Panthers Run Wild on Aces for 85-60 Win

Sunday, February 11

Evansville, Indiana

1 p.m.

University of Northern Iowa

13-11, 9-4MVC

Evansville

3-20, 0-12MVC

UNI

Evansville

Panthers Run Wild on Aces for 85-60 Win

2/11/2018 2:58:00 PM | Women's Basketball

Box Score

FINAL STATS

EVANSVILLE, Indiana – The University of Northern Iowa women's basketball team (13-11, 9-4 MVC) dominated Evansville (3-20, 0-12 MVC) by the tune of 85-60 on Sunday afternoon, as the Panthers earned another weekend sweep on the road.

The Panthers delivered the knock out punch in the second quarter, after pounding the Purple Aces with an 18-0 run to close out the half and rip away all hope from the home team. UNI rode its 20-point lead coming out of the locker room to earn the 85-60 road victory.

With the victory, UNI improved to 13-11 overall and 9-4 in MVC play, while UE dropped to 3-20 on the season and 0-12 in conference action. After downing Indiana State on Friday night and beating UE on Sunday, the Panthers earned their second-straight road sweep of the season.

UNI's defense was the cause of most UE woes on Sunday, as the Panthers forced 17 turnovers while only committing a season-low three. The Panthers also tied their season-high in assists with 22 on the day.

Freshman Nicole Kroeger was the game's leading scorer, after earning 19 on the day. The total tied a career-high for Kroeger, with 14 of her 19 points coming in the first half.
Junior Ellie Howell scored in double-figures once again, as she posted 17 points for the game.

Sophomore Rose Simon-Ressler became just the third Panther this season to earn a double-double, as she scored 10 points and grabbed a career-high 11 rebounds. Fellow sophomore Megan Maahs rounded out the double-figure scoring after earning 10 points and eight rebounds.

The Panthers and Purple Aces went back-and-forth over the first 10 minutes, until Kroeger broke the tie in the closing seconds to give UNI a 21-18 lead entering the second quarter. After briefly trailing in the period, the Panthers jumped back ahead after Howell went on a tear to score nine-straight points. From there UNI closed out the quarter on an 18-0 run to take full control of the game.

Coming out of the locker room, UNI and UE each scored 17 points in the third quarter. The Panthers held on to their 20-point lead entering the fourth quarter as UNI choked away the life from UE. The Panthers outscored the Purple Aces by five points in the final quarter, while UNI cleared the bench in the closing minutes to wrap up the 25-point victory and sweep the Purple Aces on the season.

UP NEXT
UNI returns home for a crucial MVC showdown against league-leading Drake on Friday, Feb. 16 at 7 p.m.

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

With the win, UNI guarantees to finish above .500 in conference play for the 10th-straight season, which is the longest by any women or men program in the conference.
UNI has now won nine-straight over Evansville.
Overall, the Panthers have beat the Purple Aces in 20 of the last 21 contests.
UNI earned its second season sweep of a MVC foe.
The Panthers have won their last four games on the road.
UNI has won seven of its last nine games.
The 29 points scored in the second quarter was the highest for UNI this season in a single period.
UNI scored the second-most points in a half this season, after earning 50 points on Sunday.
The Panthers only committed three turnovers, which was a season-low for UNI.
UNI has now outrebounded 18 foes this season, earning an 12-6 record when doing so.
UNI cleared the bench to play all 14 Panthers on Sunday.
Sophomore Rose Simon-Ressler earned her first-career double-double after scoring 10 points and grabbing a career-high 11 rebounds.
Junior Ellie Howell has scored in double-figures a team-best 15 times this season, with 11 of those coming in MVC action.
Freshman Nicole Kroeger tied her career-high with 19 points.
Senior Kennedy Kirkpatrick tied her career-high in assists, after dishing out nine on Sunday.