MILWAUKEE – It's playoff time again as the 2025 Barbasol Horizon League Championship gets underway for the Milwaukee women's basketball team, who heads to Detroit to take on the No. 6 Detroit Mercy Titans at Calihan Hall at 6:00 p.m. (CT) on Tuesday, Mar. 4.
 
Milwaukee's audio stream will also be available on the Black & Gold Network, as Matt Menzl is in 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 Detroit Mercy, can be found on MKEPanthers.com.
 
THE MATCHUP 
Tuesday, Mar. 4 – Milwaukee at Detroit Mercy | Calihan Hall | Detroit, Mich. | 6:00 p.m. (CT)
 
QUICK LINKS
Listen on Black & Gold Network: mkepanthers.com/coverage
Listen on Varsity Network: App Store & Google Play
Watch on ESPN+: mkepanthers.com/coverage
Live Stats: mkepanthers.com/coverage
Tickets: Green Bay Ticket Page
Follow Along (On X): @MKE_WBB

CHAMPIONSHIP LINKS
Horizon League Championship Central
Horizon League 2024-25 Women's Basketball Bracket
Horizon League Championship Merchandise
 
QUICK NOTES
» Wrapping up the regular season with a 5-15 Horizon League record, Milwaukee enters postseason play as the No. 11 seed in the Barbasol Horizon League Basketball Championship, the Panthers will travel to Calihan Hall in Detroit to square off with the No. 6 Detroit Mercy Titans on Tuesday evening at 6:00 p.m. (CT).
» Milwaukee has been idle since Thursday, when the Panthers hosted the Purdue Fort Wayne Mastodons at the Klotsche Center and fell to the visiting Mastodons by an 82-46 score. Izzy Pugh led all Panther scorers with nine points off the bench.
» Detroit Mercy finished the campaign with an 8-12 mark in league contests including a loss on Saturday to IU Indy by a 74-67 score. Katie Burton had 17 points in the effort for the Titans.
» This will be Milwaukee's fifth all-time postseason meeting with Detroit Mercy, and first since the 2004-05 season. The Panthers are 0-4 in postseason play against the Titans, with three of the four meeting coming as upsets with the lower-seeded Detroit Mercy squad picking up the win.
» This is the first time in program history that Milwaukee has been the 11 seed, and first time since 2015 that they have been an eighth seed or worse.
» This is the second consecutive season that the Titans are the sixth seed. Detroit Mercy has not been a top-five seed since the 2016-17 season, when they finished third and reached the Horizon League Championship game against Green Bay.
» Detroit Mercy swept the Panthers in regular season action this year, winning by a 54-52 score in Milwaukee on Jan. 18, before a four-point win at home against the Panthers on Feb. 13 by a 50-46 margin.
» Milwaukee is still 38-31 in all-time Division I meetings against Detroit Mercy, but the Panthers are just 17-16 in true road games against the Titans and look to avoid falling to .500 at Calihan Hall.

LOOKING AT DETROIT MERCY
First half Detroit Mercy and second half Detroit Mercy have been two different teams, the Titans began the year with a 12-5 record including a 6-3 start in league games. Since beating Milwaukee on Jan. 18, the second half has seen the Titans go 2-9, all in league games.

The changes for the Titans has been both on the offensive and defensive side. Through the first 17 games, Detroit Mercy had been averaging 65.1 points per game while allowing just 67.0 points per game (-1.9 scoring margin). The last 11 games has seen the Titans average just 61.4 points per contest, while the defense has yielded 73.3 points per contest since Jan. 22.

The biggest change on offense has been the team's three-point shooting, as the Titans were knocking down 32.9 percent of three-point attempts through the first 17 contests, while that number has dipped dramatically to just 22.3 percent from beyond the arc. Another factor has been the Titans' rebounding efforts, having gone from averaging 35.4 per game (+0.4 rebounding average), to 31.4 rebounds per contest (-4.6 rebounding average).

The most noticable individual drop off has been Aaliyah McQueen who had started the year averaging 16.1 ppg, while that number has tumbled to 11.7 ppg over the last 11. Emaia O'Brien's overall number has dropped from 14.9 to 13.8 points per game, but her three-point percentage has fallen from a team-best 39 three-point makes and a 44.8 percent from three to a meager 29.8 percent from three.

The team's 10-5 record in home games this year has been aided by averaging 67.5 points for an allowing 65.0 points per game at home, compared to the 63.6 points for and 69.5 points allowed overall this year. The Titans also shoot 18 percentage points better at home both overall and from three.

In the two meetings with Milwaukee this season, the Titans won in the Cream City by jumping out to a 17-11 lead and holding points a second-half rally by the Panthers for the 54-52 win. O'Brien paced Detroit Mercy with 18 points at the Klotsche Center. Meanwhile on the return trip to the Motor City in February, the defensive struggle saw the Titans reach 50 points first in a four-point win led by Makayla Jackson's 11-point game.

UP NEXT
In the event of a win, Milwaukee will return to Wisconsin and head to top-seeded Green Bay on Thursday, Mar. 6 at 7:00 p.m. (CT) in the quarterfinal round.

If Detroit Mercy were to win, the Titans head to Cleveland to take on the third-seeded Cleveland State Vikings. That game would take place at 5:30 p.m. (ET), due to a doubleheader with Cleveland State's men's basketball team set to tip off at 8:00 p.m. (ET).

HOW THE PLAYOFF PICTURE TOOK SHAPE
In an overtime thriller on Saturday afternoon, it was Green Bay to come out on top over the Purdue Fort Wayne Mastodons by a 68-63 score to clinch the regular season title. Purdue Fort Wayne with the loss slipped to the second seed. Cleveland State had the third seed locked up by the time games had started on Saturday and fell to Youngstown State by a 73-70 score.

The win put Youngstown State into 7-13 tie with Wright State, who lost to Robert Morris 73-57 on Saturday. The Raiders owned the tiebreaker with Youngstown State, setting up the 8-9 seed matchup on Tuesday at the Nutter Center. The Colonials clinched the four spot with their with over Wright State, and completing a strong turnaround story for a Robert Morris team that finished last in 2024-25 to clinching a first round bye and home game against fifth-seeded Northern Kentucky on Thursday.

The Norse needed to pull out all the stops and barely hung on with a win over Oakland on Saturday, escaping with the 61-58 road victory to set up a three-way tie with Detroit Mercy and IU Indy. The Jaguars beat the Titans as well to spoil the Detroit Mercy chances of a first round bye with a 74-67 win at Corteva Coliseum. The three way tie allowed NKU to clinch a free pass into the quarterfinals at RMU, while Detroit took sixth to host Milwaukee, and IU Indy finished seventh to host Oakland.

THE TALE OF TWO TEAMS
This season, Milwaukee has had a stark difference when comparing the wins and losses during the 2024-25 campaign.

In Wins…
Scoring: 72.3 Points For, 59.4 Points Allowed
FG %: 45.3 % Overall, 39.3% from Three
Rebounds: 38.0 (+6.5 Rebounding Margin)
Assist %: 71.1 % (143 Assists/201 Field Goal Makes)

In Losses…
Scoring: 56.9 Points For, 71.0 Points Allowed
FG%: 37.3 % Overall, 27.4% from Three
Rebounds: 33.0 (-4.4 Rebounding Margin)
Assist %: 57.4 % (272 Assists/474 Field Goal Makes)

SINGLE-DIGIT QUARTERS
Milwaukee has been held to single digits in 20 quarter this season, including multiple quarter in five times this season. The Panthers were held to a season-low four points in the third quarter against Purdue Fort Wayne on Feb. 27, after being held to five earlier in the contest during the first quarter against the Mastodons.

MKE was held to single-digit quarters twice against Air Force (6 in 3rd Quarter; 8 in 4th Quarter), at Marquette (9 in 2nd; 6 in 3rd), at Detroit Mercy (6 in 2nd; 9 in 3rd), at Green Bay (8 in 1st; 6 in 2nd), and at home against Purdue Fort Wayne (5 in 1st; 4 in 3rd).

Four points in the third versus the Mastodons were the fewest points in a quarter for the season, while Milwaukee's five-point first quarter tied the previous season low which also took place at home in the fourth quarter against Robert Morris.

The Panthers' one field goal make in the third against Purdue Fort Wayne was also the lowest this season, and fewest makes since the third quarter of the team's road game at Robert Morris on Feb. 19, 2023, which was also the last time the Panthers scored four points in a period as a team.

ALL-TIME IN ASSISTS
Kamy Peppler has a total of 400 assists, currently placing her fifth on the all-time list in Panther history. She is currently 30 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.

SINGLE-SEASON ASSISTS AT MILWAUKEE
1. Angela Rodriguez (2013-14) – 168
T2. Kamy Peppler (2023-24) – 153
T2. Pam Bartnik (1993-93) – 153
4. Jodie McClain (2009-10) – 150
5. Kamy Peppler (2024-25) – 147

DOUBLE-DIGIT GETTERS
This season, Milwaukee has had 66 instances of players scoring double digits in a game including Anna Lutz (19) and Kacee Baumhower (17) leading the team. Kamy Peppler has accomplished double digits in points 11 times in 2024-25.

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

CAREER GAMES PLAYED AT MILWAUKEE
1. McKaela Schmelzer (2017-22) – 148
T2. Jada Donaldson (2020-Present) – 134
T2. Alyssa Fischer (2015-20) – 134
4. Jenny Lindner (2014-18) – 128

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, Jorey Buwalda at Northern Kentucky on Jan. 23 and Izzy Pugh on Feb. 27 has done so in a single game this season.

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 (147) and is second in assists per game (4.7), while Anna Lutz is fifth in the league in blocks (31) and is seventh in blocks per game (1.0).

Kacee Baumhower is among the league leaders in field goal attempts with 324, field goals made (116), free throws made (81), free throws attempted (98), and points scored (364).

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 25 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.

Kacee Baumhower also reached 100 steals for her career on Feb. 19 at home against IU Indy, which includes 33 as a Panther this season. She had 67 during her two seasons played at Wright State from 2022-24.

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.

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.

FRESHMEN OF THE WEEK
Kallie Peppler was named the Horizon League Freshman of the Week following her 12-point performance at Oakland on Feb. 15. Her selection as Freshman of the Week follows the Feb. 3 selection of Payton Rechlicz.

Peppler and Rechlicz become the third and fourth active players 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.

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 700 games.

All-Time Streaks
1. Iowa State – 945 (1995-2025)
2. Chattanooga – 803 (1999-Present) *
3. South Alabama – 756 (2000-Present) *
4. Milwaukee – 700 (2002-Present) *
5. Dayton – 697 (2001-2024)
* - Active Streak (through Mar. 1, 2025)

CONSISTENCY IS KEY
For the second consecutive season the Panthers swept the season series against the IU Indy Jaguars, defeating IU Indy on Jan. 29 by a 66-62 score and again on Feb. 19 by a 77-70 margin.

What's more impressive is during both contests in 2024-25, the Panthers knocked down exactly 40 percent of their three-point attempts against the Jaguars. On Jan. 29, Milwaukee was 6-of-15 from deep, while the Panthers were 10-of-25 on Feb. 19.

It's the first time Milwaukee knocked down at least 40 percent against the same opponent in a season since the 2021-22 season, when Milwaukee connected on 61.5 percent at home against Robert Morris, and knocked down 42.1 percent in Moon Township, Pa. against the Colonials.

DEFENSIVE EFFORT IN MICHIGAN
Milwaukee's defense performed well during the trip to Michigan, holding Detroit Mercy to 50 on Feb. 13 and Oakland to 49 points on Feb. 15. It was the first time that the Panthers held back-to-back opponents under a combined 100 points since last season, when Milwaukee held Eastern Illinois (52) and Viterbo (37) to a combined 89 points.

It's the first time the Panthers kept two Division I opponents below a combined 100 points in back-to-back games since the end of the 2021-22 season, when Milwaukee held Purdue Fort Wayne to 51 in the regular season finale, and UIC to 46 in the first round of the Horizon League Tournament.

GETTING CLOSER
Following wins over IU Indy on Jan. 29 and Feb. 19, as well as a win over Youngstown State on Feb. 8, Milwaukee recorded its first three wins in games decided by nine points or fewer. The Panthers are now 3-14 in games decided by three or fewer possessions, including four overtime losses.

Since Dec. 22 Milwaukee has had 13 of its last 17 games decided by single digits, including nine of its last 11 games dating back to the team's Jan. 16 game at home against Oakland. Eight of the team's 12 most recent home 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 seven 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, 10 vs. IU Indy on Feb. 19, 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 70 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 Panther average has dropped from distance the last 25 games connecting on just 30.1 percent (193-for-641).

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 39.6 percent (343-for-867) of its shots in the first half and 39.3 percent (326-for-830) in the second half. In overtime, the Panthers are 7-for-30 (23.3 percent).

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 116-44 (.725) when hitting at least 40 percent from the field. Bump that field goal percentage to 43 percent and the Panthers are 99-24 (.805).

When shooting under 40 percent, Milwaukee is 26-93 (.218).

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 9-29 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 7-9 thus far on the season when scoring 25 or more points in the paint. Milwaukee is 1-14 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 36 of their 77 games and scored 722 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.

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).

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).

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 495 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 189 to the all-time total.

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.