University of Northern Iowa
Drake
Hot-Shooting Panthers Roll To 89-51 Win At Drake
1/15/2011 7:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Jan. 15, 2011
DES MOINES, Iowa – The University of Northern Iowa women's basketball team shot a season-high 67.3 percent from the floor to run out to an 89-51 win over Drake in Missouri Valley Conference action Saturday afternoon in the Knapp Center.
Five different players scored in double digits for the Panthers (12-5, 5-1 MVC), and UNI's 33 field goals came on a season-high 25 assists.
K.K. Armstrong each tallied six assists. Kirschbaum also notched four blocked shots.
Kristin Turk led Drake (9-7, 3-2) with 18 points, and Rachael Hackbarth scored 10 for the Bulldogs.
The Panthers made five of their first six shots to build an early 11-2 lead. Rachel Hackbarth scored on the block and Angela Christianson added a free throw to cut UNI's lead to 11-5. K.K. Armstrong found Boeck cutting to the basket for a layup, Mercedees Morgan scored on the left block and Armstrong took a steal all the way in for a layup to give UNI six quick points and a 17-5 lead with 12:22 left in the half.
UNI built a 15-point lead, 26-11, but Drake ran off six straight points to trim the Panther advantage to nine, 26-17 with 6:20 to play.
Katelin Oney hit a three on the Panthers' ensuing possession to return the UNI lead to a dozen, but Drake scored six straight points to cut the UNI lead in half, 29-23 with 5:12 on the clock.
Erin Brocka hit a jumper in the lane, and Kalin converted a pair of free throws to give the Panthers a double-digit lead, 33-23. Armstrong and Kalin knocked down threes on back-to-back trips to keep the Panther run going, and Armstrong converted a pair of free throws with 5.1 seconds left to cap a 12-0 run by the Panthers. Amber Kirschbaum blocked Turk's shot attempt as the first half expired, sending UNI into the break in front, 41-23.
Oney scored on a cut to the basket off a pass from Boeck to stretch the UNI lead to 43-23 on UNI's first possession of the second half. Turk knocked down a jumper, but Oney answered with a pair of free throws to keep the Panther lead at 20 with 19:14 left to play.
Drake scored the next five points of the game to cut its deficit to 15, 45-30. Brocka hit a short jumper to put the Panthers back in front by 17, and after a pair of Drake free throws pulled the Bulldogs within 15, the senior hit a mid-range baseline shot to bring the score to 49-32 in favor of UNI with 16:26 to play.
A three from Madrigal returned the UNI lead to 20, 52-32, but the Bulldogs chipped away to pull within 14, 56-42 on a jumper from Alex Montgomery with 11:05 remaining.
Boeck hit a three from the left wing, and Morgan knocked down a three from the right baseline to return the UNI lead to 20, 62-42 with 8:18 to play.
Turk and Kalin traded baskets, and Kalin hit a pull-up jumper in the lane to put the Panthers in the lead 66-44 with 7:12 left.
After a basket from Turk made it a 20-point game, Morgan converted a three-point play and Kirschbaum scored on the block to put UNI in front by 25, 71-46 with 6:20 on the clock.
Drake cut the UNI lead to 22, 71-49 with 6:06 remaining, but UNI went on an 18-0 run to build an 89-49 lead. Drake ended its nearly six-minute scoring drought with a basket by Christianson with 18 seconds on the clock that brought the final score to 89-51.
UNI finished 33-of-49 (67.3 percent) from the floor, including a 17-of-22 (77.3 percent) performance in the second half. The Panthers were 10-of-18 ( 55.6 percent) from three-point range and 13-of-15 (86.7 percent) from the free-throw line. Eight different Panthers connected from behind the arc.
Drake shot 21-of-60 (35.0 percent) from the floor, including 2-of-8 (25 percent) from three-point range. DU finished 7-of-9 (77.8 percent) from the free-throw line.
UNI committed 16 turnovers in the win, resulting in 15 points for Drake. UNI converted Drake's 20 turnovers into 32 points.
NOTES: The win is UNI's largest margin of victory since winning 88-49 at
