Panthers Down Drake 85-74, Takes Sole Possession of MVC Lead

Friday, February 19

Cedar Falls, Iowa

7 p.m.

University of Northern Iowa

16-9, 11-3

Drake

17-8, 10-4

Drake

UNI

Photo by: Mike Dunlop

Panthers Down Drake 85-74, Takes Sole Possession of MVC Lead

2/19/2016 10:16:00 PM | Women's Basketball

Box Score

CEDAR FALLS, Iowa – The University of Northern Iowa women's basketball team took over sole possession of first place in the Missouri Valley Conference with an 85-74 win over in-state rival Drake on Friday night. UNI improved to 16-9 overall and 11-3 in league play.

Junior Madison Weekly scored a game-high 22 points, going 7-of-13 from the field and a perfect 6-for-6 from the free throw line. Stephanie Davison threw in a season-high 19 points that included a career-high seven free throws made. Amber Sorenson and Jen Keitel rounded out UNI's double-digit scorers with 14 and 12 points while Sharnae Lamar added a stat line of six points, five rebounds, eight assists and just one turnover.

UNI jumped out to a 5-0 lead against the Bulldogs, holding them scoreless until the 6:26 mark. UNI continued to push the ball offensively, going on a 7-0 run to take a 16-4 lead while forcing four turnovers on Drake. UNI went cold from the field late in the quarter, but Drake was only able to hit a three-pointer in the last 4:30 of play to make it 18-7 heading into the next period.

The Panthers took a 31-15 lead with 5:14 on the clock in the second quarter after going 3-for-3 from the field that included a big three-pointer from Amber Sorenson. UNI's offense kept clicking along in the quarter, with Davison scoring six straight points to give UNI a 37-21 lead with 2:17 on the clock. The Panthers went into halftime with a 42-24, shooting 48-percent from the field and 100-percent from the free throw line.

Drake attempted to cut down UNI's lead to single digits early in the third quarter, outscoring UNI 6-2 in the first two minutes of the quarter. Madison Weekly had an answer, shutting down the Bulldogs with a deep three-pointer with 7:08 left to make it 49-35. Drake was then able to make it an 11-point game with less than three minutes to play in the third, but four straight points from Weekly put UNI back up 62-47.

The Panthers continued to keep their composure in the fourth quarter, holding a 74-60 advantage with 6:02 remaining in the game, thanks in part to strong paint play from Davison and Keitel. UNI shot 48-percent from the field in the second half, keeping its double-digit lead till the end. Drake went on a 6-0 run to end the game, but UNI was able to keep the win, picking up the 85-74 victory.

UNI will return to action on Friday, Feb. 26 when they host Bradley in the McLeod Center at 7 p.m. UNI also plays host to Loyola on Sunday, Feb. 28 at 2 p.m.

Post-Game Notes vs. Drake

UNI held Drake to just seven points in the first quarter, its lowest quarter point total this season.
Amber Sorenson finished the game with four made three-pointers, giving her 207 in her career to rank second all-time at UNI. She passed Nicole Clausen (2006-10) who had 206.
With her eight assists against Drake, Sharnae Lamar moved into third all-time at UNI in season assists with 140 through 25 games. She is averaging 5.6 per game, also ranking her third in season assist average.
UNI took over sole possession of first place in the Missouri Valley Conference with its 85-74 win over Drake.
Head Coach Tanya Warren will donate $200 to cancer research after UNI knocked down eight three-pointers against Drake. UNI has had 14 games this season with eight-or-more three-pointers made.