MILWAUKEE, Wis. – Sydney Levy was unstoppable on Thursday night, drilling eight three-pointers on her way to pouring in a career-high 27 points to help Milwaukee earn a come-from-behind 78-65 victory over Northern Illinois. The Panthers rallied from 10 down in the second half, closing on an 18-2 run to beat the Huskies.
 
"We weren't shooting great from outside to start, so it was early paint touches," head coach Kyle Rechlicz commented. "But then they packed it in, and I thought Sydney [Levy] was incredible. Our team was finding her and looking for her. It was very unselfish by our team."
 
Northern Illinois came out of the half strong, pushing its lead to 10 but then Levy took over. The sophomore was lights out from long range, hitting five three-pointers in the second half alone to keep Milwaukee in it.
 
The Panthers (3-5) continued to chip away at the deficit when Levy's final triple of the night put Milwaukee ahead for good at 66-63. NIU (3-5) responded with a layup, but Milwaukee continued to get to the line and handled business, hitting eight free throws in the final minute to seal the win.
 
Levy finished the night 9-for-13 from the floor including an 8-for-12 performance from three-point range. The eight triples matched Jessica Wilhite's number from 2002 for second most in school history. Levy's 27 points topped her previous career-high of 23 last season in a game where she knocked down seven threes.
 
Milwaukee's offense continued to get better as the night went on and after shooting 40 percent from the floor in the second half to cut its deficit to two, the Panthers doubled up NIU 29-14 in the fourth quarter, shooting 58.3 percent.
 
The Panthers had tough time getting through the Huskies' defense in the first period, shooting just 28.6 percent. NIU jumped ahead early and had Milwaukee on its heels with a 14-7 lead through eight minutes of play. Another layup capped a 7-0 run for the Huskies, but Levy pulled Milwaukee closer with her first three-pointer of the game.
 
In the second, Northern Illinois took advantage of five Milwaukee turnovers, scoring seven points, and handled the boards, owning a 16-10 edge in the period. With under a minute to play in the half, Alyssa Fischer hit a jumper to pull Milwaukee within four but NIU responded with a basket to push its lead to six at the break.
 
Out of halftime, the Huskies continued to cash in down low and pushed the lead to 10 before the Panthers' rallied.
 
Lizzie Odegard was a huge factor for Milwaukee, pulling down a career-high 17 rebounds. The senior totaled 11 in the first half and finished with 17 to go with nine points and three assists in the win.
 
"It was as a really fun game to watch for Lizzie," Rechlicz stated. "We needed every single one of those defense rebounds she got tonight."
 
Jamie Reit and Sydney Staver joined Levy in double digits as they scored 12 apiece. Reit nearly recorded her first career double-double as she added nine rebounds.
 
"When we play disciplined basketball, I think we can beat just about anybody. We got to the free throw line a lot. I thought our girls were really locked in," Rechlicz said.
 
As a team, Milwaukee reached the free throw line a season-high 32 times, converting 24 attempts. Brandi Bisping connected on all eight of her free throws.
 
The Panthers also took care of the ball against NIU, limiting the turnovers to nine, a season-low. Milwaukee turned the ball over just two times in the second half.
 
It's a quick turnaround for Milwaukee, who hosts Marquette on Sunday, December 8. Tipoff from the Klotsche Center is scheduled for 4:00 pm with live coverage links on MKEPanthers.com.