rechlicz is 6-5 in season openers at Milwaukee. The Panthers dominated Chicago State 82-58 in Rechlicz's Milwaukee coaching debut in 2012-13.
Rechlicz is also 6-5 in home openers since taking the reins in 2012-13. The last time Milwaukee opened its home schedule with Wisconsin was in 2018-19. The Panthers suffered a 68-57 setback to the Badgers that season.
A LOOK AT THE NON-CONFERENCE
Per usual, Milwaukee will be tested in its non-conference schedule in preparation of the Horizon League slate.
Milwaukee has nine non-conference games set for 2022-23 highlighted by Marquette, Nevada, Minnesota, and Maine, all of which reached the WNIT or WBI.
CATCH ALL THE ACTION
Thanks to ESPN+, Milwaukee basketball 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+. The Horizon League and ESPN have an agreement that includes ESPN hosting the league's digital network on the ESPN+ platform.
ESPN+ offers fans thousands of live events, on-demand content, and original programming not available on ESPN's linear TV or digital networks. Fans can subscribe to ESPN+ for just $6.99 a month (or $69.99 per year) and cancel at any time.
For road games, visit MKEPanthers.com for live coverage links.
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.
