CEDAR FALLS – UNI women’s basketball hosted the No. 21-ranked Iowa Hawkeyes inside a sold-out McLeod Center on Sunday, November 16. The Panthers knocked down the first shot of the afternoon, but Iowa flexed its offense and took home a 74-41 victory.
The Panthers were the first on the board with a jump shot from Bri Robinson to open scoring on Sunday. The matchup was tied at six early until a 9-2 run from Iowa gave the Hawkeyes a 15-8 advantage after the first 10 minutes of play. A 13-2 run from Iowa to open the second quarter put the Panthers in an 18-point deficit early in the second frame. A 7-5 Hawkeye advantage down the stretch of the second quarter saw the Panthers trail 15-35 at the halftime break.
UNI scored 11 points in the third quarter to the Hawkeyes’ 25 and trailed 60-26 heading into the final frame. In the fourth quarter, UNI won the 10 minutes and outscored Iowa 15-14 to wrap the game. The quarter saw five points from Jenna Twedt and four from Bri Robinson to pace the Panther offense. Iowa walked away from Cedar Falls with a 74-41 victory.
Robinson led the Panther offense with 15 points. She added six rebounds to her total. Elise Jaeger posted 10 rebounds, nine on the defensive side of the ball. The sophomore tallied four steals. Ryley Goebel finished with eight boards, three blocks, and three steals on the afternoon.
“We are going to continue to grow and get better,” said head coach Tanya Warren. “We could have taken the easy road and not scheduled as hard as we did, but that’s not what we do. This non-conference schedule will continue to make us better. We just have to stay true to the process.
ADDITIONAL NOTES
UNI falls to 0-3 on the season and 3-28 all-time against the Hawkeyes after the 74-41 loss inside the McLeod Center.
UNI set the McLeod Center women’s basketball and women’s sporting event attendance record in the matchup with 7,146 fans in attendance. The number is the fifth-largest crowd in McLeod Center history across all sports.
After three steals, Ryley Goebel passed Alex Cook (2001-05) for the No.10 spot on UNI’s all-time steals list. The senior has 157 after the matchup with Iowa, passing Cook’s 155 career steals to break into the top 10.
UNI continued an active program-record 548-game three-pointer streak with four threes against Iowa.
Bri Robinson finished with 15 points, nine free throws, and six rebounds, all career highs.
IOWA INDIVIDUAL NOTES
- Chit-Chat Wright recorded a new career-high with 19 points (7-8 FG), two assists, two rebounds, and a
steal. - Wright has netted double figures in three consecutive games.
- Through four games as a Hawkeye, Wright is 11-18 from 3-point range.
- Layla Hays notched 14 points and seven rebounds.
- Hays has recorded 10+ points and 5+ rebounds in three straight games.
- Taylor McCabe has two or more 3-pointers in in four straight games and in seven out of the last nine
contest dating back to last season. - Ava Heiden finished with eight points and six rebounds.
- Hannah Stuelke pulled down seven rebounds and added four points.
IOWA TEAM NOTES
- The Hawkeyes have won six straight against UNI and 17 out of the last 18 in the series.
- Iowa’s defense held Northern Iowa to its lowest offensive output in series history.
- Iowa leads the all-time series, 28-3.
- The Hawkeyes have started 4-0 or better in the first two seasons of the Jan Jensen era.
- Iowa has won all four games this season by 30+ points.
- Iowa has beaten Northern Iowa by 10+ points in five out of the last six meetings.
- The Hawkeye defense held UNI to 15 points in the first half, the Panthers were 6-of-20 from the field
and 0-6 from 3-point range. - All available Hawkeyes played in today’s game.
The nationally ranked Iowa women’s basketball team will travel to Orlando to take on No. 7 Baylor on
Nov. 20 at 8 p.m. (CT). The game is part of the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association Showcase and
it will air on ESPN2.
The Panthers head to Omaha to take on the alma mater of head coach Tanya Warren on November 20 at Creighton. Tipoff in Nebraska is slated for 6 p.m. CT and will be broadcast on ESPN+ and the Panther Sports Radio Network.
