UNI Women's Basketball Holds Off Long Beach State

Friday, November 23

Long Beach, Calif.

9 p.m.

University of Northern Iowa

3-2

Long Beach State University

0-5

Northern Iowa

Long Beach State

UNI Women's Basketball Holds Off Long Beach State

11/23/2018 11:57:00 PM | Women's Basketball

Box Score

LONG BEACH, Calif. – The UNI Panther women's basketball team went on a 7-0 run in the middle of the first quarter and never trailed again as the Panthers topped tournament host Long Beach State to open the Beach Classic in Long Beach, California.

The 49ers battled back from a double-digit deficit to cut the lead to 61-60 with under three minutes to play in the game, but Mikaela Morgan hit a three-pointer and Megan Maahs hit a layup and a free throw to extend the lead back to 67-61 with 2:15 to play.

Long Beach again cut the lead to one possession, but Rose Simon-Ressler went 4-4 from the line in the final minute to seal the victory for UNI.
Karli Rucker scored 14 of the 19 points in the second half to lead the way for the Panthers Maahs finished with 11 and Morgan added 10.

The Panthers outrebounded the 45-30, but no single panther had more than seven boards. Ellie Howell and Heidi Hillyard led the way with seven each, and three other UNI players added five.

PLAYER OF THE GAME
Karli Rucker continues her strong early-season play with 19 points. She was stellar from the three-point line and remains perfect on the season from the free-throw line. She was 1-1 Friday and is now 15-15 on the year.

PLAY OF THE GAME
Long Beach State cut the lead to 61-60 with just 2:55 to play, but Mikaela Morgan buried a three to extend the lead back to four. Megan Maahs added three more points on a layup and free throw to put the game out of reach.

STAT OF THE GAME
UNI continues to be outstanding from the free throw line. The Panthers went 15-18 (83.3 percent) from the line Friday and are now 67-85 (78.8 percent) on the season. Karli Rucker (15-15), Abby Gerrits (12-12) and Taylor Hagen (6-6) are all perfect so far this year.

STAT OF THE GAME TWO
The Panthers outrebounded the 49ers 45-30, including an 18-10 advantage in offensive boards.

UP NEXT
UNI faces Boise State in the second game of the tournament. The Broncos are 4-1 on the year with the lone loss coming against No. 4 Louisville. The Broncos are 2-1 against Division I opponents after beating Idaho Friday night in their first game of the Beach Classic. The game is scheduled for 4 p.m. there will be streaming broadcast of the game, but live stats can be found here.