MILWAUKEE - Milwaukee closes out the weekend slate of action at home at the Klotsche Center on Sunday afternoon as the Panthers will host the Youngstown State Penguins at 2 p.m. The game can be viewed on ESPN+ with Matt Menzl on the call; live stats and live audio links will also be available on MKEPanthers.com.

SCOUTING THE PENGUINS
League favorite Youngstown State is right back in the mix at the top of the Horizon League with a 13-5 overall record with a 7-2 mark in conference games. Youngstown State is 5-1 over its last six including a 63-60 win over Green Bay on Friday evening.

Four players reached double figures in the three-point win over the Phoenix, as Lilly Ritz had 14 points to lead the way with seven rebounds. Malia Magestro had 12 points, while both Megan Callahan and Dena Jarrells each had 11 points.

The Penguins are led by Ritz, averaging 17.1 points per game and 10.4 rebounds per game. Also amongst the scoring leaders are Magestro (11.2 ppg) and Callahan (10.2 ppg).

Youngstown State has the second-best defense in the league statistically allowing 58.0 points per game, while holding opponents to just 34.6 percent from the field and 28.8 percent from three-point land.

LAST TIME THEY MET
On February 5, 2022, Milwaukee held a slim 32-27 halftime lead, but a key 19-9 run by the Penguins in the third quarter gave Youngstown State the win.

SERIES HISTORY
The Panthers and Penguins have split their last 14 matchups at seven wins apiece. That includes a 5-1 record at the Klotsche Center, in their last six meetings.

Overall Milwaukee is 31-19, but have lost the last two matchups. The Panthers are 17-7 at home, and 28-14 when the two meet as league foes.

WHATS ON TAP?
Milwaukee hits the road to visit Green Bay on Thursday, January 26 for a 7 pm start against the Phoenix. The team will return home on Saturday, January 28 to take on IUPUI at 1 pm.

LAST TIME OUT
The Panthers were hot early, connecting on 60.9 percent in the first half, including tying its season best 8-of-11 (72.7 percent) in the second quarter.

Kendall Nead led the way by tying a career-best with 19 points on 8-of-15 from the field, while Megan Walstad registered her second consecutive double-double with 17 points and 16 rebounds to go along with two assists, two blocks and a steal.

Milwaukee built up an eight-point advantage by the end of the first quarter capped off by a Donaldson layup to put the Panthers ahead 19-11. Milwaukee led by four at 29-25 with four minutes left in the opening half, but an 11-3 run late in the half propelled the home team to a 12-point halftime lead at 40-28.

Robert Morris cut the lead to five, but Milwaukee responded with eight unanswered to take a 66-53 lead before the Panthers closed out the game for good at 72-60.

MILESTONE START FOR WALSTAD
With her next start, Megan Walstad will join elite company with 102 career starts, breaking her into the top-10 all-time in games started.

With her 102 starts, Walstad will tie Steph Kostowicz '18, Sami Tucker'13, Jen Greger '97, and Daryl Schaffeld '00, for seventh on the all-time starts list.

The current program record is 137 starts held by McKaela Schmelzer '22.

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 five games, Milwaukee has given up an average of 42.6 points in the second half. Opponents are shooting 58.1 percent (72-of-124) from the floor and 51.9 percent (27-for-52) from three-point range over the final 20 minutes

In comparison, the Panthers have allowed 37.4 percent (362-of-969) from the field overall in games this season, and 32.6 percent (103-of-316) of three-pointers overall this year.

DOUBLE THE FUN
Megan Walstad registered her second consecutive double-double of the season last time out against Robert Morris, as she collected 19 points and a season-high 16 rebounds. She now has 21 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 17 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, having connected on at least 31 percent in each in five of their last seven matchups.

Over the last six games, Kamy Peppler is 9-for-23 (39.1 percent) from long range and has hit at least two triples in five contests. Kendall Nead over her last seven contest has knocked down 14-of-39 (35.9 percent) from distance.

RETURN TO FORM
Preseason First Team All-League honoree Megan Walstad has been heating up over the last six games, dating back to the team's win over Oakland on New Year's Eve.

In that span, Walstad is averaging 14.3 points and 10.3 rebounds while shooting 62.7 percent from the floor and 83.3 percent from the free throw line. The senior has accounted for season-highs in both points (21 at Purdue Fort Wayne) and rebounds (16 vs. Robert Morris) over her last two games. She has also chipped in with a dozen assists, six blocks and three steals over the last six games, averaging over 32 minutes per game.

OFFENSIVE BOARDS TURNING INTO POINTS
The Panthers have recorded double-digit offensive rebounds in five straight contests and have made the most of their chances. In that span, Milwaukee has totaled 63 second-chance points, including 19 second-chance points in the team's win over Robert Morris on January 20.

COMING ALIVE IN LEAGUE PLAY
Kendall Nead added three more double-digit scoring performances to her ledger against Northern Kentucky (Jan. 5), Wright State (Jan. 7), and Robert Morris (Jan. 20) and has scored at least 10 points in eight of the last 10 games.

In eight Horizon League contests, Nead is averaging a team-high 13.2 points to go with 4.6 rebounds and 1.8 assists per game. In league play, Nead is shooting 35.7 percent (15-for-42) from long range.

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.

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 89-25 (.781) when hitting at least 40 percent from the field. Bump that field goal percentage to 43 percent and the Panthers are 69-12 (.852).

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.

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 nine games, the Panthers are at the top of the Horizon League in rebounding margin at a margin of 7.8 per game.

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

Milwaukee is allowing just 59.3 points per game through nine league contests and holding the opposition to 37.2 percent shooting overall and 30.6 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.

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.

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.

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.

• Rebounds per game (4th, 7.6)
• Field goal percentage (4th, 50.3)
• Free throw percentage (5th, 84.3)
• Total rebounds (5th, 798)
• Total blocks (4th, 146)
• Double-doubles (t-5th, 21)
• Offensive rebounds (8th, 231)

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.