CEDAR FALLS – UNI women’s basketball hosted the Flames of UIC for Senior Day and the Panthers’ final regular-season matchup inside the McLeod Center. UIC jumped out to a quick lead, but the Panthers clawed their way back in a dominant second half.
UIC opened the matchup with a six-point run to take the lead early in the ballgame. Four Panther points followed with a layup from Maya McDermott and a pair of free throws from Grace Boffeli. A 9-2 run from the Flames saw a score of 15-6 in favor of UIC. UNI scored six more points before the close of the first quarter including a jump shot and a pair of free throws from Cailyn Morgan. UIC still held a lead at 19-12 to end the first 10 minutes of action.
Maya McDermott opened the second quarter with the first four Panther points. An 11-3 run from UIC pushed the Flames’ lead out to 12 points at 31-19. Back-and-forth buckets down the stretch from both teams saw a halftime score of 36-23 in favor of the Flames.
Out of the halftime break, Cailyn Morgan got the engines roaring for the Panthers with a jump shot. UIC went on a five-point run before the Panthers popped off on a 19-1 run to snatch the lead at the end of the third quarter. The run included eight points from Maya McDermott to claw the Panthers past the Flames.
UNI didn’t look back as the Panthers only allowed 10 points in the final frame while scoring 17 of their own. Grace Boffeli recorded seven of the 17 fourth-quarter points for the Panthers en route to a 61-52 victory over the Flames.
Maya McDermott led the Panther offense with 20 points, her eighth 20+-point performance of the season. Grace Boffeli was the other Panther in double-figures with 15 points. She added 10 rebounds to her total.
ADDITIONAL NOTES
UNI took home a victory in the 20th meeting between these two programs. The Panthers now hold the series record with 15 wins and five losses.
Maya McDermott finishes the regular season perfect from the free throw line. This season, she has made all 39 shots fall from the stripe. She has made 69-of-72 free throws this season.
Grace Boffeli finished with her ninth double-double of the season with 15 points and 10 rebounds. Her 828 career rebounds are now just 54 short of no. 2 all-time on UNI’s rebounding list.
The Panthers’ next conference victory will be number 500 in program history.
UP NEXT
The Panthers hit the road for their last two games of the regular season. The weekend starts with a matchup at Indiana State on March 7. Tipoff is scheduled for 5 p.m. CT. The game can be streamed on ESPN+ or listened to on the Panther Sports Radio Network.
