CEDAR FALLS – UNI saw the court in game action for the first time on Monday night in an exhibition matchup against UW-La Crosse. The Panther offense put up some big numbers while the defense stood tall in the 102-51 rout of the Eagles.
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Panthers got out to a hot start with nine straight points on three three-pointers with two coming from guard Kayba Laube and one coming from guard Maya McDermott. The Panthers added to their lead, mounting a 19-4 run to open the matchup with nine of the points coming from the hot hand of Laube who was three-of-three from beyond the arc in her first three attempts. The Panther run saw UNI go 7-for-10 from the floor. McDermott netted her fifth shot on a layup to close the quarter 29-10 in favor of the Panthers.
Continuing its dominance, Northern Iowa held the Eagles to just three total points in the second quarter while putting up 29 more of their own. Forward Grace Boffeli put up four points in a 9-1 run for the Panthers to open the second quarter. Guards Ellie Foster and Taryn Wharton and forward Riley Wright went to work to close the half, each scoring four points to take a 58-13 lead heading into halftime after a 20-2 run. UNI shot lights out shooting 57.5% from the floor in the first half.
The Eagles opened the second half on a 7-2 run which was ended by a pair of free throws from forward Shateah Wetering. This wouldn’t deter the Eagles who saw their best offensive production of the matchup, scoring 25 total points and nearly doubling their total from the first half. Riley Wright led all scorers in the third quarter with seven total points.
The Panthers got things started in the final frame with seven straight points, three from Wharton and four from Wright. The teams traded a barrage of baskets including three straight three-pointers from Foster to give UNI the 100-47 lead. Forward Katy Reyerson capped off the Panther scoring with a layup for the Panthers’ 102nd point.
Riley Wright led all players with 17 points. She shot 66.7% from the floor with her 8-of-12 performance. Taryn Wharton led the Panthers in both rebounds and assists with eight boards and seven assists.
ADDITIONAL NOTES
The Panthers scored 20+ points in each quarter with 29 points in both the first and second quarters, 24 points in the third quarter, and 20 points in the fourth.
UNI held the Eagles to just three points in the second quarter and 13 total points in the first half.
Five Panthers scored in double digits with Riley Wright’s 17 points, Grace Boffeli’s 15 points, Ellie Foster’s 13 points, and 11 points from both Rachel Heittola and Kayba Laube.
UP NEXT
The Panthers open the regular season with a matchup against UW-Green Bay on Nov. 6 at 6 p.m. in the McLeod Center. The game will be broadcast on ESPN+ and can be listened to on the Panther Sports Radio Network.