MILWAUKEE, Wis. - Milwaukee picked up a pair of home wins to close out 2022 and looks to extend that streak on the road this week. The Panthers open a four-game road stretch with a trip to Northern Kentucky on Thursday at 6:00 pm CT. The game can be viewed on ESPN+ and will also have live stats and live audio with
Matt Menzl on the call. All links are available on MKEPanthers.com.
SCOUTING THE NORSE
After splitting last weekend with a win over Wright State, Northern Kentucky enters this week 2-2 in Horizon League action.
The Norse are a dangerous group, however, with one of the Horizon League Player of the Year front-runners in Lindsay Duvall. The graduate student leads the league with 20.0 points per game, ranks second with 10.0 rebounds per contest, and is tied for 12th with 2.3 assists per game. She has scored in double figures all 13 games including back-to-back 25-plus point performances.
Additionally, Kailee Davis (13.4 points per game) and Ivy Turner (11.9) are averaging double digits for the team which ranks second in the league with 72.1 points per game.
NKU is one of just three Horizon League teams with a positive assist-to-turnover ratio, ranking third at 1.08. The Norse have totaled 192 assists this season with Davis' 49 pacing the way. That number also leads the league.
LAST TIME THEY MET
Milwaukee used a 10-2 run to begin the fourth quarter and cut a double-digit deficit to three, but came up just short in a 61-53 setback on January 23.
Megan Walstad finished with 18 points and eight rebounds while
Emma Wittmershaus totaled 11 points and six boards.
SERIES HISTORY
NKU has had the Panthers number as of late, winning six of the last seven matchups to improve to 9-6 against MKE. The Panthers' last win over NKU was on November 20, 2021. MKE has also struggled on the road, going 2-5 at NKU.
WHATS ON TAP?
The road trip continues on Saturday as Milwaukee faces Wright State in a 12:00 pm matchup.
LAST TIME OUT
Milwaukee dominated the paint on Saturday and shut down Oakland in a 65-49 victory at the Klotsche Center. Milwaukee held the Golden Grizzlies to 25.8 percent shooting and owned a 32-12 advantage inside.
DEFENSE ON LOCK
Milwaukee's defense has been solid all season long but last weekend, it was on another level.
In the two wins over Detroit Mercy and Oakland, the Panthers allowed just 39.0 points per game on 22.5 percent shooting. The two teams were just 8-for-42 (19.0 percent) from long range.
Neither the Titans nor Golden Grizzlies reached 50 points, the first time MKE has held opponents to under 50 in back-to-back games since November 18-20 of last season. In those games, MKE opened league play 2-0 while holding Wright State to 47 points and Northern Kentucky to 49.
PICTURE PERFECT
In the Panthers' win over Oakland,
Megan Walstad was flawless, going 5-for-5 from the floor and 4-for-4 from the free throw line for 14 points.
It marks the first time a Panther finished perfect from the floor with at least five field goals since
Miquela Santoro went 5-for-5 on February 19, 2022.
Walstad added a team-high nine rebounds and two assists in the victory.
THAT'S WHAT WE NEAD
Kendall Nead reaching double digits is becoming common and is a much-needed offensive spark for the Panthers.
The sophomore scored at least 10 points for the third straight game and fifth time in the last six contests.
Nead has upped her season averages to career-highs for points (9.4), rebounds, (3.6), and assists (1.5).
She's proved she can score in multiple ways after going 6-for-9 from three-point range last weekend.
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.
OFFENSE PICKING UP
In addition to stellar defense, the offense has picked it up the last two games, shooting 50 percent from the floor and 40 percent from long range.
Milwaukee scored at least 60 points in back-to-back games for the first time this season, resulting in two wins.
When reaching at least 60 points, the Panthers are 3-0. The other win was a 76-point outburst against Loyola Chicago.
FINDING A WAY INSIDE
Emma Wittmerhaus has been the Panthers' most consistent presence inside this season, averaging 10.2 points and 5.2 rebounds per game.
The redshirt senior led with 15 points against Detroit Mercy and has reached double digits in six of the last seven games and nine of the last 11.
The redshirt senior is having a career-year, leading the team in points per game while ranking second in rebounds and field goal percentage (50.0).
NEED A ROAD SHOW
Milwaukee has yet to find success on the road, winless in five games. The Panthers have struggled shooting the ball away from the Klotsche Center, with a 35.9 percent field goal percentage and 21.4 three-point percentage in those five games. MKE averages 50.2 points on the road and will need to turn it around to match NKU, who is 7-2 at home.
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 improved to 2-0 this year when at least four players reach double figures. The Panthers are 16-4 over the last five years when four or more players reach at least 10 points.
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 87-25 (.775) when hitting at least 40 percent from the field. Bump that field goal percentage to 43 percent and the Panthers are 67-12 (.846).
When shooting under 40 percent since 2016-17, Milwaukee is just 25-61 (.294).
The Panthers have been held under 40 percent in seven games this year, going 1-6 in those contests.
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 five players with 6.0 or more per contest.
Emma Wittmershaus leads with 9.7 points per game followed by
Kendall Nead at 9.0.
Angie Cera is next with 8.7 points per game while
Grace Crowley is adding 6.9 per contest and
Megan Walstad is averaging 6.4.
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.
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.
GO GET IT, GRACE
Grace Crowley has put together an impressive year after playing limited minutes last season.
This year, Crowley is averaging 6.7 points and 4.5 rebounds per game. The redshirt sophomore is shooting 58.7 percent from the floor and is 26-for-34 (76.5 percent) from the free throw line. Additionally, Crowley has added 19 assists and 11 steals this season.
She's done all of that off the bench in just 17.1 minutes per game, which is eighth on the team.
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
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 (9th, 745)
- Total blocks (4th, 140)
- Double-doubles (6th, 19)
Additionally, Walstad could reach the top 10 in total points (currently 15th) and offensive rebounds (currently two away from 10th).
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.
