EVANSTON, Ill. -- Megan Podkowa scored a career-high 27 points and grabbed 14 rebounds with four blocks and No. 16 DePaul handed No. 12 Northwestern its first loss of the season 77-64 Saturday night.
The Blue Demons (8-4) needed three surges to take a 17-16 lead in the cross-town rivalry.
Northwestern (10-1), trailing 24-8 in the opening moments of the second quarter after a 12-1 DePaul run, used a 12-2 spurt to cut the deficit to six.
With the first basket of the second half, the Blue Demons pushed the lead back to 15 but the Wildcats cut it to 55-52 entering the fourth quarter.