NORMAL, ILLINOIS — UNI women’s basketball opened a two-game road stand in Illinois on Friday night with a matchup at Illinois State. The Panther offense came out hot, but cooled down and was stymied by a late Redbird charge. Illinois State claimed a 79-66 victory and handed UNI its first conference loss of the season.
The Redbirds scored first to take a 3-0 lead before a 15-2 run from the Panthers gave UNI a 15-5 lead heading into the first media timeout. The run included threes from Elise Jaeger, Emerson Green, and Maya McDermott. The Illinois State offense heated up down the stretch with back-to-back three-pointers to close the first quarter. UNI maintained a 24-17 lead heading into the second quarter.
The Redbirds opened the second frame on a 10-2 run to take a 27-26 lead early in the quarter. Four points from Bri Robinson and a three from Taryn Wharton pushed UNI back in front. The Panthers scored six more points in the first half to hold onto a 39-35 lead heading into the halftime break.
Both teams battled to open the third quarter with a 10-9 span in favor of the Panthers heading into the third-quarter media timeout. Out of the break, the Redbirds tied the matchup with a 12-7 run to knot the contest at 56 heading into the final frame.
The Redbird offense came alive in the fourth quarter, outscoring the Panthers 23-10 to hang on to a 79-66 victory. Emerson Green led UNI with 13 points. Ryley Goebel and Taryn Wharton were the other two Panthers in double figures with 11 points each. Goebel finished with three blocks.
ADDITIONAL NOTES
UNI drops to 8-7 on the season and 3-1 in MVC play with the 79-66 loss to Illinois State.
UNI continued an active program-record 547-game three-pointer streak that started December 6, 2008, versus Green Bay (6-of-19) following a 0-of-14 outing from behind the three-point arc December 3, 2008, against Northern Illinois. The Panthers knocked down six threes against Illinois State to continue the streak.
Maya McDermott became the fifth Panther in program history to eclipse 400 assists in a career.
UP NEXT
The Panthers continue their road trip with a matchup at Bradley Sunday, January 12. Tipoff inside the Renaissance Coliseum is scheduled for 2:00 p.m. CT and can be streamed on ESPN+ or listened to on the Panther Sports Radio Network.