The Milwaukee Panthers women’s basketball team will host Purdue Fort Wayne in their annual ‘Pink Out’ game at the Klotsche Center on Wednesday, February 25, at 6:00 p.m. The Panthers will wear new pink-themed uniforms for the event, and the jerseys are being auctioned until late Wednesday night. A portion of proceeds from the auction will go to a local Milwaukee program supporting breast cancer research.
The matchup is part of the Horizon League schedule and can be viewed on ESPN+. Fans can also access live stats and other updates through MKEPanthers.com.
After finishing their road games, Milwaukee returns home for its final two regular season contests. The Panthers have struggled recently, losing five straight games in February, including defeats against Wright State and Green Bay last week. Their most recent meeting with Purdue Fort Wayne was on December 10 in Fort Wayne, where the Mastodons won 70-60. Jorey Buwalda led Milwaukee with a double-double in that game.
Purdue Fort Wayne arrives in Milwaukee following losses to Oakland and Youngstown State. Despite these setbacks, Alana Nelson has been a consistent performer for the Mastodons, leading her team with 21 points against Youngstown State. Sophia Gregory of YSU had a standout performance in that contest as well.
Purdue Fort Wayne currently holds an 8-9 record all-time against Milwaukee and has won the last five matchups between the teams. The Panthers’ last victory over PFW was on February 23, 2023, when they held their opponent to just 34 points.
Despite losing their entire starting lineup from last season, Purdue Fort Wayne remains competitive near the top of the Horizon League standings with a conference record of 10-8. Head coach Maria Marchesano brought in several transfers this year, including Alana Nelson from Spring Arbor University and Lili Krasovic from Boston College.
Statistically, Purdue Fort Wayne leads the Horizon League in scoring offense at 71 points per game while ranking fifth defensively by allowing an average of 64.8 points per contest. The Mastodons also rank among national leaders in turnover margin and three-point shooting attempts.
Key players for Purdue Fort Wayne include Alana Nelson (16.5 points per game), Lili Krasovic (11.2 points per game), and Jordan Reid (10.5 points per game).
Milwaukee will conclude its regular season at home against IU Indy on Saturday afternoon and plans to recognize senior Grace Lomen along with managers Ma’Teo Hollnad and Kylie Anderson during an on-court ceremony.
Recent highlights for Milwaukee include strong performances by Cece McNair over her past five games and Grace Lomen’s 30-point effort earlier this month—though recent history shows that such high-scoring individual performances have not always translated into wins for the Panthers.
Milwaukee’s bench continues to contribute significantly; they lead the Horizon League in bench scoring with nearly 25 points per game from reserves—a figure that ranks among the top programs nationally.
Head coach Kyle Rechlicz is approaching a career milestone with three more wins needed to reach her 200th victory since taking over prior to the 2012–13 season.
Jorey Buwalda has recorded eight double-doubles this season after entering her junior year with only two career double-doubles previously.
The team has shown proficiency beyond the arc this year as well as resilience in comeback situations—including overcoming large deficits earlier this season—and frequently rotates its starting lineup to adapt throughout conference play.
The Milwaukee Panthers women’s basketball team is part of NCAA Division I competition within the Horizon League and represents the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. The program emphasizes balancing academics with athletics while contributing to both conference and non-conference schedules during each season [source].
