MILWAUKEE – It's the penultimate game of the regular season as Milwaukee hosts Purdue Fort Wayne at 6:00 p.m. inside the Klotsche Center. The Panthers will wear their new pink-themed uniforms for its annual 'Pink Out' Game.
 
The jerseys are currently being auctioned through 11:59 p.m. (CT) on Wednesday, with a portion of the proceeds being donated to a local Milwaukee program toward breast cancer research.
 
Wednesday'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
Wednesday, Feb. 25 | Purdue Fort Wayne at Milwaukee | Klotsche Center | Milwaukee, Wis. | 6:00 p.m. | ESPN+ / Live Stats | Tickets | Follow Along (on X)
 
QUICK NOTES
» After closing out the road slate, Milwaukee returns home for its final two games beginning with Wednesday night's game against Purdue Fort Wayne at 6:00 p.m.
» The Panthers have dropped five in a row to begin the month of February, including a pair of road games last week against Wright State on Wednesday and Green Bay on Saturday.
» Milwaukee welcomes the Mastodons to the Klotsche Center, whom they have not seen since Dec. 10 in Fort Wayne, a 70-60 win for the Mastodons.
» Jorey Buwalda led the Panthers in Fort Wayne in December, with a 20-point, 10-rebound effort while Grace Lomen scored 13 points off the bench for Milwaukee. The Dons got 20 points from Alana Nelson, while Nika Lokica added 16 points in the win.
» Purdue Fort Wayne heads to Milwaukee on a two-game skid, with a 71-64 loss at home to Oakland on Feb. 18, before dropping a five-point game to Youngstown State at home on Saturday, 76-71.
» Alana Nelson led the Mastodons against the Penguins at home on Sunday with 21 points, but one of the top performances in the league all season by Sophia Gregory of YSU was too much to handle. Gregory finished the game with 37 points and 19 rebounds.
» Purdue Fort Wayne has won the last five games in the series with Milwaukee and is now just 8-9 in all-time meetings with the Panthers.
» Milwaukee's last win came in historic fashion on Feb. 23, 2023, when the Panthers held PFW to just 34 points, including 11 in the first half, 17 through three quarters. The Mastodons shot just 24.1 percent from the field and were 18.2 percent for three.

QUICK LOOK AT PURDUE FORT WAYNE
Despite the losses of its entire starting lineup from a season ago including Amellia Bromenschenkel, Sydney Freeman, Audra Emmerson, Jazzlyn Linbo, and Lauren Ross, the Mastodons still find their way towards the top of the Horizon League standings, entering play this week in the fifth position with a 10-8 mark in league games thus far.


Maria Marchesano hit the transfer portal and was able to sign Alana Nelson, who leads the team in scoring at 16.5 points per game. Nelson came from Spring Arbor in Michigan, where she averaged 21.6 points per game a season ago. Lili Krasovic came from Boston College, Lauren Lee came from NAIA member Campbellsville, while Nika Lokica joined from Idaho State. In her second season with PFW, Jordan Reid transferred in prior to 2024-25 from Indiana Wesleyan, while Rylee Bess is a true freshman contributor for the Mastodons.

The Mastodons lead the Horizon League in scoring offense this season at 71 points per game, while defensively the team is fifth, yielding 64.8 points per game, for a scoring margin of +6.2. The Mastodons take care of the ball and make plays defensively, which is why the team is 43rd in Division I in turnover margin at 4.18 this season. PFW is one of those Horizon League teams that is not afraid to shoot the three, ranking third in attempts per game (23.1), and second in three-point makes per game (7.2).

PURDUE FORT WAYNE – PLAYERS TO WATCH
Alana Nelson – 28 GP / 28 GS, 34.1 MPG, 16.5 PPG. 5.2 RPG, 33 AST, 26 STL
Lili Krasovec – 28 GP / 28 GS, 22.8 MPG, 11.2 PPG, 5.1 RPG, 44 AST, 35 STL, 24 BLK
Jordan Reid – 28 GP / 28 GS, 31.1 MPG, 10.5 PPG, 4.9 RPG, 52 AST, 60 STL

UP NEXT
The regular season closes on Saturday afternoon, when Milwaukee hosts IU Indy at 2:00 p.m. at the Klotsche Center. The Panthers will be recognizing senior Grace Lomen, in addition to managers Ma'Teo Hollnad and Kylie Anderson in an on-court ceremony.

LAST MEETING
When Milwaukee and Purdue Fort Wayne met on Dec. 10, the Panthers knocked down a season-high 13 three-pointers including four from Jorey Buwalda, three from Grace Lomen, and two each from Madison Fitzgibbon and Rita Gomes, but it wasn't enough as PFW scored 26 points off 18 Milwaukee turnovers.

Four players reached double figures for the Mastodons paced by Alana Nelson, who finished the game 7-of-15 overall, 4-of-9 from three, and had 20 points. Nika Lokica scored 16 points and had three steals, Jordan Reid tallied 12 points and a team-best seven rebounds, while Ella Riggs scored 10 off the bench for Purdue Fort Wayne.

ON THIS DATE
Milwaukee is 5-4 in games played on Feb. 25 but have never faced Purdue Fort Wayne. The Panthers are 1-1 against teams from Indiana, with a loss to Butler in 2009-10, while the team defeated Valparaiso, 50-31, in 2011-12.

MKE is on a two-game losing streak on Feb. 25, with a loss to Oakland in 2017-18, and a loss to Cleveland State in its most recent contest towards the end of the 2022-23 campaign.

CECE HEATING UP
Over her last five games, Cece McNair has scored 33 points on 16-of-23 shooting, connecting on 69.6 percent of her attempts. Her 33 points has accounted for 56.8 percent of her scoring this season, while her minutes have increased, including a season-high 17 minutes at Wright State on Feb. 18. McNair had a season-best four blocks at Green Bay on Feb. 21.

30-POINTS FOR LOMEN
On Feb. 7, Grace Lomen scored 30 points in Milwaukee's overtime loss to Robert Morris. It was the 41st 30-point performance in Milwaukee program history and first since Anna Lutz scored 30 against Oakland on Jan. 16, 2025. The last time a Panther broke past the 30-point barrier was when Kendall Nead scored 38 points on Nov. 17, 2023, against host McNeese.

However, the last five times a Milwaukee player has ended a game with exactly 30 points, the Panthers have lost. Lomen at Robert Morris (Feb. 7, 2026), Anna Lutz vs. Oakland (Jan. 16, 2025), Megan Walstad at Cleveland State (Mar. 2, 2023), Steph Kostowicz at Northern Illinois (Nov. 16, 2016) and at Minnesota (Mar. 16, 2016). The last time Milwaukee had a player finish with 30 points exactly and win was Ashley Green on Feb. 28, 2015, vs. Cleveland State.

LOW ON THE O, STILL GOT THE WIN
Despite collecting a season-low four offensive rebounds, Milwaukee earned a 75-70 win over Wright State on Jan. 31. The last time the Panthers won a game with fewer than five offensive rebounds was Feb. 3, 2022, in a 68-48 home victory over Robert Morris.

BENCH TO THE RESCUE
Milwaukee leads the Horizon League and ranks among the top 50 nationally in bench scoring, averaging 24.7 points per game from its reserves. LSU leads the nation, averaging 39.7 bench points per contest through games played on Feb. 22.

NORTH OF 500
Milwaukee had a season-best .520 from the field in its Jan. 22 win over Detroit Mercy. It marked the second time the Panthers have eclipsed the 50 percent mark this season, with the other coming against the Titans in Detroit on Jan. 8.

The Panthers have won 10 consecutive games when shooting above 50 percent, dating back to the 2022-23 season. Their last loss under those circumstances came against Northern Kentucky on Feb. 12, 2023, despite shooting .518 (28-of-54).

NORTH OF 550
Milwaukee turned in an efficient performance from beyond the arc on Jan. 22 against Detroit Mercy, finishing 12-of-21 (57.1 percent) from three-point range.

It was the first time the Panthers shot better than 55 percent from deep since Feb. 8, 2024, against IUPUI (8-of-14, 57.1 percent). It also marked the first time Milwaukee hit more than 10 threes at that efficiency since a 14-of-24 (58.3 percent) effort at Youngstown State on Feb. 17, 2023.

Milwaukee is 4-0 in its last four games when shooting above 55 percent from three, with its most recently loss under those conditions coming at Minnesota on Nov. 14, 2019.

THREE WINS TO GO
With Milwaukee's Jan. 31 win over Wright State, head coach Kyle Rechlicz earned her 197th career victory since taking over the program prior to the 2012-13 season.

She is three wins shy of becoming just the third head coach in program history to reach the 200-win milestone, joining M.A. Kelling (284 wins, 1978-95), and Sandy Botham (245 wins, 1996-2012).

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

With double-doubles in three straight games from Dec. 10-29, Buwalda became just the 18th player in program to accomplish the feat. The school record is six consecutive double-doubles, set by Avyanna Young from Feb. 21-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 seven more during the 2025–26 season. Under Kyle Rechlicz, the Panthers have made at least 10 three-pointers in a game 78 times.

A DOZEN THREES IN CONSECUTIVE GAMES
Milwaukee knocked down 13 three-pointers on Dec. 10 at Purdue Fort Wayne and followed with 12 more on Dec. 14 against Ripon. It marked the first time the Panthers hit at least a dozen threes in consecutive games since February 2013.

The 25 combined three-pointers over the two-game stretch are the most since the 2012-13 season, when Milwaukee hit 11 at Toledo (Dec. 8), and 14 at DePaul (Dec. 11).

SEVEN THREES FOR LOMEN
Against Oakland on Jan. 24, Grace Lomen drained seven three-pointers, becoming just the ninth player in Milwaukee's Division I history to accomplish the feat. The last Panthers to do so was Sydney Levy during the 2019-20 season.

Lomen finished 7-of-8 from three, tying for the fifth-best single-game percentage in program history and the best-mark ever by a Panther with at least seven made threes (.875).

LOMEN & GOMES IN THE FOURTH
Grace Lomen knocked down four three-pointers in the fourth quarter against Oakland on Jan. 24, joining Rita Gomes as the only Panthers to record at least three fourth-quarter three this season. Gomes accomplished the feat against Northern Kentucky (Jan. 14), UC Davis (Nov. 29), and Butler (Nov. 23)

The last Panthers with at least three threes in any quarter prior to this season was Jada Donaldson on Feb. 13, 2025, at Detroit Mercy. The most recent fourth-quarter instance before this season came from Angie Cera on Jan. 26, 2024, against Wright State.

QUICK STARTS FROM DISTANCE
In Milwaukee's Jan. 8 win over Detroit Mercy, the Panthers connected on six three-pointers in the opening quarter, including three by Grace Lomen. It tied the season-high for threes in a quarter, first set against Ripon on Dec. 14.

Milwaukee has made at least five three-pointers in the first quarter four times season.

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 Nov. 16 win over Valparaiso on Nov. 16, Jorey Buwalda grabbed a career-high 17 rebounds, the most by a Panthers since Megan Walstad collected 16 against Robert Morris on Jan. 20, 2023. Buwalda matched the feat against Ripon on Dec. 14.

UC Davis' Megan Norris became the first opposing player to record 15 or more rebounds against Milwaukee since Nov. 13, 2022.

COMEBACK WINS
Milwaukee erased a 16-point first half deficit in its Jan. 4 win over Cleveland State, tying the fifth-largest comeback in program history.

The Panthers also overcame a 12-point halftime deficit, again tied for fifth all-time, and turned it into an eight-point victory, representing a 20-point swing. The program record for halftime turnarounds is 28.

MIXING & MATCHING
Milwaukee has used 10 different starting lineups thus far this season, while 12 of the 13 active players on the roster have made at least one start.

TRUE FRESHMAN STARTER IN SEASON OPENER
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 2022-23, against Loyola Chicago.

MAGIC NUMBER
Since 2016–17, Milwaukee is 123–46 (.728) when shooting at least 40 percent from the field. When shooting 43 percent or better, the Panthers improve to 106–26 (.803). When shooting below 40 percent, Milwaukee is 27–111 (.196).

BALANCING THE FIRST AND SECOND HALVES
This season, Milwaukee is shooting 38.1 percent (288-of-756) in first halves, 40.9 percent (327-of-800) in second halves, and 23.1 percent (3-of-13) in overtime.

IN THE PAINT
Since the start of the 2023–24 season, Milwaukee is 26–22 when scoring more than 25 points in the paint and 6–40 when scoring fewer than 25.

KEEPING THE FOULS DOWN
Since the 2022–23 season, Milwaukee is 13–4 when committing 11 or fewer fouls. Conversely, the Panthers are 13–37 when committing 18 or more fouls.

CLOSE GAMES
During the 2024–25 season, Milwaukee went 3–14 in games decided by nine points or fewer. In 2025–26, the Panthers are 4–7 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 22–28 all-time record in games extending beyond regulation since joining Division I in 1990–91. Milwaukee is 1–1 in overtime so far in 2025–26.