» Milwaukee has been hot of late winning its last three contests including a pair of 20+ point victories against McNeese last Friday and Edgewood on Tuesday. The Panthers will look to continue their stretch with its home matchup against Central Michigan at 11:00 am against the Chippewas at the Klotsche Center on Saturday.
» Over its three-game winning streak, Milwaukee has outscored opponents 225-178, for an average of +15.7 per contest. From the field, the Panthers are connected on 44.9 percent, and have dominated the glass with a +12.3-rebounding margin. Milwaukee has been passing the ball well averaging 20 assists per game while also averaging 6.7 steals per game against McNeese, Mississippi Valley State, and Edgewood.
» Milwaukee is 3-3 in all-time meetings with Central Michigan since the Panthers joined Division I in the 1990-91, the Panthers have won the three most recent matchups, including a 78-77 home win in their last meeting on December 20, 2008. The Panthers are 2-1 against CMU all time at home.
» All Panther games will feature live stats and live audio with
Matt Menzl on the Black & Gold Network, while fans can also tune into ESPN+ for a majority of this season's contests, including all home contests. Game coverage and gameday programs for home games can all be found on MKEPanthers.com.
SCOUTING THE CHIPPEWAS
Central Michigan is under new management with first year and first-time Division I head coach Kristin Haynie, the Michigan State all-time leader in both assists and steals.
Haynie has led the Chippewas to a 1-3 record through their first four games with its lone win coming against NAIA member Concordia-Ann Arbor by the score of 80-57. In its most recent matchup, Central Michigan fell to the Horizon League's Cleveland State Vikings last Saturday at the Wolstein Center by a 96-57 margin.
Through their first four games, CMU has been outscored by an average of 10.3 points per game as the Central Michigan offense has put up 63.5 points per game and have been scoring at a 36.9 percent clip from the floor. Defensively the Chippewas have allowed 42.0 percent from the field. Madisen Wardell leads the team in virtually every offensive category with minutes played (31.5 mpg), field goals (23), points per game at 14.0, and is second in field goal percent at 38.3 percent. Tamara Ortiz is second on the team in scoring (12.0 ppg) and is the team's leader in assists with 11 through four games.
Rochelle Norris is another starter for Central Michigan at 8.3 boards per contest and leads the team with eight blocks on the season. As a team, Central Michigan has been outrebounded by a 43.3 to 39.3 margin.
The Chippewas don't get to the free throw line often, with an average of 9.8 per game. When they do get to the line, Central Michigan only connects on 60.9 percent from the stripe.
LAST MEETING
The last time the Panthers and Chippewas met, the players on the court this weekend were in grade school during the 2008-09 academic year and the NCAA was still six years away from making the switch from halves to quarters for women's basketball. The two sides met at the Klotsche Center on December 20 with the Panthers squeaking out a one-point win, 78-77.
Traci Edwards led the Panthers with 18 points and 10 rebounds, while five players reached double-figures in scoring for the Panthers that afternoon. Maurika Hickman, who ended the game with just five points, scored the go-ahead layup as time expired in the second half.
20/20/20/20/20Â VISION
Milwaukee has had its leading scorer score at least 20 points over the last five games, including
Kamy Peppler against UIC (25),
Kendall Nead against Louisiana Monroe (21), and McNeese (38),
Jorey Buwalda against Mississippi Valley (20), and Nead again against Edgewood (20).
It's the first time Milwaukee has had a leading scorer reach at least 20 points over a five-game stretch since the 2015-16 season, when Milwaukee had it happen in six consecutive games. In late February to early March, Sierra Ford-Washington led Milwaukee against Northern Kentucky (24), and Wright State (26), followed by Jenny Lindner and Steph Kostowicz with 32 each against Oakland, Lindner against Detroit Mercy (20), and again in postseason play against Wright State (31).
THAT SWEET ASSIST/TURNOVER RATIO
With six assists and one turnover in Tuesday's win over Edgewood,
Jada Donaldson now has a 2.55 assist/turnover ratio this season and leads all Horizon League players. That number is well above her career average of 1.90 assists to turnovers in 77 career games.
UNIFORM BREAKDOWN
Milwaukee has split their matchups this season when in their three variations of uniforms. When wearing their gold, black, and gray uniforms the Panthers are 1-1 in each uniform combination.
ONLY THE THIRD
During the team's win against host McNeese at the Multi-Team Event in Lake Charles, Louisiana, junior
Kendall Nead scored 38 points for a career-best, while also becoming just the third difference Panther to score at least 38 points in a game.
All-Time leading scorer Traci Edwards reached 38 twice in her career, including the program record of 45 in February 2008, Edwards also scored 42 points in January 2007. Andrea Filipek in January 1999 was the only other Panther to reach 38+ points in a game.
THE RECORD TYING-SHOT
Kendall Nead not only scored 38 points in the November 17 win over McNeese, but she did so on 17 field goals as she tied the single-game record for field goals made in a game. Nead finished the game 17-for-23 from the field with three of those coming from three-point range including her final two makes with 7:32 and 7:03 left in the fourth quarter. Traci Edwards held the top spot alone since January of 2007 as the only player to score 17 field goals in a game prior to Nead.
Nead's 23 attempts were also the third-most in a game, while her shooting percentage was also third-best among the now five players all time to score at least 14 field goals in a game. Avyanna Young shot 15-for-19 (78.9%), while Maria Viall was 14-for-18 (77.7%), Nead slots into third at 73.9%, followed by Jenny Lindner at 14-for-24 (58.3%), and Traci Edwards at 17-for-33 (53.5%). No player in Milwaukee history has ever ended a game with 16 field goals made.
BUWALDA'S BREAKOUT
Thrust into a starting position at the McNeese Multi-Team Event,
Jorey Buwalda enjoyed success as she averaged a double-double over the team's three-game stretch. Buwalda scored 10.7 points per game and averaged a team-best 11.7 rebounds per contest in helping Milwaukee to a 2-1 week in Louisiana.
Buwalda began the weekend with nine rebounds against Louisiana Monroe before pulling down a season-best 14 in the team's convincing win over host McNeese. She followed that up with the first double-double of her career with 20 points and 12 rebounds against Mississippi Valley State including the first six points of the game for the Panthers in the Saturday matchup.
During the double-double performance against the Devilettes, Buwalda went 8-for-8 from the free throw line, which was three shy of the Panther freshman record of 11 set by Courtney Lindfors in November 2010, when she went 11-for-15 in the team's road win over Chicago State.
EIGHTY-EIGHT IS PRETTY GREAT
In the team's 88-67 win over McNeese on November 17, Milwaukee scored its highest point total since the Panthers scored 90 points on February 23, 2018, against Detroit Mercy. The performance over McNeese was also Milwaukee's highest road point total since the team also scored 88 at UIC on January 5, 2017.
A HELPING HAND
With 27 assists during the team's win over McNeese, Milwaukee had the most assists in a single game since the team recorded its program record of 31 set back in December 2012 against Bradley in double overtime.
The last time Milwaukee had at least 27 assists in a regulation game came back in 2000, when the Panthers had 28 against Central Michigan in December of that year. The team also had 28 assists against Chicago State in January of 2000, while the only other time Milwaukee had 27 assists in a game came back in January of 1991, during its inaugural Division I season against Northeastern Illinois.
KAMY FOR THREE
Thus far through team's first six games,
Kamy Peppler is leading the Horizon League with an average of 3.0 three-point field goals per game. Peppler has had two performances with six three-pointers including the team's home opener against UIC, where she also set a new career high in points with 25, while she also had six three-point baskets against McNeese for 22 points.
Peppler is 11th in the Horizon League in scoring as she is averaging 14.5 points per game through Milwaukee's first five matchups.
AT THE LINE FOR MILWAUKEE
Milwaukee is second in the Horizon League and 20th in NCAA Division I this season in free throw percentage, connecting on 80.0 percent from the charity stripe.
The Panthers are led by Horizon League leader
Angie Cera, who is 18-for-18 on the young season.
Jorey Buwalda is 14-for-15 on the year from the line including her 8-for-8 performance against Mississippi Valley State, while
Kamy Peppler has connected on 13-of-16 from the line and is slightly above the team average at 81.3 percent.
Jada Donaldson is 5-for-5,
Grace Crowley is 2-for-2, and
Vanessa Jurewicz is 1-for-1 through the first few weeks of the season.
TOP-10 IN MINUTES
Bitten by the injury bug early in the season, Milwaukee has been able to rely heavily on its veteran leaders to help lead the way with four players averaging more than 30 minutes per game.
Jada Donaldson leads Milwaukee with 34.2 minutes per game, which is also 111th among all Division I players.
Kamy Peppler is second at 33.3 minutes per game, followed by
Angie Cera (31.8 MPG), and
Kendall Nead (31.3 MPG).
NEAD'S SEASON-OPENING MARK
With 18 points in the team's season opener at Wisconsin, Milwaukee's junior guard scored the most points for a Panther in a season opener since Jamie Reit scored 31 points in the team's overtime win over Parkside to begin the 2019-20 season. A year prior, Reit connected on 21 points in the team's two-point loss to Indiana for the last time a Panther had at least 18 points in a regulation season opener.
CROWLEY'S JUNIOR RECORD
Last season, then-junior
Grace Crowley connected on 57.4 percent from the field. With that mark, Crowley set a new program record for shooting percentage as a junior in Milwaukee history. The previous mark was held by Bud K. Haidet Hall of Famer, Maria Viall, who recorded a 57.3 field goal percent as a junior.
THE 1,000-POINT CLUB
The college basketball world welcomed a newcomer to the 1,000-point club on Tuesday evening, as junior
Vanessa Jurewicz scored her 1,000th career point against the Badgers with 1:41 left in the game.
Jurewicz entered her Milwaukee career with 998 career points, with 79 points at her first college at Northeastern Oklahoma A&M in 2020-21, before adding 919 over the past two seasons at McCook Community College in Nebraska.
AND YOU ARE…?
Milwaukee's non-conference slate will feature 11 total contests including five at home, as well as six first-time opponents.
Milwaukee will play three new faces at the McNeese State Tournament, including Louisiana Monroe (Nov. 16), host McNeese State (Nov. 17), and Mississippi Valley State (Nov. 18). The team will also take on Edgewood at home on November 21.
In December, the Panthers will welcome two new opponents to the Klotsche Center as St. Thomas (Minn.) pays a visit on December 7, while Viterbo will close out non-conference play on December 20.
SPANNING THE REGION…AND THE GLOBE
This season Milwaukee has eight student-athletes from the state of Wisconsin, while the team has two players from both Illinois and Iowa, with one student-athlete hailing from Ohio.
In addition to the 13 Panthers from the United States, Milwaukee will be represented by three international students as returner
Lior Halevi (Israel) is joined by
Vanessa Jurewicz (Sweden), and
Izzy Pugh (New Zealand).
This will be the first time in Milwaukee Division I history, that the Panthers have more than one international student-athletes on its roster for any season.
PRESEASON POLL
Milwaukee was selected to finish sixth in the 2023-24 preseason poll as announced by the Horizon League in mid-October. The Panthers received 59 points and were just four points out of the top-five.
In addition to the team being selected in sixth,
Kendall Nead was named to the Preseason All-League Second Team. Nead finished last year as Milwaukee's returning scorer as she averaged 11.1 points per game with a team-best 334 points in 2022-23. Nead also connected on 41.4 percent from the floor, while adding 26 three-pointers of her team-best 138 field goals made.
Nead added 133 rebounds, 46 assists, 17 steals, and seven blocks as she was one of just two Panthers to start in all 30 games of the season for MKE.
OFFENSIVE BOARDS TURNING INTO POINTS
The Panthers recorded double-digit offensive rebounds in nine of their last 18 contests in 2022-23 and made the most of their chances. In that span during 2022-23 Milwaukee totaled 161 second-chance points.
The Panthers got off to a start just as well in 2023-24, with double-digit offensive boards in five of their first six games including a season-best 19 against Louisiana Monroe on November 16. Thus far on the season, Milwaukee has scored 73 second-chance points including a season-high 16 second-chance points against McNeese on November 17.
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 eight seasons, Milwaukee is 95-32 (.748) when hitting at least 40 percent from the field. Bump that field goal percentage to 43 percent and the Panthers are 82-17 (.828).
When shooting under 40 percent since 2016-17, Milwaukee is just 26-70 (.271). The Panthers are 1-2 in contests this season, when shooting under 40 percent.
KEEPING THE FOULS DOWN
Over the past two seasons, when Milwaukee has committed 11 fouls or fewer, the Panthers are 5-1. On the contrary, the Panthers are 3-12 when they have committed 18 or more fouls in a contest.
ALL-FRESHMAN HONORS
Last season,
Kamy Peppler put together a season that warranted All-Freshman Team accolades by the Horizon League last season.
Peppler's freshman campaign saw her play in all 30 of the team's games and connect on 32.5 percent from the field including 25.6 percent from three. She had connected on 64 field goals with 30 of those coming from beyond the arc. She had the third-most assists for a rookie with 100 and was just 25 shy of tying the Milwaukee freshman record.
WHAT'S ON TAP?
With a few days to rest and recover after a strenuous stretch of non-conference games, Milwaukee opens Horizon League play against Green Bay on Thursday evening with a 7:00 p.m. tip against the Phoenix. The team will travel to IUPUI for its first road contest in league play against the Jaguars on Sunday afternoon at 1:00 p.m. (CT).
CATCH ALL THE ACTION
Matt Menzl returns for his eighth year as the play-by-play voice of the Panthers on the Black and Gold Network. Links for audio along with any TV coverage can be found on MKEPanthers.com. The Milwaukee women's basketball X account (@MKE_WBB) will also have live updates throughout the game.
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 $9.99 a month (or $99.99 per year) and cancel at any time.
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