MILWAUKEE, Wis. - The Panthers return to their non-conference slate for the next three games beginning with Eastern Illinois on Saturday, December 10. Tipoff is scheduled for 2:00 pm from the Klotsche Center and will be featured on ESPN+. The game will also have live stats and live audio with Matt Menzl on the call. All links can be found on MKEPanthers.com.
 
Milwaukee is hosting a Holiday Food Drive for the game, benefiting the UWM Food Pantry. Any fan that brings in canned goods to the game will receive a free Jimmy John's sandwich coupon.
 
SCOUTING THE PANTHERS
Eastern Illinois got out to a red-hot start to the 2022-23 season, winning its first six games, but have dropped the past two contests to Northern Illinois and Bradley.
 
The Panthers are led by Lariah Washington, Ohio Valley Conference Preseason Player of the Year. The senior was First Team All-OVC a season ago and is pacing the way for EIU with 20.0 points per game on 50 percent shooting from the floor and 40 percent shooting from long range. 
 
Inside, former Milwaukee Panther Macy McGlone has been a solid contributor with 12.3 points and 6.3 rebounds per game. The sophomore is shooting 55.3 percent from the field. Morgan Litwiller is averaging 8.4 points and 5.8 rebounds for EIU.
 
Led by Matt Bollant in his sixth season, the Panthers were predicted to finish fourth in the OVC. Eastern Illinois has been solid on the boards, owning a positive margin of 4.7. EIU is averaging nearly 75 points per game while holding opponents to 66.3.
 
LAST TIME THEY MET
Sierra Ford-Washington and Jenny Lindner each had 25 points and six rebounds to lead Milwaukee to a convincing 82-71 win over Eastern Illinois on December 10, 2015. MKE shot nearly 60 percent in the first half.
 
SERIES HISTORY
Milwaukee and Eastern Illinois have met on four occasions with MKE earning a win in all four. The last home victory over the EIU came on December 10, 2014. MKE is averaging 76.3 in the four games.
 
WHATS ON TAP?
Milwaukee will hit the road to take on Minnesota for a School Day game on Wednesday, December 14. Tipoff is scheduled for 11:00 am from Minneapolis.
 
LAST TIME OUT
Milwaukee charged late but could not make up a double-digit deficit and fell 64-55 to IUPUI on Monday evening.
 
THAT'S WHAT WE NEAD
Kendall Nead has been finding her shooting tough recently, reaching double figures in back-to-back games for the first time in her career.
 
Nead scored 10 points on 5-for-10 shooting in a win over Green Bay and followed with a team-high 13 points on 5-for-11 shooting at IUPUI. The sophomore added five rebounds and two assists against the Jaguars.
 
This season, she is averaging 7.6 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 1.9 assists per game.
 
FINDING A WAY INSIDE
Emma Wittmerhaus has continued to put up numbers inside with yet another double-digit scoring performance. She finished with 11 points on 5-for-9 shooting and has now recorded at least 10 points in six of the last seven contests.
 
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 with 10.0 points per game and ranking second with 5.3 rebounds per contest.
 
A TALE OF TWO TEAMS
With the loss to IUPUI, Milwaukee has yet to pick up a win on the road this year. The Panthers are 2-1 at home, but just can't find success away from the Klotsche Center, dropping all four road games.
 
Shots have not been falling for the Panthers on the road. In four games on the road, MKE is shooting 35.5 percent from the floor and averaging just 48.0 points per game. The Panthers are also just 19-for-31 (61.3 percent) from the free throw line in those games.
 
At home, the Panthers are putting up 61.3 points per contest while shooting closer to 40 percent. MKE is also 48-for-56 (85.7 percent) from the charity stripe in those three games.
 
A FLIP AT THE FREE THROW LINE
Milwaukee bounced back at the charity stripe over the last two games, going 18-for-21 (85.7 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.
 
DEFENSE ON LOCK DOWN
Defense was a major key in the Panthers' win over Green Bay last Thursday. Milwaukee held the Phoenix to just 1-for-14 shooting from the floor in the fourth quarter including zero points over the final 5:55.
 
It marks the second straight game that Milwaukee has held an opponent to just three points in a quarter after keeping Boise State in check in the second period on November 27.
 
The Panthers' defense has been solid to start the season, holding opponents to 59.4 points per game on 37.3 percent shooting, both of which rank third in the Horizon League. Milwaukee also ranks third in the league with 3.63 blocks per game, led by Megan Walstad's 12 swats.
 
The Panthers have held their opponent to under 40 percent shooting in six of eight games this season.
 
Milwaukee held UIC to just 44 points on November 16, a season-low for opponents. 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.
 
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 Sunday's 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 eight games, Crowley is averaging 6.6 points and 4.9 rebounds per game. The redshirt sophomore is shooting 58.6 percent from the floor and is 19-for-22 (86.4) 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 17 minutes per game, which is eighth on the team. 
 
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 25-59 (.298).
 
GLASS WORK
Rebounding has been a strong suit of the Panthers in recent years, but it was a different story against Marquette on November 13.
 
Milwaukee outrebounded opponents by an average of 5.0 per contest across the first two games but Marquette ended that. The Golden Eagles piled up 58 rebounds compared to 26 for the Panthers. It marked the most rebounds for an opponent since the 2013-14 season when Oakland pulled in 59 rebounds against the Panthers.
 
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.