University of Northern Iowa
4-3
South Dakota State
5-1
SDSU Defeats UNI, 61-50
12/1/2016 9:47:00 PM | Women's Basketball
CEDAR FALLS, Iowa – The University of Northern Iowa women's basketball team succumbed to the South Dakota State Jackrabbits on Thursday night, despite a strong showing from the Panther bench. UNI fell 61-50 to SDSU with an overall record of 4-3.
The Panthers struggled to get going from the arc in the first half, shooting a combined 0-for-10 in the first and second quarters. UNI outscored the Jackrabbits 21-12 in bench points, but the height and length of SDSU made it too much for UNI to compete in the paint.
Madison Weekly and Kennedy Kirkpatrick both scored 10 points, with Kirkpatrick adding five rebounds. Hannah Schonhardt also neared a double-double with nine boards and nine points tonight along with two assists and two blocks.
Both teams were cold from the field to start the quarter, with the first field goal of the game not being scored until the 7:05 mark when Schonhardt converted on a layup. South Dakota State quickly turned it around, going on a 12-2 run to end the quarter leading 14-5.
UNI countered with a 9-0 run to start the second quarter, including four straight points from Weekly to tie the score 14-14 with 5:56 on the clock. But it turned into a game of runs for the Jackrabbits, going on an 11-0 run to take another double-digit lead with less than two minutes to play in the half.
The Panthers were able to enter the third quarter only down six, but the Jackrabbits shot 58-percent from the field, 50-percent from the three and 100-percent from the charity stripe, making it hard for UNI to gain any momentum on the ball.
South Dakota State led by as many as 23 points in the fourth quarter, but UNI's bench and youth shined in the final quarter. UNI went on a 12-0 run to end the game thanks in part to back-to-back threes from Kirkpatrick and Mariah Criswell, but it wasn't enough, eventually falling 61-50.
UNI returns to action on Sunday, Dec. 4 when they travel to Iowa City, Iowa, to take on the Iowa Hawkeyes. The game is set for a 2 p.m. CT tip.
