MILWAUKEE – Saturday afternoon will be Milwaukee's final home game in the calendar year of 2025 and will pit the Panthers against the Wisconsin Lutheran Warriors in what will also be Milwaukee's non-conference finale of the 2025-26 season. Game time on Saturday is set for 12:00 p.m. inside the Klotsche Center.

Saturday's game will be broadcast on ESPN+ with Matt Menzl on the air to call all the action, links for the broadcast as well as live stats of available at MKEPanthers.com.
 
THE MATCHUP & GAME LINKS
Saturday, Dec. 20 | Wisconsin Lutheran at Milwaukee | Klotsche Center | Milwaukee, Wis. | 12:00 p.m. | ESPN+ / Live Stats | Tickets | Follow Along (on X)
 
QUICK NOTES
» The Panthers are looking to string together consecutive wins for the first time this season following Sunday's non-conference win over Ripon, 72-43, at the Klotsche Center.
» Four players scored in double figures for the Panthers including a game-high 14 from Payton Rechlicz. Jorey Buwalda had a double-double with 10 points and 17 rebounds, while Grace Lomen and Izzy Pugh each scored 10.
» In the win over Ripon, Milwaukee had a season-high in three-point attempts with 13, while the team also had season bests in rebounds (46), assists (21), and blocks (11).
» Like Ripon on Sunday, Wisconsin Lutheran is receiving votes in both the WBCA Coaches Poll as well as the D3Hoops.com Poll, last week the Warriors were ranked 25th in the WBCA poll and were replaced by Ripon in the No. 25 slot.
» Wisconsin Lutheran enters play this week with a 6-2 mark and enter off a loss to Platteville on Saturday evening at the Historic Time of Grace Center in nearby Wauwatosa. The Pioneers edged the Warriors, 63-57, as WLC was led by 13 points from both Margie Stevens and Abby Cole.
» This will be the first-ever meeting in the regular season between Milwaukee and Wisconsin Lutheran, the teams met in a preseason exhibition matchup on Nov. 3, 2013, an 89-62 win for the Panthers.
» Typically, when Division I and Division III team's meet on the court, the game for the Division III team does not count. However, this one will for Wisconsin Lutheran, as the Warriors lost a regular season NACC matchup to Alverno as the Inferno were unable to field a basketball team this season.

QUICK LOOK AT WISCONSIN LUTHERAN
Garnering 16 first-place votes between the league's coaches and sports information personnel, Wisconsin Lutheran topped the preseason poll in the Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference with 327 points. The defending NACC Champions are looking to return to the NCAA Division III Championship for the 14th time since the 2007-08 season.

Head coach Klay Knueppel has built a powerhouse over his 22 seasons with 425 wins against just 147 losses, including 12 20-win seasons including back-to-back years entering this campaign. This year's squad loves getting to the free throw line, ranking in the top 65 in free throw makes and free throw attempts per game. The Warriors also feature a top-50 defense in Division III, yielding 52.8 points per game.

Jayden Hill ranks among the national leaders in several categories, notably 27th steals per game at 3.5 per game. Abby Cole is one of the toughest on the offensive glass and is 35th nationally with 4.5 offensive boards a night. At 14.9 points per game, Margie Stevens ranks just inside the top 200 among all Division III players.

WLC has rattled off three wins against teams receiving votes in the national polls including Trine in the season opener, as well as Gustavus Adolphus and Wartburg in its home tournament in Mid-November. The two Warrior losses to Loras and Platteville have been by a combined nine points, while its 3-0 mark in league games have been won by a combined 111 points, an average of 37 per game. The team also has a forfeit win in the standings against Alverno, who is not fielding a team in its final season in the NACC.

WISCONSIN LUTHERAN – PLAYERS TO WATCH
Margie Stevens – 8 GP / 8 GS, 25.8 MPG, 14.9 PPG, 5.1 RPG, 12 AST, 11 STL, 11 BLK
Abby Cole – 8 GP / 8 GS, 25.8 MPG, 13.8 PPG, 8.1 RPG, 12 AST, 7 STL
Kenly Frey – 8 GP / 8 GS, 27.5 MPG, 10.5 PPG, 3.8 RPG, 18 AST, 11 STL
Jayden Hill – 8 GP, 8 GS, 26.1 MPG, 9.1 PPG, 6.8 RPG, 31 AST, 28 STL

UP NEXT
Milwaukee returns exclusively to Horizon League play for the remainder of the season beginning on Monday, Dec. 29, when the Panthers head to Indiana for the fourth time this season, this time to take on the IU Indy Jaguars at 5:30 p.m. inside The Jungle.

LAST MEETING
This is the first-ever regular season meeting between Milwaukee and Wisconsin Lutheran, the fourth first-time opponent for Milwaukee this season and second consecutive following the team's matchup against Ripon. With their win over the Red Hawks on Saturday, the Panthers are 3-0 in all-time matchups against Division III programs since joining the Division I level prior to the 1990-91 season.

LIGHTS, CAMERA, NACCTION
This is the second time in program history that Milwaukee will be taking on a team from the Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference. The first came two seasons ago, when the Panthers hosted Edgewood on Nov. 21, 2023, coming out on top by a 70-50 score. Among the players still on the team, Jorey Buwalda started and scored 12 points in the win against the Eagles, while Jada Williams scored three points in 13 minutes off the bench.

ON THIS DATE
Milwaukee enters with a 3-3 record in games played on Dec. 20 entering Saturday's matchup versus Wisconsin Lutheran. The Panthers are 3-1 in their last four games on this date, including a win in their last game against Viterbo during the 2023-24 season.

In the win over the V-Hawks, Milwaukee posted its largest margin of victory in program history at 63 following the 100-37 win. Dec. 20, 2023, was the last time the Panthers scored 100 points in a game, including a program record 63 points in the second half. The game also featured 39 field goal makes by Milwaukee, a program-best for regulation contests.

A DOZEN THREES IN CONSECUTIVE GAMES
Milwaukee made 13 three-pointers on Dec. 10 at Purdue Fort Wayne and followed that up with 12 more on Dec. 14 against Ripon, it's the first time that Milwaukee has made at least a dozen three-pointers in consecutive games since late February 2013. The Panthers had 12 at Valparaiso (Feb. 21, 2013) and 12 at Wright State (Feb. 23, 2013).

Twenty-five three-pointers over a two-game span is the most for the Panthers since earlier in the 2012-13 season, with a combined 25 coming from 11 three-pointers at Toledo (Dec. 8, 2012) and 14 more the following game at DePaul (Dec. 11, 2012).

DOUBLE-DOUBLES FOR BUWALDA
Jorey Buwalda entered her junior season with two career double-doubles and has added three more in 2025-26, recording them against Loyola Chicago and Valparaiso. Her 17 rebounds at Valpo and versus Ripon marked new career highs.

Buwalda Career Double-Doubles
• Nov. 18, 2023 vs. Mississippi Valley State – 20 Pts, 12 Reb
• Jan. 7, 2024 at Northern Kentucky – 18 Pts, 12 Reb
• Nov. 3, 2025 vs. Loyola Chicago – 18 Pts, 14 Reb
• Nov. 16, 2025 at Valparaiso – 15 Pts, 17 Reb
• Dec. 10, 2025 at Purdue Fort Wayne – 20 Pts, 10 Reb
• Dec. 14, 2025 vs. Ripon – 10 Pts, 17 Reb.

BACK-TO-BACK-TO-BACK FOR THE FRESHMAN
True freshman Tierney Madigan has scored in double figures in three straight games—10 against Pacific, 13 vs. UC Davis, and 17 against Youngstown State. She is the first true freshman to do so since Jorey Buwalda in 2023-24.

The last Milwaukee freshman with four straight double-digit games was Megan Walstad in 2018-19, a stretch that included a longer run of seven consecutive double-figure scoring games from Nov. 13 to Dec. 7, 2018.

GOMES IN THE FOURTH
Rita Gomes hit three three-pointers in the fourth quarter against UC Davis on Nov. 29. It was her second such performance this season after doing the same on Nov. 23 at Butler.

The last Panther with at least three threes in a single quarter was Jada Donaldson, who hit three in the first quarter at Detroit Mercy on Feb. 13, 2025. The last to do so in the fourth quarter was Angie Cera in Milwaukee's 93-87 overtime win vs. Wright State on Jan. 26, 2024.

FOUR STEALS, ONE GAME
Three different Panthers have tallied four-steal games this season:
• Sophia Rampulla vs. Marquette (Nov. 19)
• Valerie Cassidy-De Falco vs. Pacific (Nov. 28)
• Tierney Madigan vs. UC Davis (Nov. 29)

No Panther has recorded more than four steals since Feb. 19, 2021, when Miquela Santoro had six against UIC.

BIG REBOUNDING EFFORTS
In Milwaukee's win over Valparaiso on Nov. 16, Jorey Buwalda grabbed a career-best 17 rebounds, becoming the first Panther with at least 15 boards since Megan Walstad pulled down 16 on Jan. 20, 2023, against Robert Morris, Buwalda did so again with 17 rebounds against Ripon on Dec. 14.

On the other side, UC Davis' Megan Norris became the first opposing player with 15 or more rebounds against Milwaukee since Marquette's Chloe Marotta had 16 on Nov. 13, 2022.

OVERTIME WIN VS. VALPARAISO
Milwaukee and Valparaiso went to overtime for the third time in series history on Nov. 17. The Panthers scored 12 points in the extra session—their most in an OT period since Nov. 4, 2024, at St. Thomas (14 points). Grace Lomen scored 10 of Milwaukee's 12 overtime points, becoming the first Panther with double-digit points in an overtime period since Angela Rodriguez had 11 on Dec. 4, 2012.

COMEBACK WIN
On Nov. 17, Milwaukee erased a 31-29 halftime deficit to defeat Valparaiso 72-67. It marked the team's first comeback win of the season and extended a streak of at least one comeback win every season since 1995-96. The program record for comeback wins in a season is seven (2016-17 and 2019-20).

IN OVERTIME
Last season, Milwaukee set a program record by appearing in four overtime games and now holds a 22-27 record in games extending beyond regulation since joining Division I in 1990-91. The Panthers have played three overtime season openers—defeating Parkside in 2019-20 and falling to Ball State (2021-22) and St. Thomas (2024-25). Milwaukee is 1-0 in overtime in 2025-26.

FIRST YEAR HEAD COACHES
Milwaukee faced four first-year head coaches in its first five games:
• Jacey Brooks (Northern Illinois)
• Robin Pingeton (Wisconsin)
• Kate Achter (Western Michigan)
• Courtney Boyd (Valparaiso)

Two head coaches are new to the Horizon League this year as well: Kiefer Haffey (Detroit Mercy) and Keisha Newell (Oakland).

ONE-POINT GAMES
With its loss to Western Michigan on Nov. 13, Milwaukee fell to 21-19 all-time in one-point games, including a 12-9 record at home. The Panthers' last one-point win came on Nov. 26, 2022, against Boise State in overtime (55-54). Their last one-point win in regulation—and last at home—was on Jan. 13, 2018, against Youngstown State (62-61).

FRESHMAN SUCCESS AT NORTHERN ILLINOIS
In Milwaukee's win at NIU, the Panthers were led by freshmen Kendall Barnes (17 points) and Madison Fitzgibbon (15 points).

The last time two Milwaukee freshmen scored at least 15 points in the same game was Jan. 2, 2011, vs. Detroit Mercy (Angela Rodriguez 15, Courtney Lindfors 15). The last time two players reached double figures in the same game was Dec. 29, 2022, also against Detroit Mercy (Anna Lutz 11, Kamy Peppler 10).

TRUE FRESHMAN STARTER IN SEASON OPENER
Against Loyola Chicago, Madison Fitzgibbon became just the 18th true freshman to start a season opener for Milwaukee since joining Division I in 1990-91, and the first since 2022-23.

THAT'S AN ODD NUMBER
It's actually an even number, but Rita Gomes—who wears No. 16—became the first player in Milwaukee program history to wear a digit outside the traditional 0–5 range. The NCAA lifted restrictions on numbers 6–9 prior to the 2023-24 season.

CLOSING IN ON 500
Milwaukee currently has 498 wins at the Division I level, dating back to its inaugural 1990-91 season. MA Kelling led the program with 57 wins over the first five years, Jenny Sell recorded four wins in 1995-96, Sandy Botham totaled 245 wins, and current head coach Kyle Rechlicz has added 191.

PANTHERS FOR THREE
In January 2025, Iowa State's NCAA Division I record-breaking streak of 945 consecutive games with a made three-pointer ended against Texas Tech. With the Cyclones' streak stopped, Milwaukee now owns the fourth-longest active streak in Division I.

All-Time Streaks
1. Iowa State – 945 (Feb. 19, 1995–Jan. 11, 2025)
2. Chattanooga – 817 (Dec. 16, 1999–Present)*
3. BYU – 807 (Feb. 26, 2000–Present)*
4. South Alabama – 767 (Feb. 2000–Present)*
5. Milwaukee – 713 (Nov. 29, 2002–Present)*
6. Dayton – 697 (Jan. 2, 2001–Jan. 17, 2024)
* Active streaks (through Dec. 17, 2025)

TEN FOR THREE
After posting only three games with 10+ three-pointers in 2023-24, Milwaukee rebounded with eight such games in 2024-25 and has two thus far in 2025-26. Under Kyle Rechlicz, the Panthers have recorded at least 10 threes in a game 73 times.

MAGIC NUMBER
Since 2016-17, when Milwaukee shoots at least 40 percent from the field, it is 118-45 (.724). When shooting 43 percent or better, the Panthers improve to 101-25 (.801). When shooting below 40 percent, Milwaukee is 27-101 (.211).

KEEPING THE FOULS DOWN
Since 2022-23, Milwaukee is 12-2 when committing 11 or fewer fouls. Conversely, the Panthers are 11-33 when committing 18 or more.

IN THE PAINT
Since the start of the 2023-24 season, Milwaukee is 22-21 when scoring more than 25 points in the paint and 5-29 when scoring fewer than 25.

BALANCING THE FIRST AND SECOND HALVES
Last season, Milwaukee shot 39.6 percent (354-896) in first halves and 39.3 percent (338-862) in second halves. In overtime, the Panthers shot 7-of-30 (23.3 percent).

This season, Milwaukee is shooting 38.1 percent (119-312) in first halves, 39.3 percent (128-325) in second halves, and 33.3 percent (2-6) in overtime.

CLOSE GAMES
Last season, Milwaukee went 3-14 in games decided by nine points or fewer. The Panthers' three wins came in both home and road victories over IU Indy and a home win over Youngstown State. In 2025-26, the Panthers are 1-3 in single-digit games.