Milwaukee City Wire

The Milwaukee Panthers women's basketball team is set to commence the 2024-25 season with an away game against the St. Thomas Tommies on November 4 at Schoenecker Arena in St. Paul, Minnesota. The game will be broadcasted on the Summit League Network, and fans can access live stats via MKEPanthers.com. Audio coverage will be provided by Matt Menzl through the Black & Gold Network and the Varsity Network app.

This matchup marks the beginning of Kyle Rechlicz's 13th year as head coach for Milwaukee. Last season, the Panthers ended with a balanced record of 16-16 overall and were seeded fifth in the Horizon League Tournament, where they lost to Wright State in the quarterfinals. In this year's preseason coaches poll, Milwaukee was predicted to finish fourth.

The Panthers' roster includes 15 student-athletes, featuring ten returning players and five newcomers. Key returners include starters Jada Donaldson, Anna Lutz, Kamy Peppler, and sophomore Jorey Buwalda.

St. Thomas enters its fourth year as a Division I program under head coach Ruth Sinn, who has led them to significant success over her tenure. The Tommies finished last season with a 15-16 record and were ranked fifth in this year's Summit League preseason poll.

Following their opening game against St. Thomas, Milwaukee will host Carroll Pioneers on November 6 at Klotsche Center.

Milwaukee's non-conference schedule includes games against Butler and Valparaiso at home before visiting Wisconsin for their annual meeting with the Badgers. A notable challenge awaits when they face Kansas State on November 20.

Head Coach Kyle Rechlicz has been recognized as one of the most experienced coaches in the Horizon League following Kevin Borseth's retirement from Green Bay earlier this year.

Returning honoree Jorey Buwalda was named to last year's All-Freshman team after averaging impressive statistics across various categories during her rookie season.

The team's performance metrics highlight areas such as field goal percentage and free throw accuracy as crucial factors for securing victories in past seasons.

Milwaukee continues its efforts toward achieving milestone wins at the Division I level while maintaining competitive play within both conference and non-conference matchups throughout this upcoming season.