FAST FACTS
» Milwaukee enters Friday evening's contest as winners of four of its last five games, having lost its four-game winning streak on Saturday at Detroit Mercy. The Panthers will look to begin a new winning streak as they begin the second half of league play, earlier this season MKE fell to Wright State by a 77-70 score.
» In its most recent game, Milwaukee fell to the Detroit Mercy Titans at Calihan Hall by a 54-52 score. Milwaukee was led by
Kamy Peppler with 15 points, followed by
Angie Cera with 14 and
Jorey Buwalda with 12. During the loss, the Panthers had a season low in field goals made with 16 and assists with six.
» Wright State bounced back in its last game, knocking off Northern Kentucky in a high-scoring affair, 90-83, after falling to Cleveland State earlier in the week. During the team's win both Alexis Hutchison and Rachel Loobie had 24 points apiece, a season-best for Loobie. Wright State had a season-best 36 makes while shooting season-high 59.0 percent in the win.
» In their first meeting on January 5 in Ohio, the Raiders got off to a hot start in the opening quarter with a 28-15 lead. The advantage proved to be too much for Milwaukee despite four Panthers reaching double figures in scoring; Buwalda (15), Cera (10), Lutz (12), and Nead (12), while Hutchison led WSU with 24 points including five of the team's 12 three-point baskets.
SCOUTING THE RAIDERS
Entering play this weekend, Wright State is 6-3 through the first loop of Horizon League play which also includes two wins over IUPUI. The Raiders split their travel assignments last week and fell to Cleveland State at home on Wednesday before bouncing back with a 90-83 win over Northern Kentucky at Truist Arena on Saturday afternoon.
The Raiders had four players reach double figures in scoring on Saturday at NKU, led by Alexis Hutschison and Rachel Loobie with 24 points apiece. Loobie finished the game 10-of-11 from the field as the Raiders shot a season-best 59.0 percent from the field on 36-of-61 shooting, while scoring a season-best 90 points. Saturday was Wright Stats's first time reaching 90 points against a Division I opponent since the 2019-20 season, when the Raiders scored 91 points against Youngstown State in a 50-point win on January 4.
Wright State is fourth in the league in scoring at 72.2 points per game, led by Hutchison at 18.6 points per game, good enough for second best in the Horizon League. Kacee Baumhower is 13th in the league at 12.3 points per game, while Layne Ferrell is 15th at 11.6 points per game. Rebounding has been a struggle for the Raiders, who are 10th in the league in total rebounding with an average of 33.7 per contest and are last in the league in rebounding margin through their first 20 contests.
The Raiders are efficient with the ball and are second in the league in assist/turnover ratio at 1.05 (286 assists/272 turnovers), with Hutchison eighth in the league with 2.8 assist per contest to lead the way. Hutchison, Ferrell, and Baumhower are all in the top nine in the Horizon League averaging more than 30 minutes per contest.
SERIES HISTORY / LAST MEETING
In one of Milwaukee's most evenly split histories the Panthers have won 32 and lost 35 against the Raiders in 67 all-time Division I meetings, which includes a 16-13 mark in games played at Milwaukee. Over their last five meetings, the Panthers are 3-2 but have lost the last two including the meeting earlier this season by a 77-70 score at the Nutter Center in Dayton.
During the matchup,
Jorey Buwalda had a 15-point performance off the bench en route to being named Horizon League Freshman of the Week following her performances against the Raiders and Northern Kentucky. Buwalda also had eight rebounds and two assists in the loss to Wright State.
Kendall Nead and
Anna Lutz also had 12 points apiece for the Panthers in the effort, with Lutz recording the third of her three double-double performances of the season.
LUTZ TURNING IT UP
Over her last nine games,
Anna Lutz has been averaging a near double-double with a 11.8 point-per-game total to go along with 8.1 rebounds per game. On January 18 at Oakland, the redshirt-sophomore scored a career-high 24 points while converting on 11-of-12 from the floor. Her 91.7 shooting percentage on the blacktop in Rochester was the second-best mark for a Panther in a single game, trailing just Steph Kostowicz, who finished a game 13-for-14 in a game at Oakland on March 3, 2016.
During her last nine games, Lutz has connected on 55.3 percent from the floor, on 42-of-76 shooting, while connecting on nearly half of her three-point attempts by going 8-for-19 from three. At the line she has also made 14-of-16 attempts, and has 12 assists, five blocks, and 10 steals over her strong stretch.
The 24 point-game for Lutz eclipsed her 23-point efforts set twice this year against Central Michigan on November 25, and Cleveland State on January 1. She also had a career-best 11 rebounds against Wright State on January 5.
JOREY JOINING IN ON THE FUN
While
Anna Lutz has had her successes over the last nine games,
Jorey Buwalda continues to perform at a high level including back-to-back selections as Horizon League Freshman of the Week on January 8 and 15.
In just over 118 minutes over the last six games, Buwalda has been among the team leaders with 25 makes from the field including four from long range. She has shot 62.5 percent from the floor and has gotten to the line 35 times and converted 26 attempts from the stripe (74.3 percent). Buwalda also leads the team in rebounding over the last five contests at 7.0 per game. She is second on the team with 80 points for an average of 13.3 points per game.
NEW ASSIST LEADER
Entering play at Oakland on January 18,
Kamy Peppler had a season-high of eight assists against Mississippi Valley State, and a career-high of nine assists at Northern Kentucky on January 5 of her freshman season. Peppler blew right past both of those marks at the O'Rena, establishing a new career-best mark of 14. Her 14 assists tied the program record for assists in a game that had stood alone since January 17, 1994, when Pam Bartnik also had 14 assists against Marquette during the team's fourth Division I season.
For the season, Peppler now has 106 assists, which leads all Horizon League players and already passes her freshman year mark of 100 set a season ago. She becomes the first player with more than 100 assists in a year since McKaela Schmelzer had 114 in 2018-19. She becomes the first player to record at least 100 assists in back-to-back seasons since Angela Rodriguez had 168 in 2013-14, following her 114 assists in 2012-13.
The single season assist record for a Panther is Angela Rodriguez, who had 168 during the 2013-14 season. Peppler is rapidly approaching the top-10 on the single-season list, which is currently occupied by Holly Tamm's 2001-02 season with 120. Peppler is also on pace to set the record for assists by a sophomore as Bartnik had 135 during her sophomore year in 1991-92.
FINDING WINS IN THE PAINT
In the team's win over Robert Morris on January 11, the Panthers got a lot of production from its forwards as
Jorey Buwalda,
Anna Lutz,
Grace Crowley, and
Jada Williams combined for 31 of Milwaukee's 73 points. As a team, the Panthers scored 44 points in the paint against RMU, their second-highest total this season with 64 against Viterbo being its highest mark.
When Milwaukee scores more than 25 points in the paint, the Panthers have a 9-3 record, while the team is 2-7 when scoring fewer than 25 points in the paint. Milwaukee's two wins when scoring fewer than 25 points in the paint came against Eastern Illinois on December 15, and Youngstown State on January 13, the team's season low came back in the season opener against Wisconsin with just 16 points in the paint.
NEW HIGHS VS. YOUNGSTOWN STATE
Following the team's win over Youngstown State, several Panthers had career-best numbers to boast following their efforts, they include new career high in minutes for
Jada Williams (27),
Anna Lutz (30),
Jada Donaldson (38), and
Kamy Peppler (40), while
Grace Crowley played a season-best 33 minutes, just two shy of her career high against Wright State at home in February 2023. Lutz has since broken her career-high in minutes with 31 minutes played at Detroit Mercy on January 20.
Peppler also had career-best marks in both free throws made with seven and blocks with two, while
Jorey Buwalda tied her season-best with two steals against the Penguins and fifth time during her freshman campaign.
WEEKLY HONORS
Jorey Buwalda earned her second consecutive and third Freshman of the Week honors on Monday, January 15, this past week she helped the Panthers to a 2-0 record while averaging 13 points per game on 61.5 percent from the field and was also 2-of-5 from three and 8-of-9 from the free throw line. She also added six rebounds, three steals and one assist on the week. Buwalda also earned Freshman of the Week honors on both January 8 and November 27.
Kendall Nead also earned her first career Horizon League Player of the Week honor on December 18, as she recorded a double-double in the team's win over Eastern Illinois. Nead finished the game with 19 points and 13 rebounds, while also adding two steals, a block, and an assist in the team's seven-point win over the Panthers of EIU.
AT THE LINE FOR MILWAUKEE
Milwaukee is fourth in the Horizon League and 48th in NCAA Division I this season in free throw percentage, connecting on 76.1 percent from the charity stripe.
The Panthers are led by
Angie Cera, who is 37-for-38 on the season, while
Grace Crowley and
Anna Lutz are both is 18-for-21.
Jorey Buwalda has connected on a team-best 55 free throws on 69 attempts on the year while
Jada Donaldson is 12-for-15 this season as they are all above the team average.
DONALDSON'S ATR
Without any assists and one turnover against Detroit Mercy,
Jada Donaldson now has a 2.58 assist/turnover ratio this season and is second in the Horizon League. That number is well above her career average of 2.03 assists to turnovers, with 162 assists and 80 turnovers in 92 career games.
Donaldson is 29th in all of Division I with her 2.58 assist/turnover ratio, as the national leader is Taryn Sides at Kansas State with a 3.80 (76 assists/20 turnovers).
Milwaukee as a team has a 0.95 assist/turnover ratio (338 assists/356 turnovers), which is third-best in the Horizon League and 107th in the nation. Green Bay leads the conference with a 1.63 assist/turnover ratio.
TOPS IN MINUTES
Milwaukee has been able to rely heavily on its veteran leaders to help lead the way with four players averaging 29-plus minutes per game.
Kamy Peppler leads the team at 32.6 minutes per game followed by
Jada Donaldson at 32.3 minutes per contest.
Kendall Nead is third on the team at 30.4 minutes per contest, while
Angie Cera averages 29.1 minutes per game. All four Panthers are in the top-16 in the Horizon League in minutes per game.
PEPPLER FOR THREE
Thus far through team's first 21 games,
Kamy Peppler is tops in the Horizon League with an average of 2.2 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 12.5 points per game this year.
LAST THREE GAMES VS. SEASON TRENDS
  • Scoring Margin (Trending Up): Last Three: +7.3; Season: +5.6
  • FG Defense Percent (Up): Last Three: 35.2; Season: 39.3
  • Opponents Three-Point FG Percent (Up): Last Three: 23.7; Season: 29.4
  •
Jorey Buwalda Points (Up): Last Three: 10.0; Season: 8.6
  •
Angie Cera Points (Even): Last Three: 9.0; Season: 9.0
  •
Angie Cera Field Goal Percentage (Up): Last Three: 50.0; Season: 39.4
  •
Kamy Peppler Rebounding (Up): Last Three: 6.0; Season: 3.3
  •
Kamy Peppler Assists per Game (Up): Last Three: 7.3; Season: 5.0
  • Turnover Margin (Down): Last Three: -3.7; Season: -1.0
  • Offensive Rebounds Allowed (Down): Last Three: 13.7; Season: 10.6
  • Steals per Game (Down): Last Three: 4.0; Season: 6.7
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 this season, with double-digit offensive boards in 11 of their first 21 games including a season-best 20 against Viterbo on December 20. Milwaukee has scored 216 second chance points this year, including a season-high 22 second-chance points against Viterbo.
This season Milwaukee has earned more second-chance points than their opponents in 11 of their 21 matchups during the 2023-24 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 eight seasons, Milwaukee is 103-35 (.746) when hitting at least 40 percent from the field. Bump that field goal percentage to 43 percent and the Panthers are 88-18 (.830).
When shooting under 40 percent since 2016-17, Milwaukee is just 26-74 (.260). The Panthers are 1-6 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 9-1. On the contrary, the Panthers are 5-14 when they have committed 18 or more fouls in a contest.
KAMY IN KENTUCKY
Kamy Peppler helped Milwaukee snap its five-game losing skid at Northern Kentucky on Sunday afternoon, with a 24-point effort to help the Panthers to a 75-67 victory at Truist Arena.
In two career games when playing at Northern Kentucky, Peppler has shot 14-of-30 (46.7 percent) from the floor, while also connecting on half of her attempts from three (6-of-12). She has scored 40 total points on the road against NKU, while also securing a career-best seven rebounds at NKU in early January 2023.
CRASHING THE GLASS
In the January 5 matchup at Wright State, the Panthers had a season-best 48 rebounds, eclipsing its previous mark of 43 rebounds against Viterbo on December 20.
The last time Milwaukee had at least 48 rebounds in a single game came last season when MKE ripped down 56 boards in overtime win against Boise State. The last time the Panthers had at least 48 rebounds in a regulation game was on December 2, 2021, in a loss at Youngstown State at the Beeghly Center, while the last time Milwaukee won a regulation game with at least 48 rebounds was on March 19, 2021, with 51 rebounds against Drake in the WNIT.
DOUBLE-FIGURE STREAK
Reaching double figures in scoring for the first 14 games of the season,
Kendall Nead put together the longest run of double-digit scoring performances since former teammate
Megan Walstad had a stretch of 14 games during the 2021-22 season from January 8 to February 24.
Nead scored at least 10 points through the team's first 14 games, which had not been done to open a season since 2017-18 when Steph Kostowicz also opened the year with 14 consecutive games in double-figure scoring. Nead had her streak snapped against Cleveland State on January 1.
HISTORIC NIGHT VERSUS THE V-HAWKS
Milwaukee blitzed the Viterbo V-Hawks on December 20, recording a 100-37 victory in its non-conference finale at the Klotsche Center. The 63-point scoring margin was the largest margin of victory for the team in Division I program history, with the previous mark coming on February 2, 2002, against Youngstown State, when the Panthers won by a 100-46 score.
The 100-point mark for Milwaukee was the first time the Panthers had reached the century mark in a regulation contest since the dual with Youngstown State at home in 2002. In the showing against the Penguins, Milwaukee connected on a then program record of 14 three-pointers, while this time around against the V-Hawks the Panthers only had six three-pointers, while making 39-of-69 from the field overall.
The 39 field goals tied the program record of makes in a regulation contest, set back in the team's inaugural Division I season, when the team also made 39 against Northeastern Illinois on January 22, 1991. The overall program record is 46, during a double-overtime matchup against Bradley on December 4, 2012.
The defense stood up against the Viterbo offense, yielding just 37 points the fewest since the February 23, 2023, matchup at home against Purdue Fort Wayne that saw Milwaukee win by a 64-34 score. In that game, Milwaukee held the Mastodons to just 11 points in the first half to set a new program record, the Panthers nearly tied that mark as MKE allowed just 12 first-half points to Viterbo on December 20.
SWEET 17
For the first time in a regulation game, the Milwaukee Panthers connected on 17 three-pointers in a single game during the team's win over Central Michigan on November 25. It was the first time the Panthers had 17 in a single contest since December 4, 2012, when the team also had 17 in a double-overtime matchup against Bradley.
Milwaukee's previous mark for three-pointers in a regulation game was 16 on November 18, 2014, at North Dakota, while it was Milwaukee's most three-pointers in a home game in regulation since December 31, 2010, against Wright State with 15. Under
Kyle Rechlicz, the team's most three-pointers in a home regulation game was 14 against Cleveland State on February 11, 2017.
20/20 VISION
Milwaukee had its leading scorer score at least 20 points during the team's six-game stretch from November 12-25, including
Kamy Peppler against UIC (25),
Kendall Nead against Louisiana Monroe (21), and McNeese (38),
Jorey Buwalda against Mississippi Valley (20), Nead again against Edgewood (20), and
Anna Lutz versus Central Michigan (23).
It's the first time Milwaukee has had a leading scorer reach at least 20 points over a six-game stretch since the 2015-16 season, when Milwaukee had it happen in eight consecutive games. From mid-February to early March, Jenny Lindner had 23 points for Milwaukee versus Youngstown State, followed by Steph Kostowicz against Valparaiso (27), and UIC (24), Sierra Ford-Washington led Milwaukee against Northern Kentucky (24), and Wright State (26), followed by Lindner and Kostowicz with 32 each against Oakland, Lindner against Detroit Mercy (20), in postseason play against Wright State (31).
NEAD'S NIGHT IN LOUISIANA
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.
Nead connected on 17 field goals against McNeese as she tied the single-game record for field goals made in a game. She 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.
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.
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.
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.
WHAT'S ON TAP?
After the stand-alone game this week, Milwaukee heads back on the road beginning on Wednesday as the Panthers will take on Robert Morris to close out the month of January with a 6:00 p.m. (CT) start at the UPMC Events Center in Moon Township, Pennsylvania. After two days off Milwaukee will head to Youngstown State for a Saturday matinee with the opening tip taking place at 11:00 a.m. (CT) in Youngstown, Ohio for round two against the Penguins of Youngstown State.
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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