MILWAUKEE - Milwaukee returns home after four games away from the Klotsche Center on Friday morning, as the Panthers host the Robert Morris Colonials. Milwaukee welcomes in Robert Morris on a four-game winning streak over the Colonials, since Robert Morris joined the Horizon league prior to the 2020-21 season. Tipoff is at 11:00 am and can be viewed on ESPN+ with Matt Menzl on the call; live stats will also be available on MKEPanthers.com.

Friday will be 'School Day' inside the Klotsche Center with more than 1,000 local school-age students anticipated in attendance.

SCOUTING THE COLONIALS
Robert Morris comes into Friday's contest off of a 69-63 victory over IUPUI on Saturday at home in Moon Township, Pa. The win snapped a five-game skid overall, and a six-game losing streak in Horizon League play. The Colonials are 8-9 overall with a 2-6 mark in conference play.

Phoenix Gedeon enters the game as the only Colonial averaging double-figures through the team's first 17 contests at 13.5 points per game, while she is averaging 13.8 in the team's eight league games.

Gedeon is also leading the team with an average of 8.3 rebounds per game, and is 10 defensive rebounds shy of the century mark for the season.

Robert Morris has struggled thus far on the season, with a league-worst .348 from the field (364-1046). However, the Colonials are seventh in the league in 3-point shooting (.275).

LAST TIME THEY MET
Having met on February 3 of last season, the Panthers used a huge second half to runaway from the Colonials for a 20-point win, 68-48 after the halftime score was just 31-28.

Behind a double-double performance by Megan Walstad (23 points, 11 rebounds), the Panthers closed out the game on a 37-20 run for the win.

SERIES HISTORY
In just two seasons as conference foes, the Panthers have a four-game winning streak over Robert Morris. Over that stretch the Panthers have averaged 17.5-point victories.

WHATS ON TAP?
Milwaukee returns caps off its two-game stint at home with Youngstown State on Sunday, January 22 . Tipoff is slated for 2:00 pm inside the Klotsche Center.

LAST TIME OUT
Purdue Fort Wayne rallied for 19 straight points in the fourth quarter to stun the Milwaukee women's basketball team 72-62 on Saturday afternoon.
 
SECOND HALF STRUGGLES
The Milwaukee defense has been strong this year, but recently, the Panthers have been running out of steam in the second half.

Over the last four games, MKE is giving up an average of 45.3 points in the second half. Opponents are shooting 53.2 percent (61-of-125) from the floor and 57.5 percent (23-for-40) from three-point range over the final 20 minutes.

DOUBLE THE FUN
Megan Walstad registered her first double-double of the season last time out against Purdue Fort Wayne, as she collected 21 points and 10 rebounds. She now has 20 career double-doubles, with nine of those coming a season ago during the 2021-22 campaign.

FOLLOWING THE LEADER
Six different members of the Panther roster have led the team in scoring this season throughout the team's 16 games thus far. Megan Walstad and Emma Wittmershaus are tied with leading the team on five occasions, while Angie Cera, Grace Crowley, Anna Lutz, Kendall Nead have all lead at least once this season.

FINDING THE RANGE
Milwaukee has been finding its shooting range from three-point land following the holiday break.

The Panthers had shot under 31 percent in each of its first 10 games, but have turned it on since playing Detroit Mercy on December 29, have connected on at least 31 percent in each in four of their last six matchups.

Over the last five games, Kamy Peppler is 7-for-19 (36.8 percent) from long range and has hit at least two triples in four contests.

PEPPLER PULLS IN HONOR
In the first two games to ring in the New Year, Kamy Peppler averaged 16.5 points, 4.0 rebounds, and 3.0 assists per game while shooting 52.6 percent from the floor and 50 percent from deep.

That line earned her Horizon League Freshman of the Week honors for the first time this season.

STARTING TO HEAT UP
Preseason First Team All-League honoree Megan Walstad has been heating up over the last five games.

In that span, Walstad is averaging 13.8 points and 9.2 rebounds while shooting 64.3 percent from the floor and 87.5 percent from the free throw line.

The senior pulled in a season-high 12 rebounds against Northern Kentucky and added a season-high 21 points to go with 10 boards in the matchup with Purdue Fort Wayne.

OFFENSIVE BOARDS TURNING INTO POINTS
The Panthers have recorded double-digit offensive rebounds in four straight contests and have made the most of their chances.

In those three games, Milwaukee has totaled 40 second-chance points.

STRONG ON THE GLASS
The Panthers owned the rebounding battle at Wright State, on January 7, 39-19 to record their best margin of the season at plus-20. It marks the highest rebounding margin since MKE was plus-22 on the glass in a 58-35 win over UIC on February 19, 2021.

Milwaukee has always prided itself on rebounding and the Panthers have dominated the boards in league play.

In eight games, the Panthers own the top rebounding margin of 6.6 boards per game.

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 88-25 (.779) when hitting at least 40 percent from the field. Bump that field goal percentage to 43 percent and the Panthers are 68-12 (.850).

When shooting under 40 percent since 2016-17, Milwaukee is just 25-64 (.281).

The Panthers have been held under 40 percent in 10 games this year, going 1-9 in those contests.

COMING ALIVE IN LEAGUE PLAY
Kendall Nead added two more double-digit scoring performances to her ledger against Northern Kentucky (Jan. 5) and Wright State (Jan. 7) and has scored at least 10 points in seven of the last nine games.

In eight Horizon League contests, Nead is averaging a team-high 12.5 points to go with 4.8 rebounds and 1.6 assists per game. In league play, Nead is shooting 34.3 percent (12-for-35) from long range.

DEFENSE LEADING THE WAY
The Panthers' defense continues to be a factor this season as Milwaukee ranks in the top five of the Horizon League in points allowed and field goal percentage defense.

MKE is allowing just 59.3 points per game through eight league contests and holding the opposition to 37.6 percent shooting overall and 30.2 percent from long range.

In the three wins over Detroit Mercy, Oakland, and Wright State, the Panthers allowed just 46.3 points per game on 28.6 percent shooting. The three teams were just 18-for-70 (25.7 percent) from long range.

RECORD-SETTING WIN
Defense was the story in a win over Detroit Mercy on December 29, setting multiple program bests.

The Panthers held the Titans to 29 points, the lowest for an opponent in NCAA Division I history surpassing Valparaiso's 31 from February 25, 2012.

Detroit also converted just 17.5 percent of its field goals, the lowest field goal percentage for an opponent since MKE held Youngstown State to 19.4 percent on March 6, 2010.

The seven made field goals for Detroit were also an opponent program-low for the Panthers, four fewer than the previous mark.

SERVING UP A 'W'
Milwaukee was finding the open player against Detroit Mercy and making it count, totaling a season-high 22 assists.

It is the most assists for the Panthers since MKE had 24 in a win over Northern Iowa on March 15, 2018. That year, MKE eclipsed 20 assists on five different occasions.

The Panthers had those 22 assists on 25 made field goals, the highest assist percentage (88.0) since dishing out 16 assists on 18 field goals (88.8) in a win over Chicago State on March 3, 2016.

ALL OF THE DOUBLE DIGITS
In the win over Detroit Mercy, Milwaukee had five players reach double figures. Grace Crowley led the way with 13 points while Kendall Nead (12), Anna Lutz (11), Kamy Peppler (10), and Emma Wittmershaus (10) all joined in double digits.

It marks the first time Milwaukee had at least five players with at least 10 points since February 8, 2020. That game, Jamie Reit's 13 points led the way while Bre Cera added 12, McKaela Schmelzer and Sydney Staver each had 11, and Lizzie Odegard finished with 10 in a 65-60 win over Green Bay.

Milwaukee is now 3-0 this year when at least four players reach double figures. The Panthers are 17-4 over the last five years when four or more players reach at least 10 points.

ARE YOU CERA-IOUS?
Angie Cera was on fire in the second half against Eastern Illinois on December 22, 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 (8.7), rebounds (2.2), and assists (1.9). She's already surpassed her previous career-best with 14 three-pointers this year.

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.

MISS BASKETBALL IN THE HOUSE
Freshman 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 for NCAA Division I.

• 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 (8th, 766)
• Total blocks (4th, 140)
• Double-doubles (6th, 19)
• Offensive rebounds (8th, 220)

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.