Second Half Defense Propels Panthers Past Sycamores, 61-45

Friday, February 12

Terre Haute, Ind.

6 p.m.

University of Northern Iowa

14-9, 9-3MVC

Indiana State

9-13, 5-6MVC

UNI

Indiana State

Second Half Defense Propels Panthers Past Sycamores, 61-45

2/12/2016 8:30:00 PM | Women's Basketball

Box Score

TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – The University of Northern Iowa women's basketball team held Indiana State to just 16 points in the second half, picking up a 61-45 win on the road. The Panthers improved to 14-9 overall and 9-3 in Missouri Valley Conference play.

UNI shot 47-percent from the field and 40-percent from the three in the second half while Indiana State shot just 12-percent, letting the Panthers pull away and claim the victory. Jen Keitel and Madison Weekly both scored game-highs with 18 points each, with Keitel adding nine rebounds. Stephanie Davison also chipped in 12 points with Sharnae Lamar finishing with eight assists and a career-high nine rebounds.

The Panthers shot just 18-percent from the field in the first six minutes of the first quarter, allowing Indiana State to take a 9-6 lead that included a 7-0 run against the Panthers. Despite going 0-for-7 from the arc, UNI was able to cut the Sycamore lead to 13-12 heading into the next quarter with strong paint play from Keitel.

Keitel scored six straight points for UNI to open the second quarter, giving them an 18-16 lead on a long jump shot from the wing at the 7:51 mark. The Sycamores had an answer though, going on a 7-0 run while holding the Panthers scoreless for over two minutes to take a 23-18 lead with 4:59 left in the quarter.

UNI didn't score a three-pointer until the 4:43 mark of the second quarter when Weekly drained a trey to make it a two-point game. With Weekly's hot hand, UNI was able to head into halftime with a 32-29 lead after the Atkins, Iowa native scored 11 of UNI's final 14 points of the half.

The Panthers continued to score consistently in the third quarter, taking a 10-point lead when Weekly hit her fourth three of the game and Davison added two free throws with 7:26 on the clock. UNI went on a scoring drought late in the third, but kept its defense tight, forcing Indiana State to go 1-for-13 from the field during the entire quarter while holding a 47-38 lead.

UNI jumped back out to a double-digit lead after starting the fourth quarter on an 8-0 run, sparked by four unanswered points from Davison to make it 55-38 with 7:01 left to play. Both teams went on scoring droughts late in the fourth quarter, but with Indiana State going 1-for-8 from the field, UNI was able to keep its double-digit advantage, picking up its 61-45 win.

Post-Game Notes vs. Indiana State

With her eight assists against the Sycamores, Sharnae Lamar has cracked the top-10 in career assists, ranking No. 10 with 279. She also moved up a spot on the season assist total, holding the No. 6 spot with 128 through 23 games, passing Loretha Mosley who had 126 during the 1989-90 season.
Jen Keitel finished with a game-high 18 points and nine rebounds, one shy of a double-double. She finished the game shooting 72-percent from the field, her third game in a row shooting 70-percent or higher. It improved her career field goal percentage to .485, moving her into 10^th all-time at UNI.
Jen Keitel has shot exactly 2-for-2 from the free throw line in five straight games for the Panthers, improving her season percentage to 80.7. She has now shot 100-percent from the line in 11 games this season.
Amber Sorenson moved into a tie for third all-time at UNI in career three-pointers made. Her and Nadine Brandt (1997-2002) both have 202 threes. She is just three treys away from cracking the top-25 in Missouri Valley Conference History in career three-pointers.
Madison Weekly knocked in 18 points against Indiana State, improving her career scoring average to 13.0 points per game in 80 games. It moves her into eighth all-time at UNI.