MILWAUKEE – Milwaukee and Oakland meet for the second time in two weeks as the Golden Grizzlies visit the Cream City to take on the Panthers on Saturday afternoon at 2:00 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 the game are available at MKEPanthers.com.
 
THE MATCHUP & GAME LINKS
Saturday, Jan. 24 | Oakland at Milwaukee | Klotsche Center | Milwaukee, Wis. | 2:00 p.m. | ESPN+ / Live Stats | Tickets | Follow Along (on X)
 
QUICK NOTES
» Milwaukee hosts Oakland on Saturday afternoon looking to exact revenge on the Golden Grizzlies after a victory by Oakland two weeks prior in Michigan.
» Saturday's game will begin at 2:00 p.m. (CT) at the Klotsche Center.
» Milwaukee will be hosting a number of groups from the Greater Milwaukee area while celebrating Big Brother/Big Sisters, National Girls & Women in Sports Day, as well as Girl Scout Day.
» The Panthers enter off its most impressive shooting performance of the season, connecting on better than 50 percent of its attempts overall and 55 percent of its attempts from three in a 76-68 win over Detroit Mercy on Thursday evening.
» The 76 points for the Panthers on Thursday tied its season high after reaching the mark at Northern Illinois in November and against Wisconsin Lutheran in December.
» Jorey Buwalda had a double-double for Milwaukee on Thursday with 21 points and 10 rebounds, while Madison Fitzgibbon scored 15 and Kendall Barnes had 12. Payton Rechlicz scored eight points and had seven rebounds in the win.
» Oakland fell to Green Bay at the Kress Center on Thursday evening, 73-59, as the Phoenix led wire-to-wire. Wisconsin natives Lianna Baxter and Makenzie Luehring had 16 and 15 points respectively in their homecoming to the Badger State.
» Milwaukee is looking to get back in the win column against Oakland, as the Panthers fell earlier this season, and are now 16-13 all-time against the Golden Grizzlies.
» The Panthers are just 8-7 in home games versus Oakland, including an overtime loss a season ago. The last Milwaukee home win against the Grizzlies came on Dec. 31, 2022.

QUICK LOOK AT OAKLAND
Where does Oakland succeed? It's keeping the fouls down as the Golden Grizzlies are disciplined and have committed the second fewest fouls per game among Horizon programs this season at just 15.4 per game. When the team makes shots, they're also tough to stop as Oakland is 4-0 when shooting better than 42 percent this season, while they are just 2-13 when shooting below that mark, and have not won a game when shooting under 38 percent.

It will be a Saturday homecoming for freshman standout Makenzie Luehring, who played at Kettle Moraine Lutheran High School in Jackson. Luehring has had five-straight games of double-digit scoring, and has done so in nine of her last 11 games including 17 against Milwaukee on Jan. 10. Luehring along with Lianna Baxter and Karinna Trotter all hail from Wisconsin and represent one of nine states or countries that comprise the Oakland roster.

Keisha Newell is the new face on the sideline for Oakland after a successful three-year stint at Division II Lewis in Romeoville, Ill. While there she had 70 wins in 94 games and qualifying for the NCAA Tournament in each of her three seasons. Before taking over at Lewis, Newell was the head coach at NAIA member Roosevelt, a member of the Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference. Newell coached head-to-head against Milwaukee Associate Head Coach John Pfaffl, who was then the head coach at Cardinal Stritch University, with Pfaffl going 7-1 against Newell's Laker teams.

OAKLAND – PLAYERS TO WATCH
Makenzie Luehring – 19 GP / 17 GS, 28.6 MPG, 10.9 PPG, 4.5 RPG, 65 AST, 24 STL
Angie Smith – 19 GP / 18 GS, 27.2 MPG, 10.2 PPG, 3.9 RPG, 36 AST, 17 STL
Lianna Baxter – 19 GP / 19 GS, 29.8 MPG, 9.3 PPG, 4.6 RPG, 15 STL, 18 BLK
Layla Gold – 19 GP / 18 GS, 30.4 MPG, 9.3 PPG, 5.7 RPG, 14 STL, 24 BLK

UP NEXT
Another one-game trip for Milwaukee in the Horizon League schedule as the Panthers visit Cleveland State on Wednesday evening at 6:00 p.m. (CT). The Panthers will return home on Jan. 31 to host Wright State as a part of Homecoming Weekend at Milwaukee.

LAST MEETING
The last meeting was a sour one for Milwaukee as the Panthers shot a season-low .296 against the Golden Grizzlies at the Athletics Center O'Rena in Michigan earlier this month. Oakland on the other hand shot over 100 percentage points higher at .397 and were able to come out on top with the 66-45 win.

Makenzie Luehring had 17 points and nine rebounds and is looking for a repeat performance against the Panthers, while Filippa Goula added 17 points of her own in the win. For the Panthers, Kendall Barnes had 10 points off the bench, while Payton Rechlicz led all starters with eight points.

ON THIS DATE
It's been six years since Milwaukee has played on Jan. 24, having last played against Cleveland State in 2020. The Panthers are 2-5 when playing on Jan. 24, with wins against Loyola Chicago in 2009 and UIC in 2015. This will be Milwaukee's first game against Oakland, or any team from the State of Michigan on Jan. 24.

NORTH OF 500
Milwaukee had a season-best .520 field goal percentage in its win over Detroit Mercy on Jan. 22. It was the second time the team has made more than half of their attempts, with the other coming against the Titans in Detroit on Jan. 8.

The Panthers have won their last nine games when shooting above 50 percent, dating back to the 2022-23 season. Their last loss came at the hands of Northern Kentucky on Feb. 12, 2023, when the Panthers ended the game 28-of-54 (.518). The game against the Norse was the third time that month (Feb. 2023) that Milwaukee had a loss when shooting at an above-average percentage.

NORTH OF 550
The Panthers had an efficient showing from beyond the arc on Jan. 22 against Detroit Mercy, finishing the game at 12-of-21 (57.1 percent) from three-point land.

It was the first time that Milwaukee had a three-point percentage better than 55 percent since Feb. 8, 2024, against IUPUI (8-of-14, 57.1 percent), while it was the first time Milwaukee had more than 10 threes with as good of a percentage since a 14-of-24 (58.3 percent) effort at Youngstown State on Feb. 17, 2023.

Milwaukee is 4-0 in their last four games when shooting above 55 percent from three, with its last loss coming at Minnesota on Nov. 14, 2019, when the team went 11-of-20 from deep.

FOUR TO GO
With the Milwaukee win over Detroit Mercy on Jan. 22, head coach Kyle Rechlicz won her 196th game since taking over the program prior to the 2012-13 season.

She is looking to become just the third head coach in program history to reach the mark, M.A. Kelling has 284 wins as head coach from 1978-95, and Sandy Botham had 245 wins when leading the team from 1996-12.

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

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 five more so far in 2025–26. Under Kyle Rechlicz, the Panthers have made at least 10 three-pointers in a game 76 times.

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) and 14 more at DePaul (Dec. 11).

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).

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.

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.

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.

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.

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 122–45 (.731) when shooting at least 40 percent from the field. When shooting 43 percent or better, the Panthers improve to 105–25 (.808). When shooting below 40 percent, Milwaukee is 27–106 (.203).

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 38.09 percent (213-of-548) in first halves, 40.6 percent (231-of-569) in second halves, and 33.3 percent (2-of-6) in overtime.

IN THE PAINT
Since the start of the 2023–24 season, Milwaukee is 26–21 when scoring more than 25 points in the paint and 5–34 when scoring fewer than 25.

KEEPING THE FOULS DOWN
Since 2022–23, Milwaukee is 13–2 when committing 11 or fewer fouls. Conversely, the Panthers are 13–35 when committing 18 or more.

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 3–5 in games decided by single digits.

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).

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. 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.