MILWAUKEE – Wrapping up its last two-game Horizon League trip of the 2024-25 regular season, the Milwaukee women's basketball team heads to the O'Rena in Rochester, Michigan to take on the Oakland Golden Grizzlies on Saturday afternoon at 1:00 p.m. (CT).
 
Milwaukee's audio stream will also be available on the Black & Gold Network, as Matt Menzl returns for his ninth season with the program. Fans can also find the audio stream on the 'Varsity Network' App (available in the App Store & Google Play). All links, including live stats and the link to video on ESPN+, provided by Oakland, can be found on MKEPanthers.com.
 
THE MATCHUP
Saturday, Feb. 15 – Milwaukee at Oakland | Athletics Center O'Rena | Rochester, Mich. | 1:00 pm (CT)
 
QUICK LINKS
Listen on Black & Gold Network: mkepanthers.com/coverage
Listen on Varsity Network: App Store & Google Play
Live Stats: mkepanthers.com/coverage
Watch on ESPN+: mkepanthers.com/coverage
Tickets: Oakland Ticket Page
Follow Along (On X): @MKE_WBB
 
QUICK NOTES
» Milwaukee continues the weekend trip to Michigan to take on the Oakland Golden Grizzlies on Saturday afternoon at the Athletics Center O'Rena at 1:00 p.m. (CT).
» The Panthers come in off a four-point loss to Detroit Mercy on Thursday evening, falling by a 50-46 score to the Titans. Jada Donaldson led Milwaukee with 13 points, including 11 in the first quarter.
» It was an ice cold shooting performance for the Panthers, who connected on a season-low 27.8 percent (15-54). Milwaukee has not won a game yet this season when shooting below 40.7 percent (Win vs. Youngstown State on Feb. 8).
» Defensively, the Panthers were up to the task as the Titans shot just 34.5 percent on Thursday, the fifth-best defensive performance for Milwaukee this season when looking at opponent field goal percentage.
» Oakland enters Saturday's game on a three-game skid including a Thursday loss to Green Bay by a 75-39 score.
» In the loss, Kylie Buckley led Oakland with eight points off the bench, while the team's leading scorer Maddy Skorup-ski was held to 1-of-10 from the field and finished the game with three points.
» Defensively, the Golden Grizzlies struggled as Green Bay knocked down 50.8 percent from the field. The number was the third best percentage against Oakland, following Cleveland State (65.1 percent) and Indiana (55.4 percent).
» Milwaukee is 6-5 at the O'Rena and are 15-12 in all-time meetings against Oakland. The Panthers are 4-2 in their last six trips to Rochester including a 67-51 win during the 2023-24 season.

LOOKING AT OAKLAND
Oakland has an 8-16 overall record and a 6-9 mark in Horizon League games entering play on Saturday afternoon. The Golden Grizzlies have four wins at home and four wins on the road this season, including their 75-72 overtime victory over Milwaukee on Jan. 16. Maddy Skorupski had the game-tying shot with 1.7 seconds left in regulation. Oakland outscored Milwaukee 8-5 in the extra session to record the three-point win.

In Milwaukee, the Grizzlies had a season-best 41.7 percent from three (10-for-24), while finishing the game one shy of their three-point high for the season with 11 against Cleary. Oakland is 7-2 when knocking down at least 35 percent from distance and is 8-2 this season when shooting 40 percent or better from the field overall.

On the losing end of the spectrum, Oakland has lost six games by 30 or more points, including its 36-point defeat to Green Bay on Thursday. Oakland is ninth in the Horizon League in scoring (60.4 ppg) and allows the second-most points defensively (72.9 ppg), a recipe for being last in the league in scoring margin (-12.5 ppg), the next closest is IU Indy at -9.4 ppg.

The Golden Grizzlies have also struggled this season on the glass, averaging just 31.4 boards per contest, while allowing 40.6 per contest, a difference of -9.2, worst in the league by a considerable margin, as IU Indy is 10th at -4.8. However, Oakland is third in the league at preventing teams to clean shots with 3.38 blocks per game, which includes 24 this season from Madison Royal-Davis and 22 from Lianna Baxter. Skorupski is also tops in the league with an average of three steals per game, and has 73 overall this season, 19 more that Sydney Freeman of Purdue Fort Wayne.

Skorupski is also third in the league in scoring, averaging 16.2 points per game, including a season-high 38 at home against Detroit Mercy on Feb. 1. Macy Smith is also in the top 10 in the Horizon League in scoring, averaging 12.7 points per game including a season-high 25 twice this year including at Milwaukee on Jan. 16 and at Cleveland State on Feb. 8

UP NEXT
Milwaukee returns home to the Klotsche Center on Wednesday evening, when the Panthers welcome the IU Indy Jaguars for a 6:00 p.m. start. The Panthers will look for the season sweep of the Jaguars following a 66-62 win over IU Indy at The Jungle on Jan. 29.

ALL-TIME IN ASSISTS
Kamy Peppler has a total of 383 assists, currently placing her fifth on the all-time list in Panther history. She is currently 47 behind fourth place, occupied by Angela Rodriguez with 430. The all-time mark in Panther history is held by Pam Bartnik, who finished her career with 469 assists from 1990-94.

With her seven assists on Jan. 16 vs. Oakland, Peppler crossed over the 100-assist plateau for the season, accomplishing the feat in each of her three seasons at Milwaukee. Should Peppler hold onto her team lead, she will become the first Panther since Jen Greger to lead the team for three consecutive seasons with 100+ assists, Greger had 129 in 1994-95, 109 in 1995-96, and 123 in 1996-97.

TOPS IN THE HORIZON
Three Panthers are leading the way in the Horizon League in several statistical categories entering play this weekend. Kamy Peppler leads the HL in assists (130) and is second in assists per game (4.8), while Anna Lutz is third in the league in blocks (29) and in blocks per game (1.1).

Kacee Baumhower is among the league leaders in field goal attempts with 299, field goals made (110), free throws made (79), free throws attempted (96), and points scored (346).

DOUBLE-DIGIT GETTERS
This season, Milwaukee has had 60 instances of players scoring double digits in a game including Kacee Baumhower (17) and Anna Lutz (17) leading the team. Kamy Peppler has accomplished double digits in points 10 times in 2024-25.

The Panthers have also had five double-digit scoring efforts Jorey Buwalda and four from Jada Donaldson. Payton Rechlicz has done so four times, and both Kallie Peppler and Izzy Pugh reaching double digits once each this season.

CAREER GAMES PLAYED AT MILWAUKEE
1. McKaela Schmelzer (2017-22) – 148
2. Alyssa Fischer (2015-20) – 134
3. Jada Donaldson (2020-Present) – 130
4. Jenny Lindner (2014-18) – 128

PUTTING UP THE POINTS
Kacee Baumhower has been putting up large point totals for the Panthers with 20+ point performances in six contests this season.

With her sixth performance of 20+ points in a game on Feb. 1 versus Cleveland State, Baumhower tied Kendall Nead's mark from the 2023-24 season.

The last time a Panther had at least seven games of 20+ points in a game came back in 2016-17, when Milwaukee had both Jenny Lindner (eight times), and Steph Kostowicz (seven times) both reached 20+ points in a game seven-plus times that season.

LEADING IN POINTS AND REBOUNDS
On Feb. 8, Anna Lutz led Milwaukee with 20 points and eight rebounds, the fifth time she has done so this season. Other than Lutz, only Jorey Buwalda at Northern Kentucky on Jan. 23 has done so in a single game this season.

FRESHMAN OF THE WEEK
On Feb. 3, Milwaukee had its first in-season award winner of the 2024-25 season as Payton Rechlicz was named Horizon League Freshman of the Week.

Last week Rechlicz shot 60.0 percent from the field, and 100 percent from three. She finished the week with four free throws, eight rebounds, a pair of assists, and a steal.

She becomes the third active player to earn Freshman of the Week honors, joining Jorey Buwalda, who earned the honor three times in 2023-24 and Kamy Peppler, who was named the top rookie during two separate weeks of the 2022-23 campaign.

1,000 FOR BAUMHOWER
In scoring the first four points of the game for Milwaukee against IU Indy on Jan. 29, Kacee Baumhower reached 1,000 for her career. Baumhower has now scored 292 points for the Panthers entering the month of February, coupled with her three points at St. Bonaventure and 714 points at Wright State.

Baumhower becomes the third player to reach 1,000 points in a Panther uniform the past two seasons as she joins Kendall Nead who scored all 1,043 points with Milwaukee, while Vanessa Jurewicz also scored her 1,000th point with MKE early in 2023-24 following a junior college career.

JOINING THE 100 STEAL CLUB
With four steals to tie her career high on Jan. 16 vs. Oakland, Kamy Peppler reached the 100-steal mark for her career. To break into the top-10, Peppler will need another 26 steals this season, as the 10th place occupant is Maria Viall with 137 career steals. The all-time leader is Pam Bartnik with 268 steals in a Panther career.

BUWALDA WITH A NEW CAREER HIGH
Jorey Buwalda had a career-best eight field goal makes in the team's matchup at Northern Kentucky on Jan. 23, eclipsing her previous career-high of six set back on Nov. 23, 2023, against Mississippi Valley State. During both contests, she scored a career-best 20 points.

CAREER DAY FOR LUTZ VS. OAKLAND
On Jan. 16 vs. Oakland, Anna Lutz had a career afternoon as she finished the game with 30 points on 13 field goal makes. Her 30-point performance were the 40th occurrence in Milwaukee basketball history, and first since former teammate Kendall Nead had 38 points against McNeese State on Nov. 17, 2023. Her 13 field goal makes is also tied for sixth in program history in a single game.

In five career games against Oakland, Lutz has shot 33-of-44 (75.0 percent) from the field, 7-of-12 (58.3 percent) from three, and has 73 points and 23 rebounds when facing the Golden Grizzlies.

PEPPLER'S DOUBLE DOUBLES
Against Carroll, American, and Wright State, Kamy Peppler recorded the first three double-doubles of her career. While double-doubles are common among points and rebounds, Peppler's came with points and assists; 11 points/10 assists vs. Carroll, 14 points/10 assists vs. American, 11 points/11 assists vs. Wright State.

It was the first time that a Panther had a points-assists double-double since Jaleesa Armstrong had 23 points and 10 assists at Detroit Mercy on Jan. 7, 2015. With her 11-assist effort against Wright State on Jan. 2, she becomes just the second different player to have a points/assists double-double with more than 10 assists, Pam Bartnik had a 14-point/13-assist double-double in the 1992-93 season, and a 12-point/14-assist double-double on in 1993-94.

Peppler is now tied for second in single-season points/assists double-doubles with Angela Rodriguez, who had three during the 2013-14 season. The record is currently four held by Bartnik during the 1993-94 campaign.

PANTHERS FOR THREE
In early January, Iowa State had its NCAA Division I record-setting streak of 945 consecutive games with a three-point basket stopped by Texas Tech. With the Cyclones failing to convert, Milwaukee now takes over the third longest active streak in which it has made at least one three-point basket in 696 games.

All-Time Streaks
1. Iowa State – 945 (1995-2025)
2. Chattanooga – 799 (1999-Present) *
3. South Alabama – 751 (2000-Present) *
4. Dayton – 697 (2001-2024)
5. Milwaukee – 696 (2002-Present) *
* - Active Streak (through Feb. 13, 2025)

CAN'T GET MUCH CLOSER
Following the team's four-point win over IU Indy on Jan. 29 and adding a five-point win over Youngstown State on Feb. 8, Milwaukee recorded its first two wins in games decided by nine points or fewer. The Panthers are now 2-14 in games decided by three or fewer possessions, including four overtime losses.

Since Dec. 22 Milwaukee has had 12 of its last 14 games decided by single digits, including the last nine games dating back to the team's Jan. 16 game at home against Oakland. Seven of the team's nine most games have been decided by two or fewer scores.

TEN FOR THREE
After accomplishing the deed of 10 three-point makes in a game just three times in 2023-24, the Panthers have already done so six times in 2024-25. Milwaukee knocked down 10 three against Carroll on Nov. 6, 11 in the Nov. 14 win over Valparaiso, another 10 against Northern Illinois on Nov. 24, 11 at Cleveland State on Dec. 29, and a season-best 13 against Wright State on Jan. 2 and at home against Cleveland State on Feb. 1. The team has reached double-digit threes 69 times since Kyle Rechlicz has taken over as head coach.

FROM DISTANCE
After starting the season shooting 37.0 (30-for-81) percent from three over the first four games, the Panthers have struggled from distance the last 23 games connecting on just 29.8 percent (164-for-550).

The Panthers had a season-best nine three pointers in the opening half against Cleveland State on Feb. 1, followed by three halves this season with seven three-point makes including the second half against Robert Morris (Dec. 7), first half against Cleveland State (Dec. 29), and first half against Wright State (Jan. 2).

Milwaukee has been kept off the scoresheet from distance in two halves this season, the second half against Air Force (Nov. 28), and the second half against Youngstown State (Dec. 4).

BALANCING THE FIRST AND SECOND HALVES
Overall, this season Milwaukee has been consistent in its shooting by making 39.5 percent (300-for-759) of its shots in the first half and 39.6 percent (287-for-724) in the second half. In overtime, the Panthers are 7-for-30 (23.3 percent).

IN OVERTIME
With the team's four overtime losses this season, Milwaukee is now 21-27 in all-time overtime games since joining the Division I level prior to the 1990-91 season. The Panthers have gone to overtime on three occasions in season openers, winning 84-77 over Parkside in 2019-20, and falling to Ball State by an 84-75 score to begin the 2021-22 campaign.

This season is the 13th time in program history that the Panthers have had multiple overtime games in one season, most recently during the 2020-21 season. With four games going beyond the allotted 40 minutes, the 2024-25 season has seen the most overtime games in one season in program history. The previous record was three set on six occasions (2008-09, 2007-08, 2006-07, 2005-06, 1999-2000, and 1996-97).

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. Since 2016-17, Milwaukee is 114-44 (.722) when hitting at least 40 percent from the field. Bump that field goal percentage to 43 percent and the Panthers are 97-24 (.802).

When shooting under 40 percent, Milwaukee is 26-91 (.222).

KEEPING THE FOULS DOWN
Since the 2022-23 season, when Milwaukee has committed 11 fouls or fewer, the Panthers are 12-2. On the contrary, the Panthers are 8-29 when they have committed 18 or more fouls in a contest.

IN THE PAINT
In 2023-24, when Milwaukee scored more than 25 points in the paint the Panthers had a 12-7 record, while the team was 4-11 when scoring fewer than 25 points in the paint.

This year, the Panthers are 5-9 thus far on the season when scoring 25 or more points in the paint. Milwaukee is 1-12 when scoring fewer than 25 points in the paint, with a season-low 11 against Green Bay on Dec. 11. The Panthers picked up the win over Wright State on Jan. 2 while scoring 24 points in the paint.

OFFENSIVE BOARDS TURNING INTO POINTS
Dating back to the 2022-23 season, the Panthers have pulled down double-digits in offensive rebounds in 35 of their 73 games and scored 690 second-chance points. Last season, the Panthers had a season-best 20 offensive rebounds against Viterbo and eclipsed that mark with 21 in the team's Nov. 4 matchup to open the 2024-25 season at St. Thomas.

HIGH SHOOTING PERCENTAGE, WRONG RESULT
Milwaukee shot 45.8 percent (27-of-59) from the field in the Jan. 4 loss to Northern Kentucky, the team's highest shooting percentage in a loss this season. It was the team's highest shooting percentage in a loss since last season, when the Panthers also shot 45.8 percent (22-of-48) at home against Oakland on Feb. 24, 2024.

LOW, LOW, LOW
After holding Central Michigan to just 26.2 percent from the field, Milwaukee's defense topped that performance on Jan. 2 against Wright State as the Raiders finished the game shooting 26.0 percent (19-for-73). The mark was the lowest since the Panthers' historic performance against Detroit Mercy on Dec. 29, 2022, where the Titans finished with a .175 shooting percentage (7-for-40).

Wright State also shot 4-of-28 from three, which was also a season-best by the Panther defense as WSU finished at 14.4 percent. Last season, Milwaukee held Robert Morris (Jan. 11) and Cleveland State (Feb. 17) to identical 2-for-19 performances (10.5 percent).

FREQUENT FLIER MILES
Since Milwaukee played three consecutive games at home from Nov. 6 through Nov. 14, the Panthers have played nine of its next 11 games away from home. In total the team will travel 9,123 miles beginning with the team's trip to Madison to take on Wisconsin on Nov. 17 and wrapping up with the team's trip to the Wolstein Center in Cleveland against Cleveland State on Dec. 29.

By comparison, the Panthers will travel an estimated approximately 2,978 miles the rest of the season, which includes trips to Purdue Fort Wayne, Northern Kentucky, Wright State, IU Indy, Detroit Mercy, Oakland, and Green Bay.

FREE THROW FRENZY
Against Valparaiso on Nov. 14, the Panthers took 37 trips to the free throw line and converted 29.

It was the first time that Milwaukee made 29 free throws in a game since Dec. 30, 2006, when they made 29 against UIC at the Klotsche Center. It was the first time the Panthers took 37 free throw attempts in a game since the team also had 37 against Columbia at home on Nov. 16, 2018.

NINETY IN NON-OVERTIME
On Nov. 14 against Valparaiso, Milwaukee put 90 points on the scoreboard, which was the first time that the team had scored 90 points against a Division I opponent since last season's overtime win against Wright State on Jan. 26 (93-87).

The last time the Panthers scored 90 points in a regulation game against a Division I opponent was on Feb. 23, 2018, in a 90-45 win at home against Detroit Mercy.

50 BOARDS
After coming within five rebounds on three occasions in 2023-24, including a season-best 49 against Wright State on Jan. 26, the team posted 50 rebounds in the 2024-25 season opener against St. Thomas. It was the first time Milwaukee had 50 rebounds in a game since the team had 56 in a neutral site matchup against Boise State on Nov. 27, 2022.

CLOSING IN ON 500
Milwaukee currently has with 493 wins at the Division I level, dating back to its inaugural DI season in 1990-91. MA Kelling led the team with 57 wins over the first five year, while Jenny Sell won four games in 1995-96. Sandy Botham had 245 wins, while current head coach Kyle Rechlicz has added 187 to the all-time total.

YEAR 13 FOR RECHLICZ
Milwaukee is led by Kyle Rechlicz, who enters year 13 as the head coach of the Panthers and is the Horizon League's most veteran coach with the retirement of Green Bay's Kevin Borseth earlier this summer. Cleveland State's Chris Kielsmeier is second in the league beginning his tenure in 2018-19 (7th season in 2024-25).

GREEN GETS THE CALL
Milwaukee Athletics announced its Bud K. Haidet Hall of Fame Class for 2024. The list included Milwaukee basketball's Ashley Green, who played for the Panthers from 2011-15.

She finished her career with 1,653 points, which is currently fifth on the all-time scoring list. She is also one of just five Panthers in program history to finish their career with 1,000+ points and 500+ rebounds, finishing with 781 in her 119 career games. Green finished her career with 17 double-doubles, the eighth most in program history.

CHECK THAT DIAL
This season, Milwaukee has made the move to one of the leading audio providers in all of college sports with their audio-only streams now available online directly through the team's home website MKEPanthers.com, as well as on The Varsity Network. Fans can download 'Varsity Network' in the App Store on iOS devices and Google Play and search "Milwaukee" to find the live audio stream of Panther games.