Kristan Knake did all she could, but it was not enough on Wednesday as the NIU women’s basketball team lost 69-64 to host Wisconsin-Milwaukee.

The 5-foot-8 shooting guard tied a career-high 29 points, including 25 in the second half.

Her counterpart, Panthers’ shooting guard Jessica Wilhite, connected on eight three-pointers and put up a season-high 31 points.

“Jess was the story tonight,” Panthers coach Sandy Bothman said. “She really played well, and has been doing a little bit of everything for us. It’s nice to see that.”

For the second game in a row, Alyssa Verdegan and Rachel Sillar started at guard for the Huskies.

Verdegan had two points and two rebounds in 12 minutes while Sillar contributed two points and two assists in 24 minutes.

The story for NIU was its inability to get to the free-throw line and its struggles from the field.

The Huskies were outscored 11-1 at the foul line and the Panthers shot five percent better from the field.

Also, five Huskies turned the ball over at least two times.

After the Panthers took a 38-27 halftime lead, Knake and Wilhite engaged in a shootout in the second half. The duo combined for 44 of the 68 points scored after intermission.

At one point Knake hit five consecutive three pointers.

Panthers center Maria Viall complemented Wilhite’s outside prowess by adding 17 points and grabbing a game-high 10 rebounds.