MILWAUKEE – Milwaukee looks to make it three-straight wins at home as the Panthers welcome the Robert Morris Colonials to the Klotsche Center for a 6:00 p.m. tip on Friday evening.

Friday'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 the game are available at MKEPanthers.com.
 
THE MATCHUP & GAME LINKS
Friday, Jan. 2 | Robert Morris at Milwaukee | Klotsche Center | Milwaukee, Wis. | 6:00 p.m. | ESPN+ / Live Stats | Tickets | Follow Along (on X)
 
QUICK NOTES
» Finishing non-conference play with back-to-back wins, Milwaukee was unable to make it three games in a row, falling 58-49 on Monday evening on the road at IU Indy.
» The Panthers return home to the Klotsche Center looking to make it three-straight home victories for the first time since the 2023-24 season, when the team won four-straight at home against Robert Morris (Jan. 11), Youngstown State (Jan. 13), Wright State (Jan. 26), and IU Indy (Feb. 8).
» In the loss at IU Indy, Jorey Buwalda recorded her third-straight double-double as she led the team with 19 points and 14 rebounds.
» The Panthers welcome Robert Morris to the Klotsche Center on Friday evening at 6:00 p.m., RMU is looking to bounce back after a stunning home loss to Oakland. The Golden Grizzlies finished the game on an 11-point run to erase an eight-point fourth-quarter deficit for a three-point win.
» Bailey Kuhns led RMU in the loss with 23 points and 12 rebounds, her first double-double as a Colonial since transferring from Mercyhurst, where she had played the previous three seasons.
» Robert Morris won both meetings against Milwaukee a season ago, by a combined seven points. Last year at the Klotsche Center, RMU used a big fourth quarter to defeat the Panthers, 58-52, to finish the season sweep after narrowly edging the Panthers 56-55 at the UPMC Events Center earlier in the season on Dec. 7.
» Milwaukee is 8-3 all-time against the Colonials, including a 6-1 record in games played at Milwaukee. The lone loss coming a season ago.

QUICK LOOK AT ROBERT MORRIS
Picked to finish second in this season's Horizon League preseason poll, Robert Morris is right at the top of the standings with just one loss thus far in league competition. The loss came in RMU's most recent contest against Oakland at home, the Colonials led by a game-best eight points at 58-50 with 3:35 left in the game, before an 11-point Golden Grizzly run to finish the game sealed the win for Oakland.

Bailey Kuhns had her first double-double as a Colonial in the loss, finishing with 23 points and 12 rebounds, Kuhns transferred to RMU from Mercyhurst. Kuhns had five double-doubles a season ago with the Lakers and had another three as a sophomore during Mercyhurst's final Division II season.

The Colonials are a defensive force thus far on the season and are second in the Horizon League and 60th among all Division I programs allowing just 57.4 points per game. RMU is also within the top 50 in Division I in blocks per game (4.6), free throw percentage (77.4), defensive rebounds per game (29.2), and three-point defense (24.2 percent).

ROBERT MORRIS – PLAYERS TO WATCH
Aislin Malcolm – 12 GP / 12 GS, 26.3 MPG, 11.8 PPG, 4.4 RPG, 28 AST
Bailey Kuhns – 12 GP / 12 GS, 22.4 MPG, 11.0 PPG, 6.1 RPG, 12 AST
Myriam Traoere – 12 GP / 9 GS, 27.4 MPG, 8.8 PPG, 5.1 RPG, 14 STL, 16 BLK
Noa Givon – 12 GP / 6 GS, 24.0 MPG, 8.3 PPG, 2.6 RPG, 25 AST

UP NEXT
Milwaukee hosts Cleveland State on Sunday afternoon at 2:00 p.m. before heading on the road against Detroit Mercy (Jan. 8), Oakland (Jan. 10), and Northern Kentucky (Jan. 14).

LAST MEETING
In their most recent meeting late last season, the Panthers held a 47-39 lead after three quarters of play before Robert Morris outscored Milwaukee 19-5 in the fourth quarter to win 58-52. Eight of the 19 Colonial points in the fourth quarter came from the free throw line as the Panthers committed seven fouls in the period.

Among Milwaukee's returners, Jorey Buwalda, Payton Rechlicz, and Izzy Pugh each scored two points, and Grace Lomen added a free throw. Jada Lee leads all Robert Morris returners after a 10-point performance on Feb. 6.

ON THIS DATE
Milwaukee enters this year's Jan. 2 on a two-game winning streak, defeating Wright State a season ago and Detroit Mercy in 2021. Overall, the Panthers are 6-4 in games played on Jan. 2, including a 4-3 mark in Horizon League contests.

In last year's game, Milwaukee upended Wright State, 75-50, which included a 37-17 halftime lead. Kacee Baumhower led the Panthers with 18 points as she faced her former team prior to transferring to Milwaukee.

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

With double doubles in three consecutive games played from Dec. 10 through Dec. 29, Jorey Buwalda becomes just the 18th player in program history to record double-doubles in three-straight. The program record is six, set by Avyanna Young from Feb. 21 through Mar. 12 in 2014. Recently, Megan Walstad had a streak of four-straight games from Jan. 8 through Jan. 16, 2021.

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.
• Dec. 29, 2025 at IU Indy – 19 Pts, 14 Reb.

MIXING & MATCHING
Milwaukee has used nine different starting lineups through the first 14 games this season, while 12 of the 13 active players on this season's roster have started in at least one game, Kendall Barnes is the most recent Panther to make her first career start on Dec. 29, 2025, at IU Indy.

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).

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 499 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 – 819 (Dec. 16, 1999–Present)*
3. BYU – 808 (Feb. 26, 2000–Present)*
4. South Alabama – 769 (Feb. 2000–Present)*
5. Milwaukee – 715 (Nov. 29, 2002–Present)*
6. Dayton – 697 (Jan. 2, 2001–Jan. 17, 2024)
* Active streaks (through Dec. 30, 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 119-45 (.726). When shooting 43 percent or better, the Panthers improve to 102-25 (.803). When shooting below 40 percent, Milwaukee is 27-102 (.209).

KEEPING THE FOULS DOWN
Since 2022-23, Milwaukee is 13-2 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 23-21 when scoring more than 25 points in the paint and 5-30 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 38.7 percent (142-367) in first halves, 39.7 percent (149-375) 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 1-4 in single-digit games.