UNI Advances to MVC Tourney Title Game

Saturday, March 10

Moline, Illinois

4 p.m.

University of Northern Iowa

19-12

Missouri State

20-11

UNI

Missouri State

UNI Advances to MVC Tourney Title Game

3/10/2018 6:52:00 PM | Women's Basketball

Box Score

FINAL STATS

MOLINE, Illinois – The University of Northern Iowa women's basketball team (19-12) raced past Missouri State (20-11) to earn a 70-58 victory on Saturday, as the Panthers secured their third-straight championship game appearance at the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament.

UNI will meet top-seeded Drake on Sunday at 2 p.m. CT, marking the second-straight year the Panthers and Bulldogs have decided the conference tourney crown.

UNI trailed MSU with 2:00 remaining in the third quarter, but dug itself out of a six-point hole after junior Ellie Howell sank back-to-back 3-pointers to retake momentum for the Panthers. UNI regained a one-point advantage heading into the fourth quarter, before outscoring MSU 21-10 in the final period to secure the 70-58 win.

Howell led the Panthers with 20 points on Saturday, with 18 coming in the second half. Mikaela Morgan scored 15 points, with 13 coming in the first 20 minutes, while freshman Karli Rucker added 10 off the bench.

UNI made 8-19 shots from 3-point range, while holding MSU to just two made treys. The Panther bench once again came up big for UNI, outscoring MSU's bench 24-6.

Morgan spurred the offense early on Saturday afternoon, giving UNI a 14-13 lead after scoring 10 points in the opening period. The Panthers opened the second quarter on a 7-1 run to extend their lead to 21-14 following a 3-pointer from Rose Simon-Ressler at the top of the key with 8:51 remaining in the half.

MSU bounced back however with a 10-3 run to erase the deficit and take a 24-23 lead midway through the second quarter, before the Panthers answered with their own 7-2 run to retake control of the game. UNI would hold a 32-28 advantage with seconds remaining in the half, before MSU's Liza Fruendt drained a 3-pointer as time expired to close the gap to just a point entering halftime.

The Bears charged out of the break with a 6-0 run to open the second half, as MSU reclaimed the lead with a 37-34 advantage with 7:40 left in the third quarter. Just when all momentum seemed to be tilting the way of the Bears, Howell stepped up to score 10 crucial points – six coming from 3-point range – and return the lead back to the Panthers at 49-48 with only one quarter remaining.

After briefly trailing in the fourth period, Rucker would knock down a 3-pointer to kick off a 9-0 run that was supplied with six points from Howell. With the lead at 58-50, the Panthers would win the game at the free throw line after scoring 12 of their points from the charity stripe to secure the 70-58 victory.

UP NEXT
UNI challenges Drake on Sunday for the MVC Tournament Championship, the meeting will mark the second-straight season the Panthers and Bulldogs have faced off in the title game. Drake won last season's matchup in overtime, 74-69.

SOCIAL MEDIA
For more information on the UNI women's basketball program, follow the Panthers on Twitter at "@UNIWBB" and on Facebook at "UNI Women's Basketball."

Additional Notes

UNI earns its third-straight trip to the MVC Tourney championship game.
The Panthers are the first team since Wichita State (2013-15) to earn three-straight title game berths.
Overall, the Panthers have advanced to the championship five times under Tanya Warren.
UNI is now 5-8 in the semifinal round and 22-21 in the MVC Tournament.
UNI has won 11 out of its last 13 contests overall.
The Panthers have now held the opposing team's leading scorer below their season average now 18 out 20 games this season against conference foes.
UNI has now outrebounded 25 foes this season, earning a 18-7 record when doing so.
Sophomore Heidi Hillyard earned a career-high eight rebounds.
Freshman Karli Rucker secured a career-high five rebounds.
Attendance for Saturday's semifinal session was 2,129, which ranks as the sixth-largest neutral-site session crowd in the history of the MVC Tournament.