University of Northern Iowa
Missouri State
Panthers Earn Ninth Straight Win With 67-59 Victory at Missouri State
2/6/2011 7:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – The University of Northern Iowa women's basketball team topped Missouri State 67-59 to claim its ninth straight victory and remain in sole possession of first place in the Missouri Valley Conference standings Sunday afternoon at JQH Arena. The Panthers' nine-game win streak is the longest in school history.
Jacqui Kalin led UNI (17-5, 10-1 MVC) with 29 points, bolstered by a 5-of-11 performance from three-point range. Lizzie Boeck notched her fifth double-double of the season with 15 points and 12 rebounds.
Casey Garrison led
Kalin scored the Panthers' first nine points, and K.K. Armstrong scored on a layup to give UNI an early 11-6 lead.
The Lady Bears pulled within one, 12-11, and
Shorter made a pair of free throws to give MSU a one-point edge, but Boeck answered with a three from the left baseline to give UNI a 16-18 lead with 8:40 on the clock.
Kalin hit a long two to return the lead to UNI, and Morgan hit a three on UNI's next possession to give UNI a 25-20 advantage.
Shorter tied the game at 25 with a basket on the block, but Kalin hit a three to give UNI a 28-25 lead. Shorter scored again to pull the Lady Bears within a point, 28-27 with 1:36 left in the first half.
After Kalin and Shorter traded free throws, Boeck hit a three to extend UNI's lead to 32-28. Shorter scored with 17 seconds left to bring the halftime score to 32-20 in favor of UNI.
Kalin hit a three from the right baseline, and Oney followed a Garrison free throw with a layup to give UNI a 37-31 lead with 18:02 to play.
Boeck extended UNI's run to 7-1 with a basket on the block. Shorter hit a free throw for MSU, but Kalin hit a three from the left baseline as she was fouled. She made the free throw, and Rachel Madrigal followed a free throw from MSU's Tia Mays with a pair of free throws to extend UNI's lead to 45-33 with 15:12 to play.
Malone hit MSU's first field goal of the second half to trim the Lady Bear deficit to 10. Madrigal made one of two free throws and Kalin converted a pair of free throws after a technical foul was called on the MSU bench, giving UNI a 48-35 lead with 11:44 to play.
Malone hit another jumper, but Madrigal hit a pair of free throws and then scored on a fastbreak layup as she was fouled. The free throw gave UNI a 53-37 lead with 9:43 left.
MSU scored the game's next six points to cut the Panther lead to 10, but Armstrong answered with a three from the right baseline to put UNI in the lead 56-43 with 7:06 on the clock.
Casey Garrison scored five straight points for MSU to cut the UNI lead to single digits, 56-48 with 6:21 remaining.
Boeck converted three of four free-throw attempts to extend the Panther advantage to 11, 59-48.
MSU scored the game's next six points to pull within five, 59-54 with 3:40 to play.
Kalin knocked down a three at 3:15 to give UNI an eight-point edge, 62-54.
Mays scored on a putback to pull MSU within six with 1:45 remaining. Neither team scored again until MSU elected to send Erin Brocka to the free-throw line with 45 seconds left. The senior made the first, and Madrigal corralled the rebound on the missed second attempts.
MSU sent Kalin to the line, and she made both tries to bring the score to 65-56 with 39 seconds left.
The Panther defense came up with a stop, and Boeck knocked down a pair of free throws after MSU sent her to the line with 22 seconds on the clock, bringing the score to 67-56.
Garrison scored a layup and a free throw with nine seconds left to bring the final score to 67-59.
The Panthers shot 30.4 percent (17-of-56) from the floor, including 10-of-31 (32.3 percent) from three-point range. UNI finished 23-of-31 (74.2 percent) from the free-throw line.
MSU finished 19-of-55 (34.5 percent) from the floor, including 2-of-11 (18.2 percent) from behind the arc. The Lady Bears were 19-of-28 (67.9 percent) from the free-throw line.
The Panthers committed 12 turnovers, resulting in seven points for MSU. UNI turned
UNI returns to action on Thursday when it hosts second-place Creighton in the
