Panthers Head South For Cancun Challenge

Game Notes in PDF Format

Game 4 vs. Georgia Tech (Thursday, Nov. 26, 2015)
Time: 8 p.m. CT
Place: Cancun, Mexico (Hard Rock Hotel Riviera Maya)
Live Stats
Live Video

Game 5 vs. Seton Hall (Friday, Nov. 27, 2015)
Time: 8 p.m. CT
Place: Cancun, Mexico (Hard Rock Hotel Riviera Maya)
Live Stats
Live Video

The Basics: The University of Northern Iowa women's basketball team is headed south to the Caribbean coastline as part of the Cancun Challenge. UNI will play in the Riviera Division of the tournament, playing against Georgia Tech and Seton Hall.

The Series: The Panthers will meet both Georgia Tech (ACC) and Seton Hall (Big East) for the first time in program history at the Cancun Challenge. The last time UNI played a team from the Atlantic Coast Conference was during the 2012-13 season, beating North Carolina State, 76-72 at the South Point Thanksgiving Shootout. UNI has faced off against six of the 10 Big East members, with UNI's first-ever WNIT win coming against Marquette in 2013.

Panther Quick Hits:
• The Panthers are currently ranked 12th in the NCAA and first in the MVC in turnovers, with only 11.7 per game.
• Through the first three games of the season, senior Sharnae Lamar is leading the Valley in assists with 18 (6.0 per game).
• The UNI women's basketball team finished the 2014-15 season with an overall record of 17-15 and finished 12-6 in Missouri Valley Conference play.
• The Panthers have won 17 or more games in six consecutive seasons.
• UNI made its fifth post-season appearance during the 2014-15 season, playing in the first round of the WNIT. It marked the fifth time out of the last six seasons UNI has played in a post-season tournament.
• UNI was named to the Women's Basketball Coaches Association Honor Roll for the 2014-15 season, earning the 12th best GPA in NCAA Division I Women's Basketball. It is the fourth consecutive season UNI has been ranked in the top-15.
• The UNI women's basketball program is currently 83-43 inside the McLeod Center.

How to Watch and Listen: Fans will be able to watch a live stream of both games provided by the Cancun Challenge at www.cancunchallenge.net.

Tickets: Season and single-game tickets are available for all of UNI's home games this season through UNITix. For more information, call 319-273-4TIX (4849).

Follow the Panthers Online: UNI fans can get all their Panther news and notes on www.UNIPanthers.com. Fans can also access UNI on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/UNIAthletics and Twitter at @UNIAthletics. UNI Women's Basketball also has individual accounts:

Facebook:	Search - UNI Women's Basketball
Twitter:	@UNIPantherWBB
Instagram:	@UNIPantherWBB

Join us at Pepper's: UNI will host a weekly press luncheon at Pepper's in Cedar Falls on Mondays at noon. All of the in-season head coaches will address the media with a weekly recap/preview of their team and then will be open to questions. All media and fans are welcome to attend.

Safe Hands: Senior Sharnae Lamar has started the first three games for the Panthers at the point guard position, racking up 32.0 minutes per game, 18 assists and nine steals while only turning the ball over four times. She is currently ranked No. 17 in the NCAA and No. 1 in the MVC in assist/turnover ratio at 4.50.

Turnover Margins: UNI has only been averaging 11.7 turnovers per game through the first three of the season, ranking No. 12 in the country and No. 1 in the Valley. On the flip side, UNI has been forcing 20.7 turnovers per game, a league-high this season.

Arc Power: Amber Sorenson finished the game against Iowa (11/22) with 23 points, tying her career-high that was set last season against Bradley. She knocked down seven three-pointers against Iowa, tying her careerhigh for three-pointers made in a game and was just one shy of tying the school record. Her nine three pointers this season moves her to seventh all-time at UNI in career treys made.

Freshman Talent: In just 16 minutes of play, freshman Mikaela Morgan racked up 11 boards and seven points against Iowa (11/22). Her 11 rebounds was a career-high and team-high for the true freshman with her now averaging 5.0 rebounds through three games.

Handling the Ball: Sharnae Lamar finished the game against the Hawkeyes with four rebounds, five points, six assists and five steals. It marks the second consecutive game she has recorded five or more assists and ties her career-high in steals (5 vs. Bradley, Jan. 2, 2015). She is 17th in NCAA Division I basketball in assist/turnover ratio and first in the MVC.

Like Riding a Bike: After sitting out for the majority of the 2014-15 season with an injury, Jen Keitel scored in double figures in back-to-back games, notching 15 against South Dakota (11/17). She has also hit three-pointers in back-to-back games for the first time in her career, scoring two against the Coyotes to tie her career-high. The last time she knocked down two three-pointers in a game was against North Dakota in 2013.

Turnover Town: The Panthers forced over 10 turnovers in the first half for the second game in a row. UNI ended up forcing 19 total turnovers on the Coyotes (11/17) and 24 against Rockhurst (11/15). UNI has now outscored their opponents 42-13 in points off turnovers this season.

Dishing Dimes: Sharnae Lamar racked up a career-high nine assists against South Dakota (11/17), the most assists in a game UNI has had since 2013 (Jacqui Kalin, eight assists vs. Evansville on Feb. 2, 2013).

Quick Hands: Ellie Herzberg notched a career-high six steals against the Coyotes (11/17), the most steals in a game for the Panthers since K.K. Armstrong turned in eight against Bradley in 2012.

Taming the Opposition: UNI's combined 82 points allowed through the first two games is the lowest amount scored by opponents in UNI's first two regular season games since the 1973-74 season (Dec. 7, 1973 vs. Luther, 57-41 | Jan. 12, 1974 vs. Iowa State, W 73-38).

Tough Arc: UNI has held their first two opponents to a combined six three-pointers made. Rockhurst University (11/15) only converted on five threes while South Dakota (11/17) was only able to knock down one after averaging 6.1 per game last season.

500-Club: Hannah Schonhardt's made free throw against Rockhurst (11/15) put her at the 500-point mark in her career. The junior joins four other current roster members that have reached the achievement.

Player	Points
Jen Keitel - SR	746
Madison Weekly - JR	680
Stephanie Davison - SR	655
Amber Sorenson - SR	552
Hannah Schonhardt - JR	501

Well-Rounded: Out of the 11 players that saw action in UNI's 58-39 win over Rockhurst (11/15), 10 scored at least one point. Both Mikaela Morgan and Taylor Hagen played in their first collegiate basketball game, with Morgan scoring eight points in just 11 minutes of play.

Moving Up: The Panthers have several current roster members ranked in the top-10 all-time at UNI in career records.

Player	Stat	Rank
Jen Keitel	Career FG%	10th (.487)
Amber Sorenson	Career 3-PT Made	7th (142)
Amber Sorenson	Career 3-PT Att.	6th (448)
Hannah Schonhardt	Career 3-PT%	3rd (.404)
Hannah Schonhardt	Career Def-Reb Avg.	4th (4.6)
Jen Keitel	Career Off-Reb Avg.	10th (2.7)

Season Openers: UNI is 25-23 all-time in season openers since the program started in 1968 and 27-19 all-time in home openers. The Panthers are 6-3 in season openers under the direction of head coach Tanya Warren.

Season Opening Wins In Tanya Warren Era

11/9/07	vs. Colorado State	W, 72-58
11/14/08	at North Dakota State	W, 77-73
11/12/10	at Colorado State	W, 74-50
11/11/11	vs. Colorado State	W, 61-50
11/14/14	at Tulsa	W, 69-66
11/15/15	vs. Rockhurst	W, 58-39

Quality Opponents: The University of Northern Iowa will face off against 13 opponents who played in postsason tournaments during the 2014-15 season. Of the 13 teams, seven will visit the McLeod Center.

Seton Hall	NCAA Tournament (1st Round)
Wichita State	NCAA Tournament (1st Round)
Iowa State	NCAA Tournament (1st Round)
South Dakota State	NCAA Tournament (1st Round)
Iowa	NCAA Tournament (Sweet 16)
South Dakota	WNIT (2nd Round)
Creighton	WNIT (1st Round)
Akron	WNIT (1st Round)
Drake	WNIT (1st Round)
Missouri State	WNIT (1st Round)
Tulsa	WNIT (2nd Round)
Georgia Tech	WNIT (2nd Round)
North Dakota	WBI (1st Round)

Winning Nature: The 2014-15 season marked the sixth straight season the Panthers have won 17 or more games. It is the 13th season since the women's basketball program joined NCAA Division I basketball in 1982 that UNI has achieved the mark.

17+ Win Seasons
1982-83: J.D. Anderson, 17-11
1998-99: Tony DiCecco, 19-8
2000-01: Tony DiCecco, 18-11
2002-03: Tony DiCecco, 18-12
2004-05: Tony DiCecco, 20-11
2005-06: Tony DiCecco, 19-11
2006-07: Tony DiCecco, 17-13
2009-10: Tanya Warren, 17-16
2010-11: Tanya Warren, 27-6
2011-12: Tanya Warren, 19-15
2012-13: Tanya Warren, 17-17
2013-14: Tanya Warren, 17-13
2014-15: Tanya Warren, 17-15

For The Gold: After the 2014-15 season finished, Tanya Warren was awarded the unique opportunity to coach for her country after being named an assistant coach for Team USA at the World University Games in South Korea. During the month of July, Warren traveled overseas with Team USA for the tournament, eventually defeating Canada in the championship game for Gold.

Preseason Recognition: The Panther women's basketball team was picked to finish third in the Missouri Valley Conference during the 2015-16 season. UNI's third place ranking is the eighth time out of the last nine seasons they have landed in the top-half of the Valley.

Recent Additions: Head Coach Tanya Warren announced the addition of two student-athletes to the 2016-17 roster on Nov. 11. "I am so excited to welcome Megan and Abby to our Panther family. Megan will provide us some much needed front court depth. She is so versatile with her ability to score inside and shoot the ball from the perimeter as well. Abby brings us great size and athleticism on the perimeter. She will fit well with what we like to do in transition and we also love her ability to the shoot the three."

Abby Gerrits Pewaukee, Minn. (Pewaukee HS) 5-10 G
Megan Maahs Epworth, Iowa (Western Dubuque HS) 6-1 F

Home Sweet Home: The UNI women's basketball team is currently 83-43 all-time inside the McLeod Center, including a season-opening win against Rockhurst (11/15). The Panthers are also 73-41 inside their home arena under the direction of Tanya Warren.

Warren's Record in the McLeod Center

Year	W	L
2007-08	9	5
2008-09	5	7
2009-10	9	6
2010-11	12	2
2011-12	10	4
2012-13	7	7
2013-14	9	4
2014-15	10	5
2015-16	2	1
Total	73	41

Exhibition Success: UNI has played in an exhibition game every year since Tanya Warren took the reins of the program in 2007. The Panthers are 7-2 in exhibition games in the Warren era, winning its exhibition game six years in a row now.

2007-08: Lost to South Dakota, 76-46
2008-09: Lost to Winona State, 71-66
2009-10: Won vs. Winona State, 65-55
2010-11: Won vs. Marryville, 74-45
2011-12: Won vs. Maryville, 84-49
2012-13: Won vs. Upper Iowa, 82-54
2013-14: Won vs. Upper Iowa, 64-58
2014-15: Won vs. Sioux Falls, 61-50
2015-16: Won vs. Sioux Falls, 82-66

From the Three: The Panthers racked up a total of 266 made three-pointers during the 2014-15 season, leading the Valley in three-pointers made and ranking 12th in NCAA Division I basketball in three-pointers per game. UNI's 266 made treys also ranks second all-time at UNI behind the 275 scored in 2012-13.

At the Point: Junior point guard Madison Weekly started all 32 games in 2014-15, leading the team in points (441) and minutes (1001). She averaged 13.8 points during conference play, ranking 10th in the league. The Atkins, Iowa native ended last season ranked in the top-15 in scoring (10th, 13.8 ppg), assists (11th, 82), free throw percentage (10th, .752), 3-point field goal percentage (6th, .377) and 3-pointers made (2nd, 77), earning All-MVC first-team.

Leading the Way: Head coach Tanya Warren is at the helm for her ninth season with the Panthers in 2015-16. She is a two-time MVC Coach of the Year, leading six first-team All-MVC selections, including current point guard Madison Weekly. She holds an overall record of 140-120.

Ticket Information: Full season and individual ticket packages are available to see the women's basketball team in action at the McLeod Center. The Panthers will play a total 14 regular season games during the 2015-16 season. For more information, contact UNITix at 319-273-4849.

Valley on ESPN3: ESPN and the Missouri Valley Conference have announced a 10-year extension to their current media rights agreement that will provide increased coverage of conference events across ESPN platforms through the 2023-24 academic year. As part of the deal, ESPN, the MVC and its 10 member institutions will work jointly to develop in-house production capabilities at each campus that will provide significant national coverage for multiple sports on ESPN3 and hands-on educational opportunities for students. As a result, ESPN3 will showcase a minimum of 820 events a year (a minimum of 70 men's basketball) in the final six years of the agreement.

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