University of Northern Iowa
Iowa State
Iowa State Too Much for UNI, 84-57
12/20/2011 1:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Ames, Iowa -- The University of Northern Iowa women's basketball team dropped a road contest against in-state rival Iowa State on Tuesday night, falling by a final score of 84-57 at Hilton Coliseum.
Iowa State shot a blistering 50.8 percent from the field for the game and outscored the Panthers in the paint by a margin of 44-12. The Cyclones also posted a 48-20 rebounding advantage and an 18-5 edge in offensive boards.
Senior Rachel Madrigal scored 12 points to lead UNI. Senior K.K. Armstrong and sophomore Jess McDowell each added 11 points for the Panthers, with McDowell notching a new career-high.
Iowa State (7-2) was led by Chelsea Poppens, who posted 20 points and 14 rebounds for a double-double in 20 minutes.
UNI (7-4) battled foul trouble issues, with forwards Amber Kirschbaum and Jess McDowell each picking up three fouls in the first half.
The Panthers jumped out to a quick 7-3 lead behind a bucket from Amber Kirschbaum, a Jess McDowell three-pointer and a K.K. Armstrong layup. After Iowa State took a 10-7 lead, UNI's Katelin Oney drained a three-pointer to tie the contest, but the Cyclones put together a 15-3 run to go up 25-13 and never looked back.
Iowa State got off to a hot start, shooting 16-of-33 (48.5 percent) and 6-of-11 (54.5 percent) from beyond the arc in the opening 20 minutes to post a 46-30 halftime lead. UNI was 12-of-28 (42.9 percent) from the field and 5-of-10 from three-point range in the first half.
The Panthers never got within 10 points of the Cyclones after a 28-18 score with eight minutes left in the first half.
McDowell and freshman Brittni Donaldson each made their first career starts, filling in for Mercedees Morgan and Oney. McDowell played a career-high 21 minutes and shot 3-of-5 from beyond the arc.
UNI will play next on Thurs., Dec. 29, when it opens Missouri Valley Conference play at home against Wichita State. Game time in the McLeod Center is set for 7 p.m.
NOTES: The loss was UNI's largest margin of defeat since an 83-44 loss against No. 1 seed Nebraska in the first round of the 2010 NCAA Tournament ... Iowa State's 84 points were the most allowed by UNI since Mar. 4, 2010, when Missouri State scored 95 ... K.K. Armstrong now has 950 career points, as she closes in on the 1,000-point mark.
