NORMAL, Ill. – The Panthers got back to their winning ways on Thursday night knocking off the first-place Illinois Redbirds 74-67.
It was a close battle between two of the top teams in the MVC on Thursday evening. The Panthers and Redbirds went back and forth over 40 minutes in a physical game that came out with UNI on top. The physical game also included a career-high in rebounds for guard Nicole Kreoger.
“I thought we played extremely well. I thought our bench was terrific,” said Head Coach Tanya Warren of the win. “You know Illinois State is a very good team. They’re well-coached, they do a terrific job with their scouting and they can really play to your weaknesses. And we knew it was going to be a grind and that it was going to be a game of runs. And I thought when they made theirs, we found a way to make a big play whether that was on the offensive end or on the defensive end. But I’m extremely proud of how we were able to bounce back.”
The Panthers got off to a hot start in Illinois, grabbing the tip and scoring the first basket from forward Grace Boffeli. UNI would keep the Redbirds scoreless for almost four minutes grabbing a 4-0 lead until guard JuJu Redmon made two at the line for ISU. Illinois State would tie the game up but the Panthers would keep the lead off a second-chance layup from guard Maya McDermott. The Redbirds would take a brief lead with three minutes to go in the first but a three-point jumper from guard Kam Finley put UNI back on top with just over 90 seconds left. A final trey from Kroeger in the last second would give the Panthers a 15-10 lead after 10 minutes of play.
Illinois State would begin the second on a brief four-point run putting the Redbirds within one. A jumper in the paint from guard Karli Rucker would put UNI back on top momentarily. Illinois State followed up with a quick layup of their own from forward DeAnna Wilson. The Redbirds held the one-point lead for just under two minutes until Finley made a three-pointer off a second chance pass. Finley would get another trey just 20 seconds later to bring UNI’s lead up to five.
Illinois State responded by rattling off two baskets to cut the lead down to one. Rucker would respond with a jumpshot of her own but the Redbirds would bring it back down to one. Another timely three from Finley would widen the gap and she’d get another one just a moment later to bring the lead back out to five. The Panthers would have their largest lead of the quarter with five minutes to go as forward Sara McCullough made a fast-break layup to bring the Panther lead to seven. But Illinois State would respond quickly with a nine-point run to close out the quarter, heading into halftime behind by just one as UNI led 28-27.
The second half would start with matching jumpshots for both teams. The Redbirds would take the first lead of the half on a six-point run over two minutes. Kroeger would get her third trey of the night to grab the lead back for the Panthers It’d be more back and forth baskets until UNI went on a five-point run topped off with a fast break three-pointer from guard Maya McDermott. Wilson would get a fast break basket of her own before UNI rattled off two shots to grow their lead to seven. The Panthers would close out the quarter on a nine-point run, having their largest lead of the night at 11 with a minute to go. ISU would get two shots at the line to end the third with UNI leading 48-39.
Illinois State started the fourth with a bang, getting a three-point shot from guard Maya Wong to start cutting into the Panthers lead. Center Cynthia Wolf would answer back with a layup before the Redbirds would go on a four-point run. It’d be quick back and forth basketball for 20 seconds as both teams made two shots from the floor. ISU would then get a trey from Redmond, bringing the UNI lead down to three. Wolf would answer with a trey of her own before Redmond would make another basket driving into the lane.
The teams would trade free throws for a minute until Boffeli made a fast-break layup. The Redbirds would find the gas pedal as they tore through a four-point run to tie the game at 61 apiece with under five minutes left. The Panthers would make two key baskets, a corner three-pointer from Kroeger, and a driving layup from guard Emerson Green to grab back the lead and extend it to five. Illinois State would make one more run at the lead, getting within one point with just over a minute to go. A layup from Green and free throws from Rucker, Boffeli, and Kroeger sealed the deal for the Panthers as they won 74-67 over the first-place Redbirds.
As a team the Panthers excelled in the second half, bringing their shooting above 40% from all areas of the floor. UNI was 26-60 (43.3%) from field goal range, 12-28 (42.9%) from behind the arc, and 10-15 (66.7%) from the charity stripe. The Panthers narrowly lost at the boards 35-36 but did lead in steals, assists, and plus/minus. UNI also had 27 points from the bench and 28 of their 74 points in the paint.
Individually Nicole Kreoger was the offensive and defensive leader for the Panthers with 16 points and 8 rebounds. Kroeger set a career-high in rebounds with her eight boards. Also, in double figures for UNI were Finley, Boffeli, and McDermott. Boffeli would lead the team in steals with 3 while five other players recorded a steal. Gunnels followed in rebounds with seven while Wolf had 5.
UP NEXT:
The Panthers continue their Illinois road swing with a stop in Peoria to take on the Bradley Braves. Tipoff from Renaissance Coliseum is set for 2 p.m. and will be broadcast on ESPN+.
