University of Northern Iowa
Bradley
Panthers Sizzle From Field, Defeat Braves 82-68
1/21/2006 7:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Jan. 21, 2006
Cedar Falls, Iowa -
The University of Northern Iowa women's basketball squad shot a season-high 63.0 percent from the field, defeating Bradley 82-68 this afternoon. It marked Tony DiCecco's 300th game as the Panthers' head coach.
UNI was led by its unstoppable post tandem, junior forward Tara King (
"This was the best performance in the post by UNI players that I have seen in 11 years," DiCecco said. "King and Hager were absolutely on fire tonight, recognizing what was available and taking advantage of it.
"We have really been spending a lot of time shooting the basketball and it was nice to see it pay off. We did a very good job of finishing the game. We have to give Bradley credit - they never went away and they never quit."
The Braves had four players in double figures and were led by junior guard Jen Brown. The Panthers shot 58.8 percent from three-point range, hitting 10-for-17. Juniors Chelsey Matthias (
King hit two three-pointers in the first four minutes and Hager had 10 of the Panthers' first 16 points, both previewing the remainder of the game. The Panthers sped off to leads of 10-3 and 21-12. Skye Johnson cut the Braves deficit to three points with
The last five minutes of the period was a seesaw battle as UNI went 5-for-6 from the field and Bradley went 5-for-7. King hit her fifth trey with two seconds remaining, giving UNI 36-29 halftime lead.
The Braves came within two points of UNI, the closest they would come, on a 5-0 run to start the second half. Larsen then started a 10-0 run with a three-pointer as the Panthers took a commanding 46-34 lead. UNI held on to an 8-12 point lead for much of the second half, improving to 10-6, 4-3 in the MVC.
The Panthers take to the road and play at
