MILWAUKEE, Wis. – Looking to build off one of its best offensive performances of the season, Milwaukee continues the road trip in Ohio. The Panthers head to Cleveland to take on league-leading Cleveland State on Thursday, January 12. Tipoff from the Wolstein Center is set for 6:00 pm CT and can be viewed on ESPN+. Live stats and live audio will also be available with Matt Menzl on the call. All links are available on MKEPanthers.com.
SCOUTING THE VIKINGS
Entering the season, Cleveland State was predicted to finish third in the Horizon League but the Vikings have been the hottest team in the league and enter Thursday’s game at 15-1 overall with a 15-game winning streak.
Preseason Horizon League Player of the Year Destiny Leo has lived up to the hype with 17.1 points per game which ranks third in the league. Leo is shooting 44.3 percent from the floor and leads the league in free throw percentage (90.9) and three-point percentage (37.8).
Leo leads the league’s top-scoring offense, but the rest of head coach Chris Kielsmeier’s squad has proven potent as well. Senior Brittni Moore is averaging 12.2 points and 6.0 rebounds while Amele Ngwafang is coming off a Horizon League Player of the Week honor after averaging 20.5 points the last two games.
Freshman Jordana Reisma provides a spark as well, earning three of the league’s eight Freshman of the Week honors with 5.3 points, 3.1 rebounds, and 1.3 blocks per game in 14.4 minutes.
LAST TIME THEY MET
Turnovers hurt Milwaukee in the last meeting as Cleveland State capitalized to hand the Panthers a 67-55 setback at the Wolstein Center on February 24. The Panthers finished with a season-high 25 turnovers which turned into 34 points for the Vikings. Megan Walstad finished with 15 points and a career-high 19 rebounds.
SERIES HISTORY
The Panthers own the all-time series advantage 36-26, but Cleveland State has won the last two contests against MKE.
WHATS ON TAP?
The Panthers will meet Purdue Fort Wayne in Indiana on Saturday with tipoff at 1:00 pm CT.
LAST TIME OUT
Four players reached double figures for Milwaukee as the Panthers put together a 72-61 wire-to-wire victory over Wright State on Saturday.
PEPPLER PULLS IN HONOR
In the two games last weekend, Kamy Peppler averaged 16.5 points, 4.0 rebounds, and 3.0 assists per game while shooting 52.6 percent from the floor and 50 percent from deep.
That line earned her Horizon League Freshman of the Week honors for the first time this season.
Peppler came alive in the fourth quarter against NKU for 14 points and finished with 16 and seven rebounds. In Saturday’s win over Wright State, Peppler went off for a career-high 17 points on 4-for-7 shooting from the floor and 7-for-8 performance from the line. She added four assists in the win. Peppler has now reached double figures in three of the last four games and is shooting 45.9 percent from the floor in Horizon League action.
COMING ALIVE IN LEAGUE PLAY
Kendall Nead added two more double-digit scoring performances to her ledger and has scored at least 12 points in five consecutive games dating back to December 14.
In six Horizon League contests, Nead is averaging a team-high 14.0 points to go with 4.8 rebounds and 1.8 assists per game. In league play, Nead is shooting 42.3 percent (11-for-26) from long range.
After hitting just two three-pointers in the first 10 games this season, the sophomore has connected for at least two triples in four straight contests.
DEFENSE LEADING THE WAY
The Panthers’ defense continues to be a factor this season as Milwaukee ranks in the top four of the Horizon League in points allowed, field goal percentage defense, and three-point defense.
MKE is allowing just 53.5 points per game through six league contests and holding the opposition to 34.0 percent shooting overall and 26.0 percent from long range.
In the two wins over Detroit Mercy and Oakland in late December, the Panthers allowed just 39.0 points per game on 22.5 percent shooting. The two teams were just 8-for-42 (19.0 percent) from long range.
Neither the Titans nor Golden Grizzlies reached 50 points, the first time MKE has held opponents to under 50 in back-to-back games since November 18-20 of last season. In those games, MKE opened league play 2-0 while holding Wright State to 47 points and Northern Kentucky to 49.
STARTING TO HEAT UP
Preseason First Team All-League honoree Megan Walstad has been held down for much of the season but is starting to heat up.
Over the last three games, Walstad is averaging 12.7 points and 10.0 rebounds while shooting 65 percent from the floor and 85.7 percent from the free throw line.
The senior pulled in a season-high 12 rebounds against Northern Kentucky and followed with a season-high 18 points to go with nine boards in the win over Wright State.
STRONG ON THE GLASS
The Panthers owned the rebounding battle at Wright State 39-19 to record their best margin of the season at plus-20. It marks the highest rebounding margin since MKE was plus-22 on the glass in a 58-35 win over UIC on February 19, 2021.
Milwaukee has always prided itself on rebounding and the Panthers have dominated the boards in league play.
In six games, the Panthers own the top rebounding Margin of 9.2 boards per game. That margin would put them 25th in all of NCAA Division I.
RECORD-SETTING WIN
Defense was the story in a win over Detroit Mercy on December 29, setting multiple program bests.
The Panthers held the Titans to 29 points, the lowest for an opponent in NCAA Division I history surpassing Valparaiso’s 31 from February 25, 2012.
Detroit also converted just 17.5 percent of its field goals, the lowest field goal percentage for an opponent since MKE held Youngstown State to 19.4 percent on March 6, 2010.
The seven made field goals for Detroit were also an opponent program-low for the Panthers, four fewer than the previous mark.
SERVING UP A WIN
Milwaukee was finding the open player against Detroit Mercy and making it count, totaling a season-high 22 assists.
It is the most assists for the Panthers since MKE had 24 in a win over Northern Iowa on March 15, 2018. That year, MKE eclipsed 20 assists on five different occasions.
The Panthers had those 22 assists on 25 made field goals, the highest assist percentage (88.0) since dishing out 16 assists on 18 field goals (88.8) in a win over Chicago State on March 3, 2016.
FINDING A WAY INSIDE
Emma Wittmerhaus has been the Panthers’ most consistent presence inside this season, averaging 10.1 points and 5.6 rebounds per game. Those numbers rise to 11.7 and 7.0 in league play.
The redshirt senior added another double-digit performance against Wright State, recording 11 points, and has now scored at least 10 points in 10 games this year.
Wittmershaus is having a career-year, ranking second on the team in points per game, rebounds, and field goal percentage (48.7).
ALL OF THE DOUBLE DIGITS
In the win over Detroit Mercy, Milwaukee had five players reach double figures. Grace Crowley led the way with 13 points while Kendall Nead (12), Anna Lutz (11), Kamy Peppler (10), and Emma Wittmershaus (10) all joined in double digits.
It marks the first time Milwaukee had at least five players with at least 10 points since February 8, 2020. That game, Jamie Reit’s 13 points led the way while Bre Cera added 12, McKaela Schmelzer and Sydney Staver each had 11, and Lizzie Odegard finished with 10 in a 65-60 win over Green Bay.
Milwaukee is now 3-0 this year when at least four players reach double figures. The Panthers are 17-4 over the last five years when four or more players reach at least 10 points.
MAGIC NUMBER
In college basketball, there is no perfect recipe for a win but for Milwaukee, field goal percentage has been a pretty good baseline.
In the last seven seasons, Milwaukee is 88-25 (.779) when hitting at least 40 percent from the field. Bump that field goal percentage to 43 percent and the Panthers are 68-12 (.850).
When shooting under 40 percent since 2016-17, Milwaukee is just 25-62 (.294).
The Panthers have been held under 40 percent in eight games this year, going 1-7 in those contests.
ARE YOU CERA-IOUS?
Angie Cera was on fire in the second half against Eastern Illinois on December 22, finishing with a career-high 21 points. The sophomore finished 7-for-15 from the floor and hit four three-pointers.
In the second half alone, Cera went 5-for-10 with three triples for 16 of the Panthers’ 29 points.
Cera is putting together a career-year so far with highs in points (8.7), rebounds (2.2), and assists (1.9). She’s already surpassed her previous career-best with 14 three-pointers this year.
PRESEASON HONORS FOR WALSTAD
Megan Walstad was named to the Preseason All-Horizon League First Team following another impressive campaign in 2021-22. Walstad dominated down low, earning her second straight First Team All-League award last season. She led the team and was among the league’s leaders in points per game (14.4), rebounds per game (9.1), field goal percentage (48.8), free throw percentage (88.9), and blocks per game (1.5). Walstad was also named to the All-Defensive Team for the second straight year.
Walstad joined a group of just three others in program history to earn All-League First Team honors on more than one occasion in the Panthers’ Division I era and is just the second in MKE history to earn All-Defensive Team distinction multiple times.
Additionally, Walstad was one of 25 players to be named to the 2022 Becky Hammon Mid-Major Player of the Year preseason Watch List.
MISS BASKETBALL IN THE HOUSE
Freshman Kamy Peppler was crowned 2022 Miss Basketball for Wisconsin but it’s not the first time Milwaukee has had a student-athlete with that title arrive on campus.
In fact, Megan Walstad earned that title in her home state of Minnesota after leading Eastview High School to a perfect 32-0 record as a senior.
Prior to that, just one other player in program history donned the title of Miss Basketball. Meredith Onson (2005-08) was a consensus Wisconsin Player of the year in 2002-03. Onson originally attended Boston University but transfered to Milwaukee for the 2004-05 season.
MILESTONE WATCH
Megan Walstad’s name is already all over the Milwaukee record books but she has the opportunity to etch her name in a few more times.
For her career, she has already cracked the program’s top 10 in the following for NCAA Division I.
- Points per game (9th, 12.4)
- Rebounds per game (4th, 7.6)
- Field goal percentage (4th, 50.9)
- Free throw percentage (5th, 84.0)
- Total rebounds (8th, 766)
- Total blocks (4th, 140)
- Double-doubles (6th, 19)
- Offensive rebounds (8th, 220)
FOR STARTERS
The Panthers hold a 12-21 record in season openers at the NCAA Division I level, dating back to 1990-91. Last season, MKE hung around with Ball State but was outlasted 84-75 in overtime. Megan Walstad led four players in double figures with 15 points. Head Coach Kyle Rechlicz is 6-5 in season openers at Milwaukee. The Panthers dominated Chicago State 82-58 in Rechlicz’s Milwaukee coaching debut in 2012-13.
Rechlicz is also 6-5 in home openers since taking the reins in 2012-13. The last time Milwaukee opened its home schedule with Wisconsin was in 2018-19. The Panthers suffered a 68-57 setback to the Badgers that season.
