MILWAUKEE – After three-straight home games, the Milwaukee women's basketball team heads back on the road for a quick visit to Cleveland State on Wednesday evening at 6:00 p.m. (CT).
 
Wednesday's game will be broadcast live on ESPN+ with live stats of the game also available. Links to the broadcast and live stats can be found on MKEPanthers.com. 
 
THE MATCHUP & GAME LINKS
Wednesday, Jan. 14 | Milwaukeee at Cleveland State | Wolstein Center | Cleveland, Ohio | 6:00 p.m. (CT) | ESPN+ / Live Stats | Follow Along (on X)
 
QUICK NOTES
» After a win over Detroit Mercy on Thursday, Milwaukee fell to Oakland on Saturday afternoon by an 82-71 score.
» Grace Lomen scored 27 points in the loss, including seven three-pointers, becoming the ninth player in program history to knock down at least seven three pointers in a game.
» Lomen knocked down 87.5 percent of her attempts, the fifth-best three-point shooting percentage in a game with at least five makes in a game.
» Milwaukee has shot 50 percent or better in each of the last two games, which also includes better than a 50 percent effort from beyond the arc. Earlier this season against Cleveland State, Milwaukee shot .444 overall and .318 from three-point land.
» The Panthers head to the Wolstein Center where they will take on Cleveland State. The Vikings enter on a two-game skid, falling to Purdue Fort Wayne on Wednesday before dropping a decision to Youngstown State on the road on Sunday.
» In the loss to YSU, the Vikings scored just 38 points, its lowest point total since the 2019 Horizon League Quarterfinals at Green Bay.
» Milwaukee is 37-33 all-time against Cleveland State, snapping a nine-game skid against the Vikings earlier this month at the Klotsche Center, 66-58.
» The Panthers are 12-20 against in games played at Cleveland State, which includes the team's last visit that saw the Panthers fall in overtime to the Vikings by a 73-68 score.

QUICK LOOK AT CLEVELAND STATE
The Vikings are 3–3 over their last six games, including a loss to Milwaukee on Jan. 4. Cleveland State regrouped with three straight home wins over Wright State (87–75), Detroit Mercy (68–52), and Robert Morris (68–61), but struggled on the road in its last two games, falling to Purdue Fort Wayne (80–70) and Youngstown State (61–38) on Sunday.

In Sunday's loss to Youngstown State, the Vikings struggled to keep pace in the first half, trailing 22–13 after the first quarter and scoring just two points in the second, heading into halftime down 36–15. YSU added on in the second half to secure the win. Jada Leonard led CSU with 14 points on 6-of-13 shooting, while Izabella Zingaro added 10 points and a team-best eight rebounds.

The 38 points scored by Cleveland State on Sunday marked its lowest output since the 2019 Horizon League Quarterfinals at Green Bay, a 73–30 Phoenix victory. The low total was uncharacteristic of the Vikings, who rank second in the league in scoring at 70.5 points per game, while also standing fourth in the Horizon League in scoring defense at 59.2 points allowed per game.

Cleveland State leads the league in scoring margin (+11.3) and ranks second in field goal percentage (.455). On the glass, CSU is fourth in the Horizon League, averaging 36.5 rebounds per game, and owns a +4.5 rebounding margin, second-best in the league.

CLEVELAND STATE – PLAYERS TO WATCH
Izabella Zingaro – 21 GP / 21 GS, 23.3 MPG, 15.7 PPG, 6.0 RPG, 19 AST, 12 BLK
Colbi Maples – 19 GP / 19 GS, 29.5 MPG, 13.8 PPG, 1.4 RPG, 34 AST, 34 STL
Jada Leonard – 21 GP / 21 GS, 33.3 MPG, 13.5 PPG, 2.3 RPG, 70 AST, 63 STL
Macey Fegan – 21 GP / 21 GS, 27.6 MPG, 8.8 PPG, 5.5 RPG, 53 AST, 24 STL

UP NEXT
After the one-game trip to Cleveland, Milwaukee returns home to host the Wright State Raiders on Saturday afternoon at 2:00 p.m., it will be the Panthers' first meeting against the Raiders this season.

LAST MEETING
Squaring off for the second time this month, Milwaukee will visit Cleveland State, looking for its first season sweep of the Vikings since the 2020-21 season. When the two teams met at the Klotsche Center on Jan. 4, the Panthers erased a 16-point second quarter and a 12-point halftime deficit for one of the largest comebacks in program history.

Jorey Buwalda had 20 points in the win with Grace Lomen adding 16 in the effort. The Panthers went a combined 17-for-28 (60.7 percent) in the second half, while the Vikings struggled down the stretch, connecting on just 10-of-34 (29.4 percent) over the final 20 minutes.

ON THIS DATE
Milwaukee is 6-5 in games played on Jan. 28, which includes a loss to IU Indy, 78-68, in their last game in 2022-23.

The Panthers are 1-0 against Cleveland State and 2-0 against teams from Ohio on Jan. 28. In 2006, the Panthers defeated the Vikings at home, 61-46, behind 17 points from Nichole Drummond and 13 points from the program's all-time leading scorer Traci Edwards, who had 11 rebounds in the win. The Panthers led wire-to-wire in the victory over the Vikings.

Milwaukee's other win against an Ohio team came back in 2016-17, when the Panthers defeated Youngstown State at the Beeghly Center. Steph Kostowicz and Jenny Lindner combined for 42 of Milwaukee's 78 points in a four-point victory.

SEVEN THREES FOR LOMEN
Against Oakland on Jan. 24, Grace Lomen connected on seven three-pointers, and in doing so became just the ninth player in Milwaukee's Division I history to accomplish the feat in an individual game. The last player to do so was Sydney Levy during the 2019-20 season, when she had eight in a home game against Northern Illinois.

Lomen also finished the game 7-of-8 from beyond the arc, which is tied for the fifth-best mark in a single-game, and best for a player with at least seven makes, ending the game with an .875 shooting percentage from range.

LOMEN & GOMES IN THE FOURTH
Grace Lomen had four three-pointers in Milwaukee's fourth quarter against Oakland on Jan. 24, joining Rita Gomes as players to record at least three three-pointers in the fourth this season. Gomes knocked hers down against Northern Kentucky on Jan. 14, UC Davis on Nov. 29, and Butler on Nov. 23.

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.

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 WINS 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 200-win 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 six more so far in 2025–26. Under Kyle Rechlicz, the Panthers have made at least 10 three-pointers in a game 77 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).

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 122–46 (.726) when shooting at least 40 percent from the field. When shooting 43 percent or better, the Panthers improve to 105–26 (.802). 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 39.3 percent (223-of-567) in first halves, 41.0 percent (245-of-598) 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 5–35 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.