University of Northern Iowa
Evansville
Second-Half Effort Helps UNI Top Evansville, 61-51
1/5/2012 1:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
EVANSVILLE, Ind. -- The University of Northern Iowa women's basketball team rode a 12-0 run out of halftime to take control and top the University of Evansville, 61-51, on Thursday evening at the Ford Center.
The Panthers improved to 9-5 on the season and 2-1 in Missouri Valley Conference play.
Junior Mercedees Morgan led UNI with 17 points, including 15 in the second half. Morgan shot 7-of-11 from the field and drained three second-half three-pointers. Junior Amber Kirschbaum recorded her third double-double of the season with 11 points and 10 rebounds.
Senior Rachel Madrigal scored 11 points, pulled down eight rebounds and tallied three blocks on the evening. K.K. Armstrong posted a solid all-around effort with seven points, six rebounds, five assists and three steals.
The Panther defense pressured Evansville into 19-of-60 shooting (31.7 percent). UNI shot 25-of-62 from the floor (40.3 percent) and knocked down seven three-pointers.
Kirschbaum scored the Panthers' first eight points of the game, helping UNI turn an early 7-2 deficit into an 8-7 lead. Back-to-back three-pointers from Brooke Brown and Rachel Madrigal and a bucket from Mercedees Morgan put UNI up 16-11 halfway through the opening stanza.
Evansville battled back to take a 26-23 lead on a Staci Gillum three-pointer with 4:07 left in the first half, but UNI closed the half on a 6-2 run to hold a 29-28 lead at the break.
UNI took control of the contest by opening the second half with a 12-0 run, building a 41-28 lead that Evansville would never erase. The Purple Aces closed to within eight points at 51-43 with 6:31 left in the game, but UNI posted 10 unanswered points to put the game away. Back-to-back threes by Morgan and Oney capped the Panthers' 10-0 run.
Evansville (3-11, 0-3 MVC) scored the final eight points of the game to cut the final margin to 10 points at 61-51.
UNI will return to action on Sat., Jan. 7, when the Panthers travel to Carbondale, Ill., to face the Southern Illinois Salukis. Tip is set for 5 p.m. at SIU Arena.
NOTES: Redshirt freshman Brooke Brown matched her career high with six points in 13 minutes ... tonight's game was the first-ever Missouri Valley Conference women's basketball game to be played in the Ford Center ... UNI has won 26 of its last 29 games against MVC opponents ... the Panthers have now won seven games in a row against Evansville ... K.K. Armstrong now has 970 career points ... five different Panthers have led the team in scoring in the last five games ... UNI is 9-0 this season when holding the opposition to a field goal percentage below 44 percent.
