NORMAL, Ill. – It may have been a slow start, but the Panthers were able to find their offense in a 74-64 win over the Illinois State Redbirds.
UNI has their first 2-0 start to Missouri Valley Conference play on the road for the first time since 2017 with Sunday’s win. Forward Grace Boffeli came one-point shy of tying a career performance on the floor, scoring 25 against the Redbirds and picking up her fourth double-double of the year. The Panthers also tied their season high in rebounds with 49 boards through the afternoon.
“I’m proud that we didn’t panic with a slow start,” said Head Coach Tanya Warren after the win. “We didn’t panic and I thought we started defending and getting stops. We finished defensive possessions and rebounding the basketball which allowed us to get out into transition. It started and stayed on the defensive end.”
It was a slow start on Sunday afternoon for the Panthers as they found themselves down by six early. Illinois State would put together several small runs in the first quarter, while UNI’s only run would be two made layups in the final two and a half minutes. The Panthers would only shoot 38.9% from the floor and 16.7% from three-point range in the first.
But UNI would explode on offense in the second quarter, putting together a dominating 18-point run over five minutes. The Panthers shut down the Redbirds’ offense and found their three-point shooting, going 57.1% from behind the arc. UNI grabbed the lead for the first time on a Rachael Heittola three with six minutes to go in the half. The Panthers headed into the second half with a commanding nine-point lead.
UNI continued its offensive streak into the start of the third, getting a four-point run to go up by 13. But Illinois State regained its offense in the third, cutting the Panther lead to single digits. That wouldn’t stay for long as guard Kayba Laube made back-to-back threes in the fourth minute of the quarter, giving UNI its largest lead of the day at 14.
Both teams would go cold for the next two minutes until the Redbirds put together a seven-point run. The Panthers would trade shots over the final minute and a half, as guard Maya McDermott made a last-second jumper to put UNI up by nine going into the final quarter.
The fourth quarter would be a close back-and-forth contest as the teams matched shot for shot. The Panthers would break the pace with a 6-1 run midway through the fourth to go back up by double-digits. Illinois State would put together a four-point run to get the game back within seven, but two back-to-back layups pushed the Panthers into the lead for good. Four trips to the line in the final minute would seal the win for UNI to go 2-0 in MVC play in the 74-64 victory.
After a tough start shooting, the Panthers were 25-67 (37.3%) from the floor, 7-22 (31.8%) from behind the arc, and 17-25 (68%) at the free throw line. UNI picked up 49 rebounds, four steals, and six blocks on the defensive side of the ball as well.
Two Panthers ended the game in double-digits as Boffeli and 25 points while McDermott had 15. Boffeli also led the team in rebounds with 12 while center Cynthia Wolf was just shy of double-digits with nine. Wolf also led the team in steals with two and grabbing a block. Forward Ryley Goebel was the only UNI player to have multiple blocks, recording two.
UP NEXT:
The Panthers return home to the McLeod Center next week for two games against MVC newcomers Murray State and Belmont. UNI will see the Racers first on Jan. 6 at 6 p.m. in Cedar Falls.
