HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. – Trailing by as many as 11 in the fourth quarter, Milwaukee put together a valiant comeback attempt with nine unanswered but were unable to overcome the deficit. The Panthers fell to host Northern Kentucky by a 66-62 score on Thursday evening at Truist Arena.
 
Jorey Buwalda tied her career-best with 20 points on the night including a clutch three-point make late in the game to make it a one-possession score. Kamy Peppler was also in double figures with 12 points while Jada Donaldson and Payton Rechlicz each scored seven in the effort.
 
The host Norse were hot from deep, knocking down 10 shots from beyond the arc, one shy of its season high. Northern Kentucky also took 17 free throw attempts and converted on 16 while Milwaukee was just 6-for-6 from the stripe.
 
"I thought that Northern Kentucky shot well, they took advantage of their home court and were a hot shooting team tonight," said head coach Kyle Rechlicz after the game. "They got to the free throw line too … defensively in those spots we were swatting down or late on cuts, and they took advantage."
 
While Milwaukee won the overall rebounding battle at 36-33, and offensive boards were tied at 11 for the game, it was nine second-half offensive rebounds that helped the Norse maintain lengthy offensive possessions to emerge with the win.
 
"We did a great job of boxing them out in the first half [outrebounding Northern Kentucky, 20-14]," added Rechlicz. "However, we gave up some key offensive rebounds down the stretch and they ended up with nine offensive boards in the second half. We can't allow easy baskets like that down the stretch of games."
 
Buwalda helped contribute to Milwaukee's rebounding total with a team-best seven boards, including two on the offensive side. Rechlicz led MKE with three offensive rebounds, as she and Donaldson each finished the game with five boards apiece.
 
"I thought Jorey came out extremely aggressive and we were trying to feed her the ball underneath, and I thought she did a great job defensively for us as well" said Rechlicz.
 
"Opportunities in the paint were huge for us tonight," Rechlicz added as Milwaukee outscored Northern Kentucky by a 40-18 margin in the paint.
 
In a fast-paced opening half, Milwaukee connected on 13 shots from the field as Buwalda paced the Panthers with nine points and six rebounds. NKU had 10-point opening halves from both Abby Wolterman and Mya Meredith and led at the halftime break by a 34-32 score.
 
The third quarter was pivotal as the Norse outscored the Black & Gold by a 20-14 difference and extended its overall lead to eight at 54-46. Halle Idowu took over for NKU in the third quarter with six points as Macey Blevins added five.
 
Northern Kentucky converted on a three-point play to open the fourth quarter and extend its lead to 11, but Milwaukee was up to the task and scored nine unanswered. Peppler got the scoring started followed by a steal from Donaldson and layup by Anna Lutz. Peppler and Donaldson scored the next five for MKE to trim the deficit to two.
 
The Norse regained a five-point advantage with 17 seconds left on a pair of free throws, before a shovel pass by Donaldson to Buwalda on the ensuing possession was knocked down from well beyond the arc to make it a two-point game. NKU answered with a pair of free throws to survive the Milwaukee comeback attempt and escape with the four-point win.
 
Lutz finished the game with six points and Peppler held the team lead with three assists along with Buwalda. Kallie Peppler scored four points off the bench for MKE, who finished the game shooting 44.1 percent from the field, but just 23.5 from distance.
 
Meredith and Blevins had a team-best 13 points each to lead the way for the Norse, while Wolterman and Idowu each had 10 points apiece to finish the game. Meredith and Wolterman were closest to double-double with a team-best eight rebounds each.
 
Milwaukee will get back to action on Saturday at the Nutter Center, when the Panthers visit the Wright State Raiders for a 3:00 p.m. (CT) start. There is a men's basketball game that precedes the women's game, so fans are encouraged to visit @MKE_WBB on X for updates on potential delays to the game.