MILWAUKEE – The Milwaukee women's basketball team was unable to get past the Northern Kentucky Norse on Sunday afternoon in a home bout inside the Klotsche Center, dropping a 10-point decision to the Norse, 81-71.
 
Milwaukee (8-16, 6-10 Horizon) had a pair of career-efforts on the afternoon as Grace Crowley had a career-best 19 points on 8-of-9 shooting, while Anna Lutz added a career-high 16 points off the bench on 8-of-11 from the field.
 
The Panthers as a team shot 51.9 percent from the field as Megan Walstad added 17 points, while Angie Cera had her fourth-straight double-digit performance with 11 points; both Walstad and Cera combined for Milwaukee's six three-pointers at three apiece.
 
While Milwaukee had six from beyond the arc, it was Northern Kentucky (15-10, 9-7 Horizon) to drop 10 from three, while also shooting 17-of-24 from the line in comparison to Milwaukee going 9-for-11 at the stripe.
 
"They were just hitting threes, this is a team that historically doesn't hit many threes and they connected on 10 today," said head coach Kyle Rechlicz after the game. "As a team we have to do a better job of making adjustments as the game is played."
 
Milwaukee's 71 points was the fifth time on the season the team broke 70, as the Panthers have scored 62 points or better in each of its last five games as the team also had 20 assists on 28 field goals for contest.
 
"Our offense is flowing right now," added Rechlicz. "Our team is fighting so hard to get in the win column, I truly believe in this group and we're doing some great things."
 
Kamy Peppler led the Panthers with five assists, while Cera and Walstad each had four. Jessi Giles had three helpers while Kendall Nead added a pair of assists, while also adding six points of her own on the game.
 
The Panthers led the game by four after the opening quarter, which included the first five points of the game by Crowley and a three-pointer by Walstad. The Panthers led by as many as nine in the opening period at 18-9 off a three ball by Cera and a layup by Crowley.
 
Milwaukee held the lead throughout the second quarter until one minute left as the Norse evened the score with a pair from the line to send the game to halftime tied at 37.
 
Northern Kentucky led by as many as five for most of the third quarter, before a bursting ahead for an 11-point lead with 1:23 to go in the stanza. Lutz got the game back within three possessions on a layup on the next series as the quarter ended with the Norse ahead at 62-53.
 
The Panthers got a quick spark in the final period as Walstad drained a three off a Peppler pass, but Northern Kentucky answered right back with a three-pointer of their own. The Norse took their largest lead of the game at 13 with 7:01 to go, before Cera got another rally going with a three-pointer.
 
Crowley had a layup and Lutz followed with one as well with four minutes to go to pull Milwaukee back within six at 69-63, but the Panthers were unable to get the score any closer as the Norse won by 10 at 81-71.
 
Milwaukee will head out on its final road trip of the regular season beginning on Friday evening at 6:00 p.m. CST, against the Youngstown State Penguins. The trip will wrap up on Sunday at Robert Morris.