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Women’s College Basketball: UNI sweeps Drake in last second 49-47 win

CEDAR FALLS – For the second time this season, point guard Maya McDermott helped the Panthers down the Drake Bulldogs in the game's final second.

CEDAR FALLS – For the second time this season, point guard Maya McDermott helped the Panthers down the Drake Bulldogs in the game’s final second.

Despite shooting struggles from the floor, UNI’s defense and a big shot came in clutch to give the Panthers a 49-47 win over the Drake Bulldogs. This is the first time UNI has swept the season series against Drake since 2016. The Panthers kept the Bulldogs below their average in shooting, points per game, and assists. The UNI defense also handed Drake its lowest field goal percentage and three-point percentage of the season.

“What an ending,” said Head Coach Tanya Warren following the Panther win. “It really was a gritty game. I’m proud of the toughness we showed to get stops and make plays down the stretch. Honestly, our first quarter was probably the best quarter we’ve played all year. And then our second quarter was probably the worst quarter we’ve played all year.”

“But we found a way to grit out a very tough win against a very good opponent. What we told them in the locker room was winner’s win, and we found a way to win when it wasn’t our best game. So, it’s a credit to these young women.”

UNI began the game firing on all cylinders, particularly behind the three-point line. The Panthers made six separate treys in under seven minutes for a 46.2 shooting percentage. Senior center Cynthia Wolf was the only player to make multiple threes, scoring the first bucket of the game and one at the 6:30 mark. UNI had an 11-point run and an eight-point run to take a 24-8 lead into the second.

But it was a tale of two quarters in the first half as the Panthers had their toughest quarter in program history on the floor. Drake found its defense, keeping UNI to just one basket while adding 15 points to their total. The Panthers two points are the lowest-scoring quarter in program history. But UNI was able to keep the Bulldogs from scoring the final two and a half minutes of the half. The Panthers limped into halftime with a 26-23 lead.

The shooting woes from the floor continued for UNI into the third quarter. But the Panthers found a spark behind the arc with a third three from Wolf. The teams matched each other blow-for-blow through most of the third. Drake put together a 9-2 run over the last three minutes of the quarter to take its first lead of the game. UNI trailed by only a basket with the final 10 left to play.

It took a couple of minutes before either team found their shooting in the fourth quarter. Guard Kam Finley picked up the first points at the line, tying the game back up. The Bulldogs continued to match the Panthers and pulled away on a five-point run with 7:29 to go.

UNI’s defense stayed strong despite the run, keeping Drake scoreless for the next six minutes. The Panthers also put up five points to retie the game over those six minutes. But the Bulldogs would go back up by two with 1:22 on the clock on a Grace Berg layup.

With the ball in hand, McDermott drew a foul from Katie Dinnebier to head to the line. She made both shots putting the game at 47-47 with 1:25. UNI’s defense came up big when needed, forcing a shot clock violation from Drake and pressuring the Bulldogs into a missed three on their final possession.

The Panthers had the ball with only eight seconds left on the clock and called a timeout to move into their offensive end. Out of the timeout, Wolf passed the ball in to McDermott, who moved to the right of the lane and hit an almost identical jumping floater to give UNI the 49-47 win.

The only statistical category the Panthers led in was three-point shooting percentage at 26.9%. In other areas of the floor, UNI was 18-62 (29.0%) from field goal range and 6-10 (60%) from the line while making 12 helpers. Defensively the Panthers brought down 37 boards, forced 21 turnovers, and made eight steals and five blocks.

Two UNI players shot in double digits as McDermott had 12 points while guard Emerson Green made 11. The two guards also shared the team lead in assists with three apiece. Forward Grace Boffeli had 11 of the Panthers 37 rebounds while also making two blocks. Also excelling on defense was Wolf with three blocks and Finley with two steals.

UP NEXT:
UNI gets a slightly longer break between games this week as they won’t see game action again until Sunday. The Panthers will play their lone regular season matchup against the Indiana State Sycamores on Feb. 5. Tip-off from the McLeod Center is set for 2 p.m. on Sunday.

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