CEDAR FALLS – The UNI women’s basketball team opens conference play with their final game of 2023 at Missouri State. The Panthers and the Bears are meeting for the 92nd time with their first matchup dating back to a UNI victory in their first meeting in 1980. The last time these teams met, the Panthers took home an 86-67 victory. In that matchup, Emerson Green led Northern Iowa with 24 points. Grace Boffeli, Maya McDermott, and Rachael Heittola all recorded double-digit points in the contest as well. Green was one rebound short of a double-double with nine and Boffeli was two short with eight.
Guard Maya McDermott is coming off a career night against Iowa State which saw the Johnston, Iowa native record a career-high 30 points. She became the first Panther to score 30 points in a single game since Karli Rucker in the 2020-21 season. Freshman Katy Reyerson saw her first extended minutes of the season in a matchup against the Cyclones. In the second quarter, Reyerson recorded the first collegiate point of her career. She finished with six points on 3-of-3 shooting inside the arc.
The Panthers lead the Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) with a league-low 12.3 turnovers per game. McDermott leads the Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) with 2.78 assists per turnover. She is also second in the conference with a 91.3% free throw percentage and fifth in the conference making 1.88 three-pointers per game.
The Bears are coming off a thrilling 69-68 victory over Western Kentucky. In that matchup, Lacy Stokes led Missouri State with 16 points. The junior guard leads the offense for the Bears, averaging 12.2 points per game. She was named the MVC Newcomer of the Week for the third time this season and the second consecutive week. Junior forward Indya Green leads the Bears with 7.6 rebounds per game. She is also second on the team with 10.6 points per game. Missouri State is currently on a seven-game win streak at home dating back to last season and the Bears have won 13 of their last 14 at home.
UNI (1-8 / 0-0 MVC) at Missouri State (6-3 / 0-0 MVC)
1 p.m. CT | Dec. 30
Springfield, Missouri | Great Southern Bank Arena
ESPN+
Panther Sports Radio Network (Chris Kleinhans-Schulz: Play-by-Play)
