ST. PAUL, MN – UNI women’s basketball closed non-conference play in Minnesota as the Panthers took on the St. Thomas Tommies on Sunday, December 21. The Tommies led after the first half before the Cats dominated the second half and held St. Thomas to just 13 points over the final two quarters. UNI claimed a 58-40 victory in Minnesota to close non-conference play.
The Panthers were the first on the board with back-to-back buckets from Bri Robinson and Ryley Goebel. The Cats pushed their lead all the way out to seven points after a pair of three-pointers from Jenna Twedt and Kaylynn Janes before St. Thomas went on an eight-point run to take a one-point advantage into the second quarter.
Taryn Wharton opened the second quarter with a bucket as the Panthers and the Tommies traded buckets, including three-pointers from both squads. A St. Thomas seven-point run put the Tommies ahead by six at 27-21 before Robinson scored the last points of the first half with a layup to cut the deficit to four points. St. Thomas held a 27-23 advantage after 20 minutes.
At the break, Jenna Twedt led UNI with five points, two steals, and a block. Elise Jaeger recorded four boards and two assists in the first half to lead the Cats in both categories.
Out of halftime, the Tommies extended their lead to nine points with the first two buckets of the frame before a six-point Panther run closed the gap. A three-pointer from Jenna Twedt to end the third quarter saw the Tommie lead dwindle to just two before an explosive final frame from UNI.
The fourth quarter saw the Panthers dominate with 24 points on the offensive side of the ball while the defense held St. Thomas to just four points on 16.7% shooting (2-for-12) from the floor. A 14-2 run from the Panthers opened the final frame and game UNI a 10-point lead with just over four minutes to play. UNI tallied the last 10 points of the contest to take home a 58-40 victory on Sunday.
Bri Robinson led the Panthers with 19 points. She added three rebounds and two assists to her line. Ryley Goebel and Jenna Twedt each scored in double figures with 13 and 11 points, respectively. Elise Jaeger continues to dominate the boards as she recorded 10 rebounds. The sophomore added five points, three assists, and two steals.
“These babies are really growing up,” said head coach Tanya Warren. “I am proud of them! When you look at start to finish of the non-conference, we have just grown from week to week, game to game! Extremely proud of them!”
ADDITIONAL NOTES
UNI improves to 5-6 on the season and stays perfect against St. Thomas with their third all-time victory over the Tommies.
The Panthers continued an active program-record 557-game three-pointer streak with seven triples against St. Thomas.
Bri Robinson finished with a game-high 19 points, a career-high. She also recorded a career-high six field goals.
UP NEXT
The Panthers turn their sights to conference play as UNI heads to Valparaiso on December 29 to take on the Valparaiso Beacons. Tipoff in Indiana is scheduled for 1 p.m. CT and will be streamed on ESPN+ and available on the Panther Sports Radio Network.