HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. – Despite a career-high 23 points from Rebecca Lyttle and five players in double figures, The Northern Kentucky University women's basketball team fell to Akron, 77-75, on a buzzer-beater in overtime at BB&T Arena on Saturday.
 
Lyttle came one rebound shy of a double-double and shattered her previous career high of 18 points after going 11-of-14 from the charity stripe and 6-of-10 from the floor. She netted five free throws in the overtime period and was responsible for five of NKU's nine total points in OT.
 
Kasey Uetrecht followed with a double-double on 15 points and 12 rebounds including nine on the defensive glass. Christine Roush (12), Shar'Rae Davis (11) and Rianna Gayheart (10) rounded out NKU's top scorers while Akron's Anita Brown led all players with 32 points and the game-winning bucket.
 
The loss snapped a three-game winning streak for the Norse, who close their nonconference schedule with an 8-3 record. Akron improved to 5-5 on the year.
 
After hovering around a 10-point lead for the majority of the second half, NKU held a 64-53 advantage with three-and-a-half minutes left in regulation. Akron's Brown would score eight-straight points to come within four of NKU at 64-60. The Zips tied the game on back-to-back triples from Hannah Plybon with four seconds to go to force overtime.
 
A pair of free-throws from Lyttle put NKU up by three at the 2:57 mark of overtime, the largest lead of the period. However, Brown tied it up at 75-75 with 44 seconds to play before sinking the game-winner at the buzzer.
 
In the opening quarter, NKU scored eight-straight while the defense held the Zips to a single field goal across the final four and a half minutes of the frame to lead 17-12.
 
Akron quickly tied it back up at 17-17 within the first minute of second quarter action. The Zips and Norse battled from the perimeter, with NKU sinking five treys including a pair from Gayheart as the Norse outscored Akron 11-1 through the final two and a half minutes of the first half for a 41-33 halftime lead.
 
NKU returned to the court and used a Roush triple to get out to an 11-point edge to give the Norse enough of a lead to withstand six-straight points from UA. A Uetrecht three-point play and layup from Lyttle restored the 10-point advantage that lasted until the final minutes.
 
The Norse return to action on Dec. 30 for their first-ever Horizon League game as a member of the League. NKU will tip off against Valparaiso at 7 p.m. at BB&T Arena.
 
NORSE NOTES:

• NKU placed five or more players in double figures for the second-straight game. It also marked the fourth-straight game with at least three players scoring 10 or more points.
• The game saw 10 total ties and 12 lead changes.
• NKU went 21-for-24 from the free-throw line for an 87.5 percent efficiency.