The Milwaukee Panthers women’s basketball team returns home on Saturday afternoon to close out the month of January, as they welcome in the IUPUI Jaguars for a 1 p.m. start inside the Klotsche Center.
The game can be viewed on ESPN+; while live stats and live audio with Matt Menzl on the call are also be available on MKEPanthers.com.
SCOUTING THE JAGUARS
IUPUI enters the second half of Horizon League play at 7-3 thus far, while boasting an 11-8 overall record. The Jaguars had a bye on Thursday evening and play today coming off of three-straight wins.
Last time out against Oakland, the Jaguars used a 28-point second quarter to propel to a 45-34 halftime lead before finishing off the game for an 85-69 win. Rachel Kent led the way with 30 points on 11-of-13 shooting and also led the team with eight rebounds. Jazmyn Turner had 15 points (5-of-6) and corralled eight rebounds. Natalie Anderson and Destiny Perkins also had 13 points apiece.
IUPUI tends to get off to slow starts in comparison to their strong finishes, as it has scored 627 first-half points versus 704 second-half points through 19 games.
On the year, Turner leads the team in scoring at 270 points for an average of 15.0 per game; Perkins is second at 13.7 per game, while Kent is also in double figures at 12.3 per game. Kent also leads IUPUI in rebounds at 6.0 per contest, with Turner right behind at 5.7. Perkins leads with 81 assists and 25 steals, while Kent is the team’s blocks leader at 14.
LAST TIME THEY MET
When the two sides met in Indianapolis on December 5, the Panthers fell by a score of 64-55. Milwaukee outscored its host by four points in the fourth quarter, but it was not enough as IUPUI had built a 50-37 lead after three quarters.
Kendall Nead led Milwaukee in scoring with 13 points, while Emma Wittmershaus had 11 points and Angie Cera scored 10. Megan Walstad led all rebounders with eight as she and Anna Lutz each had a block. Cera also had a season-high three steals against the Jaguars.
SERIES HISTORY
Since joining the league prior to the 2017-18 season, IUPUI has won nine of 12 all-time meetings, including the last four.
Milwaukee’s last win in the series was an 85-83 double-overtime victory on January 23, 2021, in Indianapolis. Walstad had 23 points and 11 rebounds that game, while Emma Wittmershaus had 16 points and six rebounds. The Panthers also got 13 points from Bre Cera and 10 from McKaela Schmelzer in the win.
