DeKALB, IL – Graduate guard Nadechka Laccen (San Juan, Puerto Rico/St. Bonaventure) led all scorers Friday night with 26 points, but the Northern Illinois University women's basketball team could not overcome a late first quarter run from the Milwaukee Panthers in a 76-65 loss in the home opener at the NIU Convocation Center.
 
Laccen's 26 points were a career-high, topping the 22 she had for St. Bonaventure against Kent State on Dec. 4, 2022. She was 9-for-15 from the field with three three-pointers while going 5-for-6 from the free throw line. Laccen also added four rebounds, an assist and a steal in a game-high 34 minutes. Maria Serracanta (Sabadell, Spain/Mercer) had two career-highs on Friday night with 10 points and six rebounds.
 
NIU (0-2) raced out to a 9-3 lead in the first 3:05 of the game. Nevaeh Wingate (Liverpool, N.Y./St. John's) had four points in that run as Laccen capped it with a three-point play at the 6:55 mark. Milwaukee tied the game 9-9 with threes from Madison Fitzgibbon and Payton Rechlicz. The Huskies led 17-15 with 2:32 to go in the quarter when a Fitzgibbon triple started a 14-0 run that gave the Panthers a 29-17 advantage after 10 minutes of play. Kendall Barnes had five points in that stretch, closing the quarter with 11.
 
Milwaukee (1-1) extended the lead to 14 early in the second before the Huskies scored five straight points, four from Serracanta, to get within nine at 31-22 with 4:45 left until halftime. The Huskies' defense held the Panthers to 1-for-5 from long range in the second quarter but still found themselves down by 11, 36-25 at halftime.
 
"I was proud we held them to seven points in the second quarter," said head coach Jacey Brooks. "I told the team at halftime that I hope it gives them a sense of confidence that they could guard Milwaukee. We forced two shot clock violations and did some good things, but we let them loose in the first quarter and that was the difference in the game."
 
The Huskies closed the gap to eight in the third quarter. A Laccen three-point play with 5:03 to play capped a quick 5-0 run that made the score 45-37 and put Laccen up to 18 points on the night. The Panthers then scored 10 of the next 13 to go up 55-40 going into the fourth. Milwaukee took its largest lead of the game with 7:28 to play when Fitzgibbon's fifth three of the night made the score 63-44. NIU chipped away at the Panthers lead but only got as close as nine points in the final minute when a Laccen layup put the score at 70-61.
 
"Everything that could have gone wrong at the end of the first did," Brooks said. "I'm proud of the team and the fight they showed the rest of the way. We tried to keep it close and we had some bench players step up in the fourth quarter. As we know, this is all a process. It's part of the journey. We're continuing to get experience on the court."
 
NIU shot 40.4 percent from the field and was 15-for-21 from the free throw line. Milwaukee was 9-for-17 from the three-point line and shot 48.9 percent from the floor. The Panthers turned 20 NIU turnovers into 14 points. Barnes led Milwaukee with 17 points as Fitzgibbon added 15 and four assists.
 
The Huskies are back at the Convocation Center on Tuesday, Nov. 11 to take on Western Illinois. Tip-off is at 6 p.m. for Salute To Service. Tickets are on sale now on NIUHuskies.com or by calling the NIU Athletics Ticket Office at 815-753-PACK (7225). All Service Members can claim complimentary tickets by visiting VetTix.org.
 
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