University of Northern Iowa Athletics
2004-05 University of Northern Iowa Women's Basketball Recap
4/11/2005 8:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
April 11, 2005
2004-05 WOMEN'S BASKETBALL RECAP
RECAPPING THE BEST SEASON EVER:
"This season has to be one of the most enjoyable times that I have ever had in my 34 years of coaching, not only from a win-loss record, but because of the opportunity to deal with the people that I dealt with, the commitment that our kids made, and how well our team got along this year," head UNI women's basketball coach Tony DiCecco said. "There is no possible way we would have had a year like this if those things had not fallen into place."
DiCecco was honored as the Rawlings Missouri Valley Conference Coach of the Year for his superior efforts in guiding the Panthers through their remarkable season. He is the first to admit, however, that he had strong support from his assistant coaches, players, and two very special seniors. Both Emily Berry and Alex Cook left their mark on the UNI women's basketball program by reaching huge milestones in their final year.
"There is no way in the world I could put into words what Emily Berry did for our program over the past five years," DiCecco said. "When you look at all of the accomplishments they had in their career I think the one thing that sticks out in my mind is how good of leaders they were. They were so good at developing young people and they had a great knack of understanding and really getting their message across that this is what we are going to do and these are the things that we need to work on everyday to meet our goals."
Berry spent the year directing traffic from her point guard position and firing long-range three-point baskets. For the third consecutive year, the Cedar Falls native led the team in three-point shots attempted and made three-pointers. She finished her playing career as the program's leader in three-point shots attempted (563) and ranks second all-time in made three-pointers (200). All of those three-point baskets add up to a lot of points and against Drake (Feb. 24), Berry became the 14th player in UNI history to join the prestigious 1,000 Point Club. She also was named to the MVC Scholar Athlete second team.
"Emily's has a great ability to lead the team on the floor," DiCecco said. "She did a great job of getting us into our sets, making our offense run the way that it is supposed to run, and she just did a tremendous job every single time of putting us in a position to win." Cook continued to provide the Panthers with a steady diet of double-doubles, finishing with 44 in her collegiate career. Against Wyoming (Nov. 28), the Decorah, Iowa native became UNI's career leading rebounder, surpassing Tami Schebler's mark of 788 boards. Her biggest basketball accomplishment came against Creighton (Feb. 26) when she became the first UNI player to score 1,000 points and collect 1,000 rebounds, and just the fourth to do so in MVC history. She finished her career with 1,180 points and 1,049 rebounds, ranking her eighth all-time in UNI scoring and third all-time in MVC rebounding. She was named first team all-conference, a member of the Valley all-defensive team and received second team all-academic honors. "Alex came to they gym every day very motivated," DiCecco said. "She was always the one we knew we could count on in terms of how hard she was going to play. Whether that was on the offensive end or defensive end, her rebounding and scoring, she was a lot of the reason that made us so successful." Another player that added to the team's success was 6-7 center Cassie Hager. A consistent performer offensively and defensively, the junior center from Perry, Iowa averaged 13.3 points and 4.3 blocked shots. She earned MVC Player of the Week honors twice (Feb. 27 and March 5), was named first team all-conference, and earned a spot on the Valley defensive team. As a junior, she already has re-written the UNI record books for blocks in a game (8), blocks in a season (135), and blocks in a career (209). She ranks third all-time in MVC history for career blocked shots, holds the league record for blocks in a season, and finished the year ranked third in the nation for blocked shots per game. "Once Cassie became acclimated to the college game and she realized what her potential was, things really seemed to fall into place," DiCecco said. "She had such a tremendous impact on the defensive end with her blocking, and with her ability to defend around the basket. She really brought so much to our basketball team." After posting a 6-5 record in their non-conference schedule, the Panthers came sprinting out of the starting blocks, stringing together four consecutive wins to open up league play. Knowing how important it was to protect their home court, the Panthers went 11-2 in games played in the West Gym, losing just one conference home game and getting the W in their final six home contests. UNI finished with an 11-point scoring margin advantage over visitors in the 13 home games, averaging 64.9 points while holding opponents to just 53.9 points. The strength of this team proved to be its defensive pressure. It finished with the best scoring defense in the history of the program, allowing just 57.2 points/game, and was the best defensive team in the Valley, holding league opponents to 56.9 points. One of the main reasons why it was so successful defensively was its ability to block shots. The Panthers finished sixth nationally in team blocked shots and set the school record for team blocked shots in a season with 200. "Defense was an enormous part of our success this year," DiCecco said. "It was not just one or two players that made us the best defensive team in the Valley, it was a total team effort. We were able to have five players that worked together to take things away from our opponent." While each of the Panthers 13 conference wins were equally important, the 68-54 win against Drake at the Knapp Center (Jan. 30) marked only the second time UNI was victorious over the Bulldogs in Des Moines. The Panthers completed their first ever sweep over their intra-state rival with a 66-48 rout at home on Feb. 24. UNI closed out the season strong, winning nine of its last 12 games and 15 of its last 21. The Panthers finished in a three-way tie for second place in the Valley, qualifying them for the State Farm/Missouri Valley Conference Tournament for the 10
"I think the most important thing I will take from this season is how well our chemistry was and the leadership we had to make that happen," DiCecco said. "I don't think I'll take wins and losses but I'll take the ability of a team to come together for one reason. And that was to be the best basketball team they could be." ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM: Cassie Hager was named to the 2005 State Farm Missouri Valley Conference All-Tournament team on March 12. Hager was the lone representative from the UNI team that advanced to the semifinals before getting knocked off by eventual champion Illinois State. In the two games, she averaged 14.5 points, six rebounds, 5.5 blocks, and 1.5 assists in 70 minutes of action. She fired an impressive 68.8 percent from the field, knocking down 11-of-16 shots and one-of-three treys. Hager led all scorers with 16 points while swatting away an MVC tournament record seven shots in the 58-47 win over Evansville (March 10). She led the Panthers in scoring with 13 points while collecting seven boards and rejecting four shots in the 58-48 loss to Illinois State (March 11). Hager broke her own record set last year for blocks in an MVC tournament with 11 rejections in just two games. SWAT TEAM: UNI blocked 11 shots against Evansville (March 10), tying an MVC tournament record. The only other team to swat away more than nine shots in a game was Creighton on March 8, 1994 against Illinois State. Hager led UNI with seven rejections. The Panthers broke the school record for blocks in a season with 200 this year and finished the year ranked sixth nationally in blocked shots.
FAAS IS BOSS: Amanda Faas picked a good time to set career-highs in points and rebounds. The junior guard nearly picked up a double-double against Evansville (March 10), pouring in 15 points and grabbing nine rebounds. She also dished out two assists and blocked a three-point shot. Her previous career best was 12 points and eight rebounds. COACH OF THE YEAR: University of Northern Iowa women's basketball head coach Tony DiCecco was recognized at the Missouri Valley Conference banquet as the 2004-05 MVC Rawlings Coach of the Year. DiCecco, UNI's all-time winningest coach, guided the Panthers to a 20-11 season and a second place finish in the Valley at 13-5. Despite being picked to finish sixth in the preseason poll, the Panthers finished in a tie for second place with Creighton and Indiana State. The second place finish and 13 wins in Valley competition were both school records.
POST-SEASON AWARDS: Three members from the University of Northern Iowa women's basketball team were honored by the Missouri Valley Conference. Senior forward Alex Cook was named to the all-conference team, a member of the all-defensive team and also earned second team all-academic honors. Junior center MVC PLAYER OF THE WEEK:
Against Wichita State Mar. 3, Hager's 10 points, four rebounds and three blocks helped the Panthers pick up their 19th win of the season and secure a second-place finish in the MVC.
ROUTINE TRIP: The Panthers found themselves in the State Farm Missouri Valley Conference Tournament for the 10th time in the history of the program. Tony DiCecco has guided the Panthers to the tournament nine of the trips and is the first coach in school history to take UNI to post season play. Under DiCecco's supervision, the Panthers have advanced to the semifinals of the tournament five of the last six years, including the last two seasons.
A GRAND DOUBLE-DOUBLE: Senior power forward Alex Cook reached a very big milestone against Creighton Feb. 26, becoming the first UNI player to score 1,000 points and collect 1,000 rebounds, and just the fourth to do so in Missouri Valley Conference history. A player that consistently picked up double-doubles while playing at UNI, Cook has 1,180 points and 1,049 rebounds. The other three with 1,000-plus rebounds and points:
Wanda Ford, Drake (1983-86) 2,636 / 1,815
Angela Buckner, WSU (2000-04) 1,382 / 1,297
Jen Kackza, WSU (1999-02) 1,557 / 1,016
WELCOME TO THE CLUB:
Senior point guard Emily Berry scored a lot of points in her UNI career, 1,031 to be exact. She became the 14th player in UNI history to join the prestigious "1,000-Point Club" against Drake (Feb. 24), joining teammate Alex Cook.HOMECOURT DOMINANCE:
The Panthers knew how difficult it is to win games on the road. That is why they worked extra hard to protect their home court. This season, UNI posted an 11-2 record in the West Gym with wins over Illinois-Chicago, Northern Illinois, Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Wichita State, Southwest Missouri State, Illinois State, Bradley, Southern Illinois, Evansville, Drake and Creighton. The Panthers finished with an 11-point scoring margin advantage over visitors in the 13 home games, averaging 64.9 points while holding opponents to just 53.9 points.
MVC PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Junior center Cassie Hager was named the MVC Player of the Week for her efforts in helping to carry the Panthers into second place in the Valley with two big wins over Drake and Creighton (Feb. 24, 26).
Hager averaged 18 points, four blocked shots, four rebounds and two assists while connecting on 12-of-16 shots from the field (75 percent), knocking down two-of-three attempts from behind the arc (66.7 percent) and was a near perfect 10-of-11 (90.9 percent) from the charity stripe.
Against Drake, Hager poured in 18 points while swatting away six shots. She went seven-of-eight from the floor, including hitting her only three-point attempt in 33 minutes of play. In the final home game of the season, Hager helped send senior teammates Emily Berry out on a winning note by scoring 18 points, blocking two shots, grabbing two rebounds and dishing out two assists in 30 minutes of action. MOVING ON UP: Senior forward Alex Cook jumped another spot in the Missouri Valley Conference career rebounding category and currently ranks third all-time with 1,049. She passed Jennifer Kackza (Wichita State, 1999-02), who ranked third all-time with 1,016 rebounds. Cook also moved up a spot on UNI's career scoring list. She passed Kary Dawson and trails Tami Schebler who sits at seventh place with 1,268 points. REJECTION: One of the keys to the Panthers' success this season was their ability to block shots. They finished sixth nationally in team blocked shots and also set the school record for team blocked shots in a season with 200. The previous record was 149 blocks by the 1981-82 Panthers.
IT ALL STARTS WITH DEFENSE: The Panthers' strength this season was their defensive pressure. They held opponents to just 57.2 points/game and were the best defensive team in the Valley, holding league opponents to just 56.9 points. It was the best scoring defense since UNI joined Division I in 1982-83. THE STREAK IS ALIVE: The Panthers have been a team that likes to shoot the three-point basket for quite some time. They now have hit at least one three-point basket in the last 173 games. The streak dates back to Nov. 27, 1999 against Butler.
NUMBER ONE ON THE BLOCK: Junior center Cassie Hager continued to swat away records as she was determined to be the best shot-blocker in the history of UNI women's basketball. Hager tallied 23 rejections as a freshman, 51 as a sophomore and had 135 this season. In the Panthers' win over Illinois State (Jan. 23), Hager surpassed Tami Schebler (1981-84) who previously owned the school record for career blocked shots with 149. Hager now holds school records for career blocked shots (209), blocked shots in a season (135) and blocks in a game (8). She ranks third all-time in Missouri Valley Conference history for career blocked shots and also holds the MVC record for blocks in a season. THANKS FOR THE CHARITY: The UNI women's basketball team took advantage of its opportunities at the charity stripe this season, knocking down 452-of-590 attempts (76.6 percent). The Panthers finished the season ranked eighth nationally in free throw shooting percentage.
THREE-POINT THREAT: Senior guard Emily Berry is one of the best three-point shooters in the history of the UNI women's basketball program. In her career, she hit 200 three-point baskets and fired 563 attempts from behind the arc (35.5 percent). Berry ranks second for made three-pointers, following only Nadine Brandt, who sunk 202 treys in her career (1998-02), and also set the school record for career three-point shots attempted. GET OUT THE BROOMS: The Panthers swept intra-state rival Drake in their two meetings this year, marking UNI's first sweep in the series. UNI defeated the Bulldogs (68-54) in Des Moines on Jan. 30 and completed the sweep at home (66-48) on Feb. 24. The Panthers also swept Bradley, Southern Illinois, Illinois State and Wichita State this year.
CHUCKIN' IT FROM THE CHEAP SEATS: The Panthers launched a school-record 32 attempts from behind the arc in their loss to Indiana State (Feb. 19). Unfortunately, only nine of the 32 attempts went through the hoop (28.1-percent). Jessie Biggs led the team with 11 shots from downtown. FOUR-POINT PLAY: The four-point play is very rare in the game of basketball. Thankfully, senior guard Emily Berry pulled it off at a very critical part of the game against Illinois State (Feb. 17). Leading 61-60 with 3:18 remaining in regulation, Berry drained a tough three-point shot and was fouled on the attempt. She sunk the free throw to give the Panthers the 65-60 lead that they would not relinquish.
HAVE NO FEAR, BIGGS IS HERE: Big time players step up in crucial situations and sophomore guard Jessie Biggs proved that she is a big time player in the Panthers' 47-44 win over Evansville (Feb. 12). The Aces had the ball and the game was tied 44-44 with 40 seconds remaining in regulation when Biggs stole the inbounds pass and was fouled. She made one-of-two free-throws to give the Panthers the one-point lead and then rebounded a missed shot at the other end of the court. She went to the charity stripe and sunk both free throws with 10 seconds on the clock to give UNI the three-point advantage. POINTS ARE OVERRATED: The Panthers proved that you don't need a lot of points to win a basketball game. UNI edged Evansville 47-44 (Feb. 12) in a thrilling MVC defensive battle in the West Gym. The last time UNI scored 50 points or less and won was a 48-46 victory over Buena Vista on March 1, 1974.
RUDE HOSTS: The last four years, the Panthers have been rude hosts when Southern Illinois comes to town. The 29-point margin of victory this season (Feb. 10) was the fourth-largest Missouri Valley Conference blowout in UNI history. SIU's previous three trips to Cedar Falls have resulted in UNI's three largest MVC wins: 35, 30 and 37-point decisions. LUND LEADS BENCH: UNI's bench provided its second highest point production (32 points) in the 72-43 rout over Southern Illinois (Feb. 10). The only other time the bench scored more points this season was a 38-to-3 advantage over Puerto Rico-Mayaguez. All 15 players who dressed against the Salukis hit the floor, with 13 players scoring. Freshman guard Kelly Lund was a pefect three-of-three from the field, and she hit her only three-point attempt to finish with a career-best seven points to lead the Panther bench.
13 IN A ROW: With UNI's 60-57 win over Wichita State on March 3, the Panthers now have extended their winning streak against the Shockers to 13 games. The streak started with an 83-80 overtime victory in the West Gym on Feb. 25, 2000. FIRST HALF, DEFENSIVE DOMINANCE: Bradley came into the West Gym on Feb. 5 averaging 73.4 points/game (36.7 points/half). But the Panthers were rude hosts, stepping up their defensive pressure and holding the Braves to just six field goals and 15 points in the first half. BU finished with 49 points, 24.4 below its average.
BRADLEY 15, Alex Cook 14: Senior forward Alex Cook lost a tough battle to Bradley (Feb. 5) in the West Gym, getting edged by just one point. In the first half of play, Bradley hit six-of-23 shots as five players contributed to the team's 15 points. Cook sunk seven-of-nine shots from the field to give her 14 points. Bradley came out strong in the second half, outscoring Cook 34-6, making the final score BU 49, Cook 20. However, Cook received support from her teammates, giving the Panthers the 60-49 victory. HELLE HELPS OUT: Junior center Cassie Hager who was in foul trouble. Helle scored three points in five minutes of action, knocking down three-of-four free throws.
REVERSE THE CURSE: The Panthers did something on Jan. 30 that had been done only once before in the history of the UNI women's basketball program. The 68-54 win at the Knapp Center in Des Moines, Iowa was only the second time UNI was victorious over the Bulldogs in the Capital City. The win also was the first home loss for Drake in conference play since Creighton defeated the Bulldogs 70-56 on Feb. 23, 2003. UNI now is 2-26 all time against Drake in games played in Des Moines. KNAPP NEEDS NEW NETS: The Panthers were on fire shooting the basketball as they torched the nets in their 68-54 win at the Knapp Center (Jan. 30). UNI connected on 26-of-44 shots from the floor (59.1 percent) and finished firing 45.5 percent from downtown (5-of-11). The Panthers drained 16-of-23 attempts for a sizzling 69.6 percent in the second half.
SENIORS WORKING OVERTIME: Emily Berry were the only two seniors on UNI's squad so when the Panthers found themselves in their first overtime game of the season against Creighton (Jan. 27), they knew it was time to lead. The two players combined for all 12 of the team's points in the five-minute overtime period. Cook scored the first six points in the extra period, going a perfect four-of-four at the charity stripe along with hitting a jumper. Berry took over scoring the final six points, connecting on both free throw attempts and making two baskets. BIG MINUTES, BIG POINTS: UNI's starting five logged a lot of minutes in the overtime loss to Creighton (Jan. 27) as four players reached double digits. Emily Berry poured in 14, Biggs chipped in eight and Faas scored a career-best 11.
COOK'S BOOK: Senior forward Alex Cook etched her name in the UNI record book as she became the 13th player to score 1,000 points in school history. Cook's 13-point performance against Illinois State (Jan, 23) pushed her over the 1,000-point mark and gave her 1,009 for her career at that time. A BIGGS LIFT: Sophomore guard Jessie Biggs provided a big lift for the Panthers against Indiana State (Jan. 21) and Illinois State (Jan. 23) as she connected on five-of-six shots from the field and four-of-five from behind the three-point arc in the two games. Coming into the weekend, she was struggling with her shot, only firing 29.6 percent from the field (34-115) and hitting a mere 29.5 percent from downtown (13-44). Biggs was a perfect two-of-two from three-point land against Indiana State and knocked down her first two treys in the win over Illinois State. HEAD OF THE CLASS:
ONE GAME, TWO RECORDS:
Junior center Cassie Hager broke two school records in UNI's game against Evansville (Jan. 16). Her eight blocked shots set a record for blocks in a game, with seven of the rejections coming in the first half. In just the first 16 games of the season, Hager tallied 67 rejections, surpassing Carol Hogen who previously owned the school record for blocks in a season with 66 in 1983.
POST PLAYERS JOIN NEW LONG DISTANCE PLAN: In the Panthers' 64-61 loss to Evansville (Jan. 16), UNI proved that everyone on the team can shoot the long ball, including the big girls. 6-7 center Cassie Hager and 6-0 power forward Tara King knocked down back-to-back three-point baskets in a 30 second span early in the game to give the Panthers the 11-5 lead. Hager finished the game 2-3 from downtown.
NOTHING PERSONAL: The Panthers committed only eight personal fouls in the entire game against Southern Illinois on Jan. 14. The Salukis did not attempt a single free throw in the contest.
PANTHERS FREEZE THE 3's: UNI had a stretch spanning over 90 minutes when its opponents failed to make a three-pointer. The streak began after Southwest Missouri State's Jenny Lingor sunk a three with 30 seconds remaining in UNI's 65-55 win on Jan. 3. Both Bradley (Jan. 8) and Southern Illinois (Jan. 14) failed to make a shot from behind the perimeter but Evansville's Megan Liffick drilled a trey from downtown with 10:28 left in the first half of the UE/UNI game (Jan. 16), ending the three-point drought at 90:02.
OFF AND RUNNING: UNI used its best start of the season to cruise to the 64-40 victory (Jan. 14) over Southern Illinois in Carbondale, Ill. SIU scored the first basket of the game, but UNI countered with an 18-0 run while holding the Salukis scoreless over a 9:35 stretch. The Panthers would go ahead 21-4 for their biggest lead of the first half.
BIG ROAD WIN: UNI's 74-66 win at Robertson Fieldhouse in Peoria, Ill. on Jan. 8 was a big road win for the program. The last time the Panthers won in Peoria was a 71-57 victory on Feb. 19, 2000. Tony DiCecco is now 4-6 at Robertson Fieldhouse.
NO THREE'S FOR YOU: While UNI continued to add to its impressive streak of consecutive games with a made three-point basket (157 games), its defense against Bradley on Jan. 8 snapped another streak. It was the first time the Braves failed to make a three-point basket in 57 consecutive games.
MVC PLAYER OF THE WEEK: On Jan. 10, Alex Cook was named the State Farm/Missouri Valley Player of the Week and the MVC Female Scholar Athlete of the Week. Cook guided the Panthers to a win over pre-season favorite Southwest Missouri State and took the show on the road for a win over Bradley in the MVC TV game of the week. She averaged a double-double in the two games with 15.5 points, 13 rebounds, 3.5 assists, two steals and 1.5 blocks. Against SMS, she led all scorers with 16 points and 14 rebounds while dishing out four assists. At Bradley, she scored 15 points, grabbed 12 rebounds and tallied three assists and two steals.
I CAN'T SCORE 55: The Panthers went on a stretch from Dec. 21-Jan. 3 when they held five opponents to 55 points or less: Puerto Rico-Mayaguez 55, Toledo 43, Chicago State 46, Wichita State 38 and SMS 55.
BLOCK PARTY: Cassie Hager has thrown quite a number of block parties in her basketball career but few were as exciting as the one that took place against SMS on Jan. 3. With nine minutes left in the game, Hager went on a blocking spree, swatting away five shots in a 90-second span. She finished with six blocks on the night.
CONFERENCE OPENER:
The Panthers improved to 3-10 in Missouri Valley Conference openers thanks to their 63-38 win against Wichita State on Jan. 1, 2005. Since joining the Valley in the 1992-93 season, the Panthers have struggled in their opening league games.
BACK IN THE SADDLE: UNI went to Cassie Hager early and often to start the Chicago State game (Dec. 28). Hager scored the first seven points for UNI in the first four minutes of the game. She finished with 11 points, six rebounds and four blocked shots. Hager bounced back from her last performance (Toledo, Dec. 22) when she failed to score a point or block a shot.
TOTAL TEAM EFFORT: Every player contributed in the 86-55 win over Puerto Rico-Mayaguez on Dec. 21. All 15 players dressed saw action in the game, with 13 players scoring two points or more. The UNI bench outscored PRM's bench 38-3.
WHERE'S THE KEEFE? Redshirt freshman Megan Keefe came off the bench to spark the Panthers to an 86-55 win over Puerto Rico-Mayaguez (Dec. 21). Keefe scored a career-high 15 points to lead the team while collecting four rebounds in 20 minutes of action.
TIS THE SEASON...FOR GOOD PLAY: Nine UNI players tied their season best or set season highs for points during the San Juan Shootout (Dec. 20-22). The nine players were Amanda Faas, Kelly Lund and Amy Helle.
AVENGING LOSSES
DOUBLE THE FUN: Cassie Hager scored in double figures in each of the first nine games of the season, including scoring a career-high 22 points at Murray State on Nov. 23.
BERRY THE THREE: Senior point guard Emily Berry was hitting everything she threw at the hoop against Iowa (Dec. 5) in Iowa City. She was five-of-six from the field, with all six shots coming from behind the arc. Her only missed shot barely rolled off the rim.
A HIGH FIVE: Red-shirt freshman Megan Keefe (Clear Lake, Iowa) scored her first points as a Panther against Iowa (Dec. 5). Keefe was a perfect two-for-two from the field, including a shot from downtown. She finished with five points and three rebounds, both were career highs.
HANSEN DONE FOR SEASON: Junior center Kim Hansen missed the entire 2004-05 season due to a knee injury she suffered last season. Hansen injured the knee against Southern Illinois on Jan. 28, 2004 when she fell over her teammate going for a rebound tearing her PCL and MCL in her right knee, sending her to the sideline for the remainder of the season. She had posterior cruciate ligament surgery on Dec. 28.
MARK THE RECORD BOOKS: Senior forward Tony DiCecco said.
RISING STAR-TER: Amanda Faas saw a significant rise in her playing time this season. Against Wyoming (Nov. 28), she played 18 minutes. Versus Wisconsin-Milwaukee (Dec. 2), she was on the court for 27 minutes and against the Hawkeyes (Dec. 5), she was rewarded with a chance to be in the starting rotation. She started every game since.
ROAD WARRIORS: The UNI women's basketball team traveled 2,828 miles on the bus over Thanksgiving break. After a road trip to Murray, Kentucky, a brief pit-stop for a game at home against Northern Illinois, and then another trip to Laramie, Wyoming for a Sunday game, the Panthers were happy to be back home against UW-Milwaukee. Their trip was extended an extra day when a snow storm closed the interstate on their way back from Wyoming.
INSIDE AND OUT, SHE CAN DO IT ALL: UNI's 6-7 junior center Cassie Hager doesn't appear to be a three-point threat, but against Northern Illinois (Nov. 26) she made her first three-pointer of her collegiate career. Left wide open beyond the arc, Hager fired a beautiful shot from the wing.
ROAD TO SUCCESS: Tony DiCecco knows how important it is for his team to be able to win on the road. Last year, UNI did not pick up its first road win (on a non-neutral site) until Feb. 5 at Wichita State. This year, the Panthers tallied their first road victory with a 60-56 win over Murray State in Murray, Kentucky in their first road game of the year.
CLUTCH: Sophomore guard Jessie Biggs has hit some big shots in her career at UNI but none might have been bigger than the two three-point baskets she made in the final three minutes of the Panthers' road win over Murray State (Nov. 23) . Trailing by two points, she drilled a three-pointer with 48 seconds left to give the Panthers the lead for good.
PANTHER DEBUT: Kelly Lund and Jackie Norton all played in their first game for UNI versus Illinois-Chicago. Ollendieck is a redshirt freshman from Cresco, Iowa, Norton is a true freshman from White Bear Lake, Minnesota and Lund is a freshman from New Brighton, Minnesota.
SEASON OPENERS: UNI now has won four of its last five season openers. The Panthers have a 19-18 record against opponents in the first game of the season.
OH MY, OLLENDIECK: Traci Ollendieck had 14 points, four rebounds and two blocks in her first game for UNI against Illinois-Chicago, coming off the bench to ignite the Panthers' offense. She went two-for-two from behind the arc. Ollendieck redshirted last season.
PANTHERS PICKED SIXTH: The Missouri Valley Conference picked the UNI women's basketball team to finish sixth heading into the 2004-05 season. The two-time defending State Farm MVC Tournament champ, Southwest Missouri State, has been tabbed as the number one team, collecting 379 points with 34 of 39 first-place votes.
PANTHERS SIGN DMACC CENTER: Tony DiCecco has announced the signing of Michelle Smith to a National Letter of Intent. Smith is entering her sophomore season at Des Moines Area Community College in Boone, Iowa. She is a 6-3 center from Cresco, Iowa where she was an all-state and first team all-conference and all-district athlete at Crestwood High School.
"We are very excited to sign a quality player like Michelle to our program," DiCecco said. "She is a proven post player who has had much success at Des Moines Area Community College. She will bring a lot to our team and we are extremely happy with how Michelle will fit into our program."
Last year as a freshman at DMACC, Smith averaged 15 points and eight rebounds a game. She ranked second in the Iowa Community College Athletic Conference in scoring, rebounding and blocks and was named first team all-Region.
ALL-CONFERENCE: Alex Cook was selected to the MVC preseason all-conference team. After suffering a season-ending hand injury on Valentine's Day in February of 2004, Cook was healthy and ready for her senior year. A 6-0 forward, Cook is a three-time first team all-MVC selection and a member of the All-Defensive Team. Last year in 21 starts, she averaged 13.9 points and 10.3 rebounds per game.
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