Box Score

Northwestern NU 8-1

Milwaukee UWM 7-2

Northwestern NU

8-1

Final

Dec. 11, 2016

Milwaukee UWM

7-2

Score By Periods
Team	1	2	3	4	F
Northwestern NU	15	13	20	17	65
Milwaukee UWM	16	11	20	16	63

Game Recap: Women's Basketball | December 11, 2016

Northwestern Sneaks Last-Second Win Away From UWM

Panthers fall just short in great, even battle

MILWAUKEE – A furious comeback late saw the Milwaukee women's basketball team erase an eight-point deficit with less than one minute to play, only to see Northwestern sink a pair of free throws in the closing seconds for the 65-63 win Sunday afternoon from the Klotsche Center.

The Panthers (7-2) had a pair of chances to win it at the buzzer only to fall just short for just their second loss of the year.

Northwestern, which was receiving votes in the top-25 poll coming into the week, improves to 8-1 on the year after Sunday's close contest.

"We played them point to point," Milwaukee head coach Kyle Rechlicz said. "It really was a great game for the fans to watch, it was a great game to coach and I'm sure it was a great game for our players. We just lost focus there for a little while…and had some mental lapses that you can't have when you're playing an opponent like Northwestern.

"We've got to learn from our mistakes, just like we did from the Northern Illinois game, and bounce back because we've got another game here this week."

Steph Kostowicz was a force all game long, leading all players in both points (21) and rebounds (12) for her sixth double-double of the year before fouling out with 2:18 remaining.

Jenny Lindner poured in another 14 points to go with eight boards and Sierra Ford-Washington had 13 points with six assists. Bailey Farley also was big, netting another nine after connecting on three from downtown.

Nia Coffey – an AP All-American Honorable Mention honoree last year – led Northwestern with 17 points and nine rebounds.

It all came down to the final minute.

A free throw by Coffey made it 63-55 NU with just 1:07 left on the clock, capping a 7-0 Northwestern run to grab the momentum.

But, Milwaukee didn't quit. Lindner drilled a triple to cut the lead to five with 56 seconds to play. Then, after a defensive stop, Alexis Lindstrom drained a three – her first field goal of the day – to make it a two-point game with just 17 seconds left on the clock.

On the ensuing inbound, Farley and Lindner teamed up for a steal and Lindner laid it in to tie the game at 63-63 with just 11.9 remaining as the Klotsche Center went wild.

Coffey was able to draw a foul and make both of her free throws on the ensuing possession, giving the visitors a two-point lead with just eight seconds left.

After a timeout, the Panthers executed the play perfectly but saw both of their shots just before the buzzer fall short to just miss a chance at overtime.

"That's exactly who we are. I don't think there's any quit in our players," Rechlicz said. "That comes from our leadership and their mentality.

"We had two great shots there at the end. We executed the play perfectly. I thought Jenny's drive to the basket was great. I would put the ball in her hands 1,000 times over and I don't think she'd miss that shot again. And Lizzie's put back was just a little short.

"It's a learning mentality for us, but I am proud of our team. We played against a very physically tough team, stayed in the game and had an opportunity to win at the end."

Sunday's game was a back-and-forth affair right from the start, with Milwaukee showing they weren't afraid of their opponents from the Big Ten. The Panthers claimed their first lead of the day late in the first after a free throw by Kostowicz to make it 14-13 as UWM led by one after one.

The two teams continued to trade the lead, all building to that final decisive few minutes.

Milwaukee won the rebounding battle on the day, 44-39, and hit six three pointers, while limiting NU to just one.

UWM is right back at it Wednesday when they host Chicago State at 7 pm from the Klotsche Center.

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