UWM women’s basketball fell to Northern Illinois University 67-60 despite late comeback efforts at the Klotsche Center on Sunday. Milwaukee dropped to 2-5 on the season while NIU improved to 3-2.
In-conference transfer Kacee Baumhower led the way for the Panthers once more, ending with 21 points. Sunday marked the fourth time she eclipsed the 20-point mark this season.
Forward Anna Lutz was the other Panther to reach double-figures, scoring 14. Baumhower and Lutz combined for nearly 60% of the Panthers’ points.
Lutz battled against her old high school teammate Laura Nickel – they won two state championships at Marshall. Nickel scored six points coming off the bench for the Huskies.
“It was really cool,” said Lutz. “I was excited for this game as soon as I saw it on the schedule… we kind of jabbed at each other on the free throw line.”
Jada Williams chipped in six points with a team-high +13 plus/minus for the Panthers.
“Jada Williams came in and gave us really solid minutes,” said head coach Kyle Rechlicz. “We just didn’t play a complete game, and we need to get our court energy up.”
The loss comes after tough trips to Wisconsin and No. 10-ranked Kansas State.
“All this non-conference stuff is about learning and growing,” said Rechlicz.
Strong Starts, Weak Finishes
In all four quarters, the Panthers started strong but had trouble finishing with the same intensity.
The first quarter finished 16-11 in the Huskies’ favor after the Panthers hit a dry spell not scoring for the final 6:07 of the period. NIU closed the quarter on a 10-0 run.
Baumhower broke the cold streak in the 2nd quarter after scoring seven straight points.
Sidney McCrea stopped the Panthers’ run by hitting a three to give the Huskies a 25-23 lead at the 4:11 mark. Milwaukee would not retake the lead for the rest of the contest.
The Huskies entered halftime with a 39-27 advantage, the largest of the game.
“We just went away from the basketball we play offensively and defensively,” said Lutz.
NIU shot an efficient 15-30 from the field in the first half, going along with 7-10 from behind the arc. Milwaukee shot only 10-33 from the field and 5-13 from three in the first half.
“They are a really good shooting team,” said Lutz. “I don’t think we were locked into the shooters the way we should have been.”
Baumhower led the Panthers with 12 first-half points while the Huskies featured a balanced scoring attack.
The Panthers clawed back in the third quarter, cutting the deficit to two points at 45-43 with half the quarter remaining. The Huskies had another good end to the quarter and went into the final quarter with an eight-point lead.
The 4th quarter was the same story as the previous three, a good Panthers stretch followed by the Huskies finishing strong.
Baumhower made a three with 6:20 left to bring Milwaukee within four, but NIU held off the comeback the rest of the way. After 40 minutes, the Huskies emerged victorious with a 67-60.
NIU had four players hit double figures with Alecia Doyle and Brooke Stonebraker each leading the way with 17.
NIU shot 45.8% on field goals and 44.4% from three, Milwaukee only shot 36.1% from the field and 37% beyond the arc.
“We didn’t shoot the ball exceptionally well tonight,” said Rechlicz. “We missed some shots that typically we hit.”
Puerto Rico Clasico Over Thanksgiving
Next for the Panthers is a trip to Bayamón, Puerto Rico for the Puerto Rico Clasico.
“I’m excited for the team building and just hanging out with my teammates,” said Lutz. “We’re also going to get two wins there, so we’re excited to play some different teams.”
Milwaukee will play against American and Air Force on Wednesday and Thanksgiving, both games starting at 5:30 p.m. Central Time.
“We’ve got to make sure we lock in and be ready to play two really tough teams,” said Rechlicz. “We’ve got to find a way to bounce back.”