Weekly's 22 Points Lifts Panthers Past Bradley, 46-45

Friday, March 11

Moline, Ill.

12 p.m.

University of Northern Iowa

21-9 (15-3MVC)

Bradley

9-22 (5-14MVC)

Bradley

UNI

Weekly's 22 Points Lifts Panthers Past Bradley, 46-45

3/11/2016 2:52:00 PM | Women's Basketball

Box Score

MOLINE, Ill. – The University of Northern Iowa women's basketball team rallied back to beat the Bradley Braves in the quarterfinals of the MVC Tournament on Friday, winning 46-45. UNI improved to 21-9 overall this season.

The Panthers were down by three with 5:49 left to play in the game, but junior Madison Weekly scored UNI's last nine points, lifting them past the Braves and sending them into the semifinals tomorrow at 1:30 p.m. Weekly finished the game with a game-high 22 points, shooting 50-percent from the three and a perfect 7-for-7 from the charity stripe.

The Panthers were held to just two points for the first 5:30 of the opening quarter, going 1-for-5 from the field while Bradley shared similar struggles after only scoring four points in the same time period. UNI's shooting woes continued into the final minutes of the first quarter, going on a three minute scoring drought while Bradley shot 4-for-5 from the field to take a 14-9 lead.

Bradley took an 18-9 lead early in the second quarter after scoring back-to-back baskets to open the period, but Weekly countered with five straight points for UNI, including a deep three to cut the Bradley lead to six points with 7:43 on the clock. UNI kept the momentum going, with Mikaela Morgan hitting back-to-back buckets that included a key trey to cut the Bradley lead to 24-21 heading into halftime.

UNI took just its second lead of the game early in the third quarter when Weekly scored five consecutive points for the Panthers, including a diving layup that earned a foul, putting UNI up 26-24 with 7:49 on the clock. UNI was able to extend its lead to five points late in the quarter after holding Bradley scoreless for over three minutes, but the Braves were able to sneak in a three-pointer from Whitney Tinjum with 34 seconds left to cut the UNI lead to 36-34 heading into the final quarter.

The Braves regained the lead in the fourth quarter, knocking down four free throws from Tamya Sims and Leti Lerma to take a 40-37 lead, but Weekly kept the Panthers in the game by hitting another integral three-pointer, tying the score 40-40 with 5:25 remaining in the game. The Panthers started pouring on the stingy defense late in the quarter, forcing Bradley to go 0-for-4 from the floor while on a 3:06 scoring drought, allowing UNI to take back the lead with less than three minutes to play.

UNI stayed composed down the stretch, with Weekly hitting four free throws in the final two minutes of the game. Bradley cut the UNI lead to one-point with 1:47 on the clock and had possession of the ball for the win in the final minute, but Stephanie Davison came up with a huge block on their last attempt, sealing UNI's 46-45 win.

UNI will return to action on Saturday, March 12 when they take on the winner of the Loyola/Southern Illinois quarterfinal. The game will tip off at 1:30 p.m. on ESPN3.