MILWAUKEE – Milwaukee women's basketball returns home after a three-game road swing through Michigan and Kentucky to host Green Bay on Saturday afternoon at 1:00 p.m. at the Klotsche Center.

In addition to the matchup with the Phoenix, the Panthers will celebrate Alumni Day, welcoming back former student-athletes from across the program's history. The celebration will include recognition of the 25th anniversary of the program's first NCAA Championship appearance during the 2000–01 season, as well as the 20th anniversary of its NCAA Championship appearance from 2005–06.
 
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 the game are available at MKEPanthers.com. During the broadcast, Menzl will be joined by a member of each championship team to discuss their experiences throughout the historic championship runs.
 
THE MATCHUP & GAME LINKS
Saturday, Jan. 17 | Green Bay at Milwaukee | Klotsche Center | Milwaukee, Wis. | 1:00 p.m. | ESPN+ / Live Stats | Tickets | Follow Along (on X)
 
QUICK NOTES
» Coming off a loss to Northern Kentucky on Wednesday evening, the Milwaukee Panthers will return home and look to bounce back against Green Bay on Saturday afternoon at 1:00 p.m.
» The Panthers were led by Rita Gomes on Wednesday with 11 points, while Sophia Rampulla secured a career-best 10 points in the loss.
» Jorey Buwalda led the Panthers with nine rebounds and Payton Rechlicz added a team-best three steals. Valerie Cas-sidy-De Falco picked up three assists.
» Saturday will be Alumni Day for Milwaukee Women's Basketball, as the program will celebrate its returning alumni while also recognizing the 25th Anniversary of the 2000-02 NCAA Tournament team as well as the 20th Anniversary of the 2005-06 NCAA Tournament team.
» Green Bay is riding a six-game winning streak into Saturday's contest and look to improve to 10-0 in Horizon League contests. The Phoenix beat Purdue Fort Wayne on Wednesday, 69-57, behind a team-best 17 points from Jenna Guyer. Maddy Skorupski had 12 rebounds and eight points in the win.
» After two losses to Green Bay last season, Milwaukee is looking for its first home win against the Phoenix since a 59-52 win on Dec. 1, 2022. The Panthers most recently won at the Kress Center to close the regular season on Mar. 2, 2024, by a 65-61 score.
» In their Division I histories, Milwaukee and Green Bay have met 76 times. Green Bay has 58 wins over that span but are only 6-4 over the last 10 meetings.

QUICK LOOK AT GREEN BAY
Unblemished in Horizon League play thus far, Green Bay enters Saturday's game on a six-game winning streak, while the Phoenix are 9-0 thus far in league action. This past Wednesday, Green Bay hosted Purdue Fort Wayne and registered a 69-57 win over the Mastodons.

In the game against PFW on Wednesday, the Phoenix shot 41.9 percent overall while holding the Mastodons to just 31.1 percent from the floor. The numbers are a microcosm of Green Bay's season, as the Phoenix are second in the league and 51st nationally in field goal percentage at 45.1 percent, while the team is fourth-best in the league and 43rd in Division I in field goal percentage defense at 36.6 percent.

One of the many highlights for this year's Green Bay team is that they are called for the fourth fewest fouls in the nation at 12.2 per game, and limit turnovers to just 13.6 per contest, placing them in the top 50 in DI.

Head coach Kayla Karius has relied heavily on the transfers that entered the Phoenix program this season, including starters Maddy Skorupski (Oakland), Kamy Peppler (Milwaukee), Carley Duffney (South Dakota), Gracie Grzesk (Wisconsin). While the team also features transfers Lily Hansford (Oregon State/Iowa State), Julianna Ouimette (Lehigh), Ellie Buzzelle (Eastern Illinois) and Kallie Peppler (Milwaukee).

GREEN BAY – PLAYERS TO WATCH
Jenna Guyer – 14 GP / 11 GS, 28.8 MPG, 14.9 PPG, 5.5 RPG, 23 AST, 19 STL
Megan Schultz – 19 GP / 19 GS, 21.6 MPG, 12.3 PPG, 4.6 RPG, 16 STL, 8 BLK
Maddy Skorupski – 19 GP / 19 GS, 30.9 MPG, 9.6 PPG, 5.4 RPG, 83 AST, 34 STL
Kamy Peppler – 19 GP / 19 GS, 29.6 MPG, 7.1 PPG, 3.9 RPG, 84 AST, 19 STL

UP NEXT
The Panthers will play their next two games at home beginning on Thursday evening, when Milwaukee welcomes Detroit Mercy to the Klotsche Center at 6:00 p.m. It will be the second meeting of the season between the Panthers and Titans, with Milwaukee earning the 74-61 win at Calihan Hall on Jan. 8.

ALUMNI DAY AT THE KLOTSCHE CENTER
Throughout Saturday's game, Milwaukee will be celebrating its alumni with its annual alumni day contest. In addition to celebrating the entirety of its alumni base, the Milwaukee basketball program will also be recognizing the 25th anniversary of its first NCAA Tournament team from 2000-01, as well as the 20th anniversary of the 2005-06 team that also qualified for NCAA postseason play.

LAST MEETING
Milwaukee went 0-2 against Green Bay a season ago, last meeting at the Kress Center in Green Bay on Feb. 22, a 68-45 Phoenix victory. Izzy Pugh led all this year's returners in the loss with six points, while Jorey Buwalda and Jada Williams each contributed with four. Maddy Schreiber led Green Bay with 18 points off the bench, while among the Phoenix players in 2025-26, Jenna Guyer scored nine points in the game and Kamy Peppler scored seven while playing for Milwaukee.

ON THIS DATE
Milwaukee is 6-4 in games contested on Jan. 17 in Division I program history, the Panthers are currently on a two-game winning streak, both against UIC in 2017 (83-55) and in 2020 (71-55). MKE and Green Bay have met just once before on Jan. 17 during the 2014-15 season, a 63-37 win for the Phoenix.

GOMES IN THE FOURTH
Rita Gomes knocked down three three-pointers in the fourth quarter against Northern Kentucky on Jan. 14. It was her second such performance this season after accomplishing the same feat on Nov. 23 at Butler and Nov. 29 vs. UC Davis.

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 during Milwaukee's 93–87 overtime win against Wright State on Jan. 26, 2024.

QUICK STARTS FROM DISTANCE
In Milwaukee's win over Detroit Mercy on Jan. 8, the Panthers knocked down six three-pointers in the opening quarter, including three by Grace Lomen. It tied the most three-pointers in a quarter this season, a mark first set in the opening quarter at home against Ripon on Dec. 14.

Milwaukee has connected on at least five three-pointers four times this season, all in the first quarter. The Panthers made five triples in the opening frame at Northern Illinois (Nov. 7) and at Purdue Fort Wayne (Dec. 10), while knocking down six in the first quarter against both Ripon (Dec. 14) and Detroit Mercy (Jan. 8).

COMEBACK WINS
In Milwaukee's Jan. 4 win over Cleveland State, the Panthers erased a 16-point second-half deficit to earn a 66–58 victory. The 16-point comeback was tied for the fifth-largest deficit overcome in program history, with the record standing at 22 points after Milwaukee rallied from a first-half deficit against Navy on Nov. 30, 1997.

In addition to erasing the 16-point deficit, the Panthers also trailed by 12 points at halftime before coming back to win—tied for the fifth-largest halftime comeback in program history. The program record is 16, set when Milwaukee trailed Kansas City 36–20 on Jan. 30, 1992, before winning 70–64.

Erasing the 12-point halftime deficit and winning by eight represented a 20-point turnaround, again tied for the fifth-largest in program history. The program record is +28, achieved after trailing SIU Edwardsville 39–34 on Nov. 26, 2008, before winning 88–65.

Earlier this season on Nov. 17, Milwaukee erased a 31–29 halftime deficit to defeat Valparaiso, 72–67. It marked the first comeback win of the season and extended a streak of at least one comeback victory every year since 1995–96. The program record for comeback wins in a season is seven (2016–17 and 2019–20).

MIXING & MATCHING
Milwaukee has used 10 different starting lineups through the first 16 games of the season, while 12 of the 13 active players on the roster have made at least one start. Kendall Barnes became the most recent Panther to make her first career start on Dec. 29, 2025, at IU Indy.

DOUBLE-DOUBLES FOR BUWALDA
Jorey Buwalda entered her junior season with two career double-doubles and has added six more in 2025–26, recording them against Loyola Chicago, Valparaiso, Purdue Fort Wayne, Ripon, IU Indy, and Detroit Mercy. Her 17 rebounds against Valparaiso and Ripon marked new career highs.

With double-doubles in three consecutive games from Dec. 10 through Dec. 29, Buwalda became just the 18th player in program history to record double-doubles in three straight contests. The program record is six, set by Avyanna Young from Feb. 21 through Mar. 12, 2014.

FOUR STEALS, ONE GAME
Three different Panthers have recorded four-steal performances 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 in a game since Feb. 19, 2021, when Miquela Santoro tallied 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 against Robert Morris on Jan. 20, 2023. Buwalda matched the effort with 17 rebounds again against Ripon on Dec. 14.
On the other side, UC Davis' Megan Norris became the first opposing player to record 15 or more rebounds against Milwaukee since Marquette's Chloe Marotta grabbed 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 overtime 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.

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 the 2022–23 season.

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

The 25 three-pointers over the two-game span are the most for the Panthers since earlier in the 2012–13 season, when Milwaukee combined for 25 on 11 threes at Toledo (Dec. 8, 2012) and 14 more at DePaul (Dec. 11, 2012).

TEN FOR THREE
After posting just three games with 10 or more three-pointers in 2023–24, Milwaukee rebounded with eight such performances in 2024–25 and has recorded three more so far in 2025–26. Under Kyle Rechlicz, the Panthers have made at least 10 three-pointers in a game 74 times.

500 DIVISION I WINS
With Milwaukee's win over Cleveland State on Jan. 4, the women's basketball program earned its 500th Division I victory dating back to its inaugural 1990–91 season. MA Kelling led the program with 57 wins over its first five years, Jenny Sell recorded four wins in 1995–96, Sandy Botham totaled 245 victories, and current head coach Kyle Rechlicz has added 192.

MAGIC NUMBER
Since 2016–17, Milwaukee is 121–45 (.729) when shooting at least 40 percent from the field. When shooting 43 percent or better, the Panthers improve to 104–25 (.806). When shooting below 40 percent, Milwaukee is 27–105 (.205).

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

This season, Milwaukee is shooting 38.4 percent (190-of-495) in first halves, 40.1 percent (207-of-516) in second halves, and 33.3 percent (2-of-6) in overtime.

KEEPING THE FOULS DOWN
Since 2022–23, Milwaukee is 13–2 when committing 11 or fewer fouls. Conversely, the Panthers are 12–34 when committing 18 or more.

IN THE PAINT
Since the start of the 2023–24 season, Milwaukee is 25–21 when scoring more than 25 points in the paint and 5–33 when scoring fewer than 25.

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).

CLOSE GAMES
In 2024–25, Milwaukee went 3–14 in games decided by nine points or fewer. Those 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 2–5 in games decided by single digits.

IN OVERTIME
Last season, Milwaukee set a program record by appearing in four overtime games and now owns a 22–27 all-time 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 so far in 2025–26.