MILWAUKEE – The Milwaukee Panthers women's basketball team takes on the Purdue Fort Wayne Mastodons on Thursday evening beginning at 5 p.m. from the Klotsche Center.

The game can be viewed on ESPN+; while live stats and live audio on the Black & Gold Network with Matt Menzl on the call are also be available on MKEPanthers.com.

SCOUTING THE MASTODONS
Purdue Fort Wayne has won back-to-back games for just the fifth time this season, picking up wins in games against Wright State and Northern Kentucky at home last weekend. The Mastodons won a high-scoring affair with the Raiders, 95-82 on Thursday, while edging the Norse by a 65-59 margin on Saturday.

In the win over Northern Kentucky, the Mastodons were led by Amellia Bromenschenkel, who was 6-of-10 from the field with 14 points and six rebounds. She also added five steals as PFW took advantage of 20 Northern Kentucky turnovers to earn the win.

Bromenschenkel leads the Mastodons in both points (359) and rebounds (140) this season, while connecting on 45.2 percent from the floor, as she is eighth in the Horizon League in scoring. Shayla Sellers is tops on the team in both assists with 52, and steals with 49, while she is also averaging double figures in scoring at 10.3 points per game.

Purdue Fort Wayne is just ahead of Milwaukee in the league in scoring at the Mastodons average 63.1 points per game (8th in Horizon), while the Panthers are ninth at 58.7 points per contest. Both teams are in the middle of the pack defensively with the MKE yielding 61.8 points per game, and Purdue Fort Wayne allowing 65.5 per contest.

If the game comes down to free throws towards the end, the Mastodons and Panthers are both in the top-four in the league with PFW second at 74.0 percent, and MKE fourth at 72.2 percent. Milwaukee should have no problem in the rebounding category, with the Panthers +2.8 on the year, while PFW is -6.5 in rebounding margin.

LAST MEETING
It was a heartbreaking effort for the Panthers in their last meeting with the Mastodons as Milwaukee led 56-47 after three quarters of play. PFW stormed back in the fourth quarter and outscored MKE by a 25-6 margin to win the game by 10 at 72-62.

Megan Walstad had a double-double in the game with 21 points and 10 rebounds as she went 9-of-13 from the field, Emma Wittmershaus was also in double-figures with 12 points. In contrast, PFW had all five starters in double figures with the Mastodons finishing the game shooting 47.2 percent after a 6-for-9 fourth quarter.

SERIES HISTORY
Despite the loss earlier this season, Milwaukee still owns an 8-3 record against Purdue Fort Wayne in 11 all-time matchups. The Panthers had a seven-game winning streak snapped with the loss in January, while Milwaukee still owns a 6-0 record in matchups at the Klotsche Center against Purdue Fort Wayne.

Since PFW joined the Horizon League in 2020-21, MKE holds a 4-1 record in league matchups against the Mastodons.

WHATS ON TAP?
The Panthers will put a bow on the regular season with the final matchup of the regular season coming against Cleveland State on Saturday afternoon, with the Panthers hosting the Vikings at 1:00 p.m. inside the Klotsche Center.

Following that, Milwaukee will host a first round postseason matchup against an opponent still to be determined. The game will start at 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday, February 28.

FOLLOW THE PANTHERS LIVE
Matt Menzl returns for his seventh 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 twitter account (@MKE_WBB) will also have live updates throughout the game.

LAST TIME OUT
Milwaukee closed out the road portion of its 2022-23 regular season against the Robert Morris Colonials on Sunday afternoon at the UPMC Events Center and fell to its host by a score of 50-45.

The Panthers were led by Grace Crowley, who had 10 points for the Panthers to go along with seven rebounds and two assists. Anna Lutz was second on the team in scoring with nine points and nine rebounds, while Megan Walstad had seven points and eight rebounds while leading the team with four steals to tie her career high.
  
Milwaukee opened the game with the first eight points as Crowley and Nead led the early surge with four points apiece. After a three-pointer by the Colonials, Angie Cera knocked down a three in the corner off a feed by Nead.

The Panthers continued to hold the lead into the second quarter as MKE had a 13-7 lead after the opening quarter. Robert Morris opened the second on a 6-2 run to trim the Panther lead to just two, but Lutz got a putback layup to stop the run. The Colonials outscored the Panthers 9-4 in the second, and trailed Milwaukee by a 17-16 score at the halftime break.

Milwaukee built back a four-point lead after Crowley opened the half with a layup, while Walstad sank a pair from the line with 8:54 to go in the third. However, RMU scored six of the next eight points to knot the score at 23.

The teams exchanged the lead in the waning minutes of the third quarter before Kamy Peppler had a two-point shot fall with 45 seconds to go to give the Panthers a 35-32 lead. Robert Morris had another late free throw in the quarter to trim its deficit to two heading into the fourth quarter.

Robert Morris opened the fourth with back-to-back threes to open a four-point advantage before Peppler knocked down a jumper to make it a one-possession game. Walstad followed with a jumper to even the score at 39.

The Panthers took a four-point lead with 6:35 to go off back-to-back buckets by Peppler and Nead, but the Colonials once again had the answer to knock down two consecutive three-point shots to regain the lead. Jada Donaldson tied the game at 45 but Robert Morris closed the game with the final five points despite three shot attempts, including a well-executed three-point attempt going for the tie with seven seconds left.

ACADEMIC HONORS
On Tuesday, the College Sports Communicators (CSC, formerly CoSIDA) announced its Academic All-District Teams.

Milwaukee had four honorees by the organization as Angie Cera, Grace Crowley, Jada Donaldson and Megan Walstad all were recognized.

The four led a group of 23 from the Horizon League that are now eligible to be named Academic All Americans. That select group will be revealed on March 15.

BIGS WITH RANGE
After missing her first seven three-pointers of the season, Anna Lutz has picked her spots and been more consistent with her long-range shots having connected on her last two, including one in each of the team's last two games, while also making four of her last seven attempts (57.1 percent).

Megan Walstad has also been knocking down her three-pointers of late, including six consecutive shots between the team's home game against Northern Kentucky and first three at Youngstown State. Over her last five games, Walstad has made 7-of-12 from beyond the arc (58.3 percent).

WHAT A LETDOWN
After connecting on 14 three-pointers on Friday at Youngstown State, the Panthers followed that up with just two made three-pointers on Sunday at Robert Morris.

Milwaukee has been unable to connect on at least five three-pointers in games following double-digit three performances since February of 2020, when the Panthers connected on 12 three-pointers against Detroit Mercy and followed that up with five against IUPUI.

The last time MKE had back-to-back performances with at least 10 three-point baskets made came in early February 2020, when the Panthers had 11 at Wright State followed by another 11 three-pointers at home against Green Bay.

THREE TIMES AS NICE
With 14 three-pointers on the road against Youngstown State on February 17, Milwaukee set a new season-high nearly doubling the previous season-best mark of eight.

It was the first time Milwaukee had connected on at least 10 three-pointers since March 19, 2021, against Drake; while it was also the first time the Panthers had at least 14 three-pointers since the 2016-17 season at home against Cleveland State.

Under the watch of head coach Kyle Rechlicz, the performance was the 60th occasion in which the Panthers had at least 10 three-pointers in a game, just over 18 percent of the games that Rechlicz has coached in.

20-20 VISION
The February 17 win over Youngstown State was the first time the Panthers had won a game by a margin of 20-29 points in 36 games, when the Panthers bounced Robert Morris by a 68-48 margin on February 3, 2022.

Earlier this season, Milwaukee had its largest win of the season come against Detroit Mercy at 34 points, with the team's 63-29 win over the Titans.

LOW PERCENTAGE SHOTS? NO PROBLEM
While the three-point shot tends to be the lowest percentage shot to take at any level of competitive basketball, Milwaukee's Angie Cera scoffed at that notion by connecting on six of seven from beyond the arc in the road win at Youngstown State on February 17.

At 85.7 percent from three, Cera tied the sixth-highest percentage from three in a single game in Milwaukee history, tying Anne Breland from December 19, 2010, and Aubri Rote from November 9, 2007; who both went 6-for-7 in their respective games.

Only three players have ever been perfect from three, with a minimum of five attempts, as Jalessa Armstrong on January 7, 2015, at Detroit, and Jenny Lindner on February 20, 2017 vs. Valparaiso, each went 5-for-5. Daryl Sheffeld accomplished the 5-for-5 effort twice in the 1996-97 season vs. Northern Illinois, and 1998-99 season vs. UIC.

DEFENSE GETTING LOW
For just the second time this season, the Milwaukee defense held a team to just four points allowed as the Panthers held Youngstown State to just four points during a dominant 16-4 third quarter on February 17. Milwaukee also held Detroit Mercy to four points in the third quarter on December 29 in the team's 63-29 victory at the Klotsche Center.

The team's best quarter of the season defensively was holding Green Bay to three points in the fourth quarter on December 1.

A HEFTY DOZEN
The +12 in the quarter against the Penguins also tied the season-best point differential in a single quarter for the Panthers, as Milwaukee was +12 in the fourth quarter against Green Bay, leading that period by a 15-3 margin. Milwaukee also had a +12 quarter in the team's second quarter against Detroit Mercy, outscoring the Titans, 17-5.

The Panthers also had a +11 against Boise State on November 27 and a +10 against Detroit Mercy on December 29, while also outscoring Wright State in the first quarter by 10.

PASSING THE ROCK
For the fourth time this season this season, the Panthers had at least 20 assists in a single game with 20 in Friday's matchup at Youngstown State. It was the third time in six games that MKE totaled better than 20, with 21 coming against Oakland on February 3, and 20 against Northern Kentucky on February 12. The team had a season-best 22 against Detroit Mercy on December 29.

The 21 assists on the road versus Oakland came on 31 made field goals, which is the first time Milwaukee registered 30 field goals since January 29, 2022, in the team's road win at Wright State. The last occurrence that the Panthers had more than 30 made field goals came on January 18, 2019, also at Oakland, when Milwaukee was 32-for-64.

Against Detroit Mercy in December, the Panthers had 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.

HIGH FIVE!
Over the team's five-game stretch from January 28 through February 12, the Panthers have had five players reach career-highs in games as Emma Wittmershaus got the run started with a 25-point effort against IUPUI on January 28.

Kendall Nead had 24 points in the following game against Oakland, while Jada Donaldson wrapped up the weekend trip to the Detroit Metro area with a career-best 16 against the Titans of Detroit Mercy.

Milwaukee was held without a career-best scoring effort against Wright State, but Grace Crowley with 19 and Anna Lutz with 16 points both had new career-highs in points against Northern Kentucky on February 12.

GIMME' TEN
With her 17 points on Friday against Youngstown State, senior Megan Walstad moved into sole possession of 10th place on the Milwaukee Division I all-time scoring list.

Now with 1,334 career points, Walstad's trails Jen Greger in ninth place with 1,385 points.

CLIMBING THE BOARD…BOARD
With at least eight rebounds over her last six games, Megan Walstad has now climbed into fourth place on the all-time rebound list in Milwaukee history with 868. Next on the list is Steph Kostowicz, who finished her career with 898 career rebounds.

Defensively, Walstad has accumulated 628 rebounds and moved into second all-time on February 10 against Wright State. She only trails Traci Edwards, who finished her career with 782 defensive rebounds.

Walstad also has 240 offensive rebounds, placing her eight on the offensive rebound list and just two behind Lindner for seventh all-time.

MORE MEGAN MILESTONES
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 (10th, 1,334)
• Rebounds (4th, 868)
• Rebounding Average (4th, 7.6)
• Offensive Rebounds (8th, 240)
• Defensive Rebounds (2nd, 628)
• Field Goals Made (6th, 529)
• Field Goals Attempted (10th, 1,065)
• Field Goal Percent (5th, 49.7)
• Free Throw Percent (4th, 85.0)
• Blocks (4th, 153)
• Minutes (9th, 3,337)
• Minutes/Game (9th, 29.3)
• Double-Doubles (5th, 23)
• Games Started (6th, 110)
• Double-Digit Rebounds (4th, 30)

WALSTAD'S HELPING HAND
Playing the inside-out game, Megan Walstad had a career-high nine assists in the team's home game against IUPUI in late January. Her previous career-high was five on several occasions in her career, most recently in the team's win at home against Detroit Mercy on December 29.

The last time a player listed on Milwaukee's roster as a center or forward and had more than five assists in one game was Steph Kostowicz, who had a dozen in the team's March 15, 2018 win over Northern Iowa. Kostowicz accomplished the feat six times during her senior season in 2017-18, and seven times in her career.

SECOND HALF STRUGGLES
The Milwaukee defense has been strong this year, however, the Panthers have been running out of steam in the second half.

Over the last 15 games, Milwaukee has given up an average of 36.0 points in the second half. Opponents are shooting 47.6 percent (191-of-401) from the floor and 43.5 percent (61-for-140) from three-point range over the final 20 minutes.

FINDING THE RANGE
Milwaukee has been finding its shooting range from three-point, as 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 30 percent in nine of their last 16 contests.

Over the last 16 games, Angie Cera is 16-for-42 from three (38.1 percent), Megan Walstad is 11-for-20 (37.9 percent), Kamy Peppler is 23-for-63 (36.5 percent), while Emma Wittmershaus is also at 40.5 percent having connected on 6-of-16 from deep.

OFFENSIVE BOARDS TURNING INTO POINTS
The Panthers have recorded double-digit offensive rebounds in eight of their last 14 contests and have made the most of their chances. In that span, Milwaukee has totaled 139 second chance points, including 19 second-chance points in the team's win over Robert Morris on January 20, and 16 on the road at Green Bay on January 26. The team had 10 second-chance points off of 10 offensive rebounds most recently in the team's win over Detroit Mercy on February 5.

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 91-30 (.752) when hitting at least 40 percent from the field. Bump that field goal percentage to 43 percent and the Panthers are 70-16 (.814).

When shooting under 40 percent since 2016-17, Milwaukee is just 25-67 (.272). The Panthers have been held under 40 percent in 12 games this year, going 1-11 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 Milwaukee was plus-22 on the glass in a 58-35 win over UIC on February 19, 2021.

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

Milwaukee is allowing 62.3 points per game through 18 league contests and holding the opposition to 39.8 percent shooting overall. In comparison, the Panthers have connected on 44.0 percent from the field over that span.

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.