University of Northern Iowa Athletics
University of Northern Iowa
10-4, 3-0
Southern Illinois
7-7, 1-2
UNI Dominates the Salukis, 79-49
1/6/2017 9:34:00 PM | Women's Basketball
CEDAR FALLS, Iowa – The University of Northern Iowa women's basketball team dominated the Southern Illinois Salukis, 79-49. UNI improved to 10-14 overall and 3-0 in Missouri Valley Conference play.
Madison Weekly led all scorers with a season-high 24 points, shooting 50-percent from the floor that included going 4-for-9 from the arc. Mikaela Morgan added 11 points, six rebounds and three steals with Megan Maahs contributing 10 points and six boards.
UNI started the game slow, allowing Southern Illinois to score eight unanswered points to start the game with UNI's first field goal not coming until the 5:30 mark in the first quarter at the hands of Weekly. That was enough to get the Panthers going, scoring six unanswered points to cut the lead to two. It turned into a 16-2 run, quickly giving UNI the lead.
Ellie Herzberg started the second quarter with five straight points, giving UNI a 24-20 lead with 4:43 on the clock. The Salukis were able to tie the game 24-24 with 3:42 remaining, but Morgan drilled a three-pointer, giving UNI a 27-24 advantage. UNI went into halftime up 30-24 with a late quarter trey from Weekly.
The Panthers never looked back, scoring 15 unanswered points to start the third quarter and turn it into a double-digit lead for UNI. Southern Illinois didn't score points until the 6:17 mark in the quarter and didn't score a field goal until there was 3:09 left. The Panthers held SIU to just two field goals in the third quarter while UNI shot 68-percent from the field and 66-percent from the three that included Angie Davison going perfect from the arc.
UNI saw its youth gain valuable experience in the fourth quarter, with Abby Gerrits scoring eight points on 3-of-6 shooting. Rose Simon-Ressler and Kennedy Kirkpatrick were both able to hit three-pointers in the final quarter, keeping UNI at a comfortable distance from the Salukis, eventually giving UNI the 79-49 victory.
UNI returns to action on Sunday, Jan. 8 when they host the Evansville Purple Aces. The game is set for an early tip, taking place at 11:30 a.m. in the McLeod Center.
Post-Game Notes vs. Southern Illinois
- Heidi Hillyard finished the game with a career-high seven rebounds and three assists.
- Madison Weekly scored a season-high 24 points, giving her 1,491 career points. She is nine points away from reaching the 1,500 point career mark.
- Megan Maahs scored in double-figures with 10 points, the fourth time this season she has scored in double-digits.
- UNI held Southern Illinois to just two field goals in the third quarter.
- UNI held all three of Southern Illinois' leading scorers to single-digits. Rishonda Napier was averaging 13.2 points per game before tonight's game with UNI holding her to just five.
- UNI had just six turnovers against the Salukis, tying a season-low. UNI also had six against IUPUI.
- The highest rebound total Southern Illinois had allowed prior to tonight's game was 47. UNI finished the game outrebounding SIU 50-40.
- UNI tied its season-high of 13 three-pointers made, holding SIU to just one made trey.
