Panthers Wrangle Cowgirls, 55-40

Saturday, November 25

Orlando, Florida

11 a.m.

University of Northern Iowa

2-2

Wyoming

4-1

Wyoming

UNI

Panthers Wrangle Cowgirls, 55-40

11/25/2017 1:49:00 PM | Women's Basketball

Box Score

FINAL STATS

ORLANDO, Fla. – Led by a balanced attack on Saturday, the University of Northern Iowa women's basketball team (2-2) kicked off the UCF Thanksgiving Classic with a 55-40 victory over previously-undefeated Wyoming (4-1).

With the win, UNI improved to 2-2 on the season while Wyoming dropped its first game of the year and fell to 4-1 overall.

Junior Mikaela Morgan paced the Panthers with a season-high 15 points after knocking down 3-of-7 from 3-point land. Sophomore Megan Maahs added 10 points, while grabbing nine rebounds to just miss out on her third double-double of the season.

The Panthers held the Cowgirls to their lowest point total since Feb. 24, 2016, as UNI's stout defense held Wyoming to 29.1% shooting in the second half. Overall, the Panthers out-rebounded the Cowgirls 47-29.

UNI got off to a hot start on Saturday, as the Panthers shot 7-of-15 from the field to earn an early 16-12 lead after the first quarter. UNI's Ellie Howell spearheaded the Panther attack, with five points in the opening period.

After briefly trailing 19-18 midway through the second quarter, the Panthers jumped back out in front thanks to the efforts of Morgan and Karli Rucker. The pair combined for seven points to close out the first half and give UNI the 27-23 advantage heading into the break.

Defense took over in the second half, with UNI and Wyoming combing for just 17 points in the third quarter. The Panthers wasted no time in the final quarter of action as Morgan nailed back-to-back 3-pointers to jumpstart a 12-2 run for UNI. The Panthers outscored the Cowgirls 19-9 overall in the fourth quarter as UNI secured the 55-40 victory on the road.

UP NEXT
UNI caps the weekend against UCF Sunday at 12:30 p.m. CT. The matchup between the Panthers and Knights will be the first in program history.

TICKETS
Fans can purchase season and single-game tickets to UNI women's basketball home games through UNITIX. Call 319-273-4849 or visit www.UNITIX.uni.edu.

SOCIAL MEDIA
For more information on the UNI women's basketball program, follow the Panthers on Twitter at "@UNIWBB" and on Facebook at "UNI Women's Basketball."

ADDITIONAL NOTES

UNI now leads the all-time series against Wyoming, 3-2.
UNI held Wyoming 0-8 from 3-point range.
The Panthers are now 134-18 under head coach Tanya Warren when holding an opponent to under 60 points.
The 40 points allowed by the Panther defense is the lowest total since last season's 69-39 victory over Bradley.
The 15-point performance for Mikaela Morgan was her highest since scoring 16 against Denver last season.
Freshmen Bre Gunnels (11) and Marissa Robson (3) each logged a career-high in minutes.