Panthers, Bulldogs Set for All-Iowa MVC Final

GAME NOTES

MOLINE, Illinois – The University of Northern Iowa women's basketball team (19-12) takes on Drake (25-7) on Sunday at 2 p.m. CT, as the Panthers seek their first Missouri Valley Conference Tournament title since 2011.

UNI challenges Drake on Sunday for the MVC Tournament Championship, with the meeting marking the second-straight season the Panthers and Bulldogs have faced off in the title game. Drake won last season's matchup in overtime, 74-69.

HOW TO TUNE IN
All games will be televised on ESPN3. Fans can also listen at www.UNIPanthers.com as Chris Kleinhans-Schulz calls the action.

LIVE STATS
Live stats will be made available via the UNI athletics website (www.UNIPanthers.com). Fans and media can visit @UNIWBB on Twitter for links to the feed.

TICKETS
Fans can purchase tickets and sit in UNI's section through UNITIX. Call 319-273-4849 or visit www.UNITIX.uni.edu. For more information on tickets, visit here.

NEED TO KNOW

After a 70-58 win over second-seeded Missouri State on Saturday, the Panthers advance to the championship game against top-seeded Drake on Sunday at 2 p.m.
Under Tanya Warren, the Panthers are 15-8 at the MVC Tournament. UNI is 2-2 in championship games under Warren. Sunday's appearance in the title game will be UNI's fifth overall.
The Panthers and Bulldogs have met twice under Warren, with Drake taking both contests in 2009 and 2017.
The Panthers have won 11 out of their last 13 contests, including six-straight overall.
In the two games against Drake this season, sophomore Rose Simon-Ressler leads UNI with a 17.0-point average against the Bulldogs. Fellow sophomore Megan Maahs has averaged 10.0 points and 15.5 rebounds against Drake this season.
Maahs has earned a league-high 12 double-doubles this season, with the total being the most for any Panther since Alex Cook earned 13 in 2003-04.

SERIES WITH DRAKE

UNI lost both contests to Drake in the regular season, with the Bulldogs owning a five-game winning streak over the Panthers.
The Panthers have not defeated the Bulldogs since March 19, 2016's 64-58 win, which capped a three-game winning streak for UNI.

SCOUTING THE BULLDOGS

Top-seeded Drake is 25-7 on the year, while earning a perfect 18-0 mark in conference play for the second-straight season in a row.
Drake has downed Valpo and Southern Illinois at this year's MVC Tournament, winning a 89-40 and 68-59 decision over the Crusaders and Salukis.
The Bulldogs are led by MVC Player of the Year Becca Hittner, who owns a 15.8 scoring average this season.

50-POINT CLUB GROWS

Under head coach Tanya Warren, the Panthers are undefeated when holding an opponent to 50 points or less.
Over her 11-year career at the helm, Tanya Warren has earned a 75-0 record against foes when holding them to 50 points or less.
Warren's highest total for a season was in 2015-16, when the Panthers held 12 foes to 50 points or less.
This season, the Panthers are 10-0 when holding an opponent to 50 points or less.

PANTHER SHARP SHOOTERS

UNI has knocked down 232-of-733 (31.7%) from 3-point land this season.
The 232 made 3-pointers this season rank as the third-most in the MVC and eighth-most in a season at UNI.
The Panthers are averaging 7.5 made 3-pointers a game.
Last season, the Panthers shot 250-848 (29.5%) from beyond the arc to average 7.6 made 3-pointers a game.
Senior Kennedy Kirkpatrick leads UNI with 44 made 3-pointers this season.

UNI CONTROLS THE GLASS

This season, the Panthers rank first in the MVC with a 5.3 rebounding margin over foes.
UNI has outrebounded 25 foes this season, with the highest margin of 18 coming against Wyoming earlier in November.
When outrebounding teams this season, UNI is 18-7 on the season.
The Panthers are averaging 39.8 rebounds per contest, which also ranks first in the MVC.

MAAHS CLIMBS UP ALL-TIME LEADERBOARD

Sophomore Megan Maahs has had a sensational season rebounding the ball in 2017-18.
Maahs currently sits second all-time at UNI for most rebounds in a season (307) and third for most defensive rebounds in a season (220).
Maahs sits behind Alex Cook for all-time rebounds (360), while also ranking behind Cooks (260) for most defensive rebounds in a single season at UNI.

DOUBLE-DOUBLE QUEEN

Sophomore Megan Maahs leads the MVC with 12 double-doubles this season.
That total is the most in a season for UNI since Alex Cook earned 13 in 2003-04, if Maahs passes Cook's 2003-04 mark the next bar will be Cook's 17 from 2002-03.
In the MVC, Maahs tops the league this season in rebounds per game (9.9), defensive rebounds per game (7.2) and most double-doubles (12).

SEEING DOUBLE

Three Panthers have collected double-doubles this season, with Megan Maahs (12 ), Rose Simon-Ressler (2) and Ellie Howell (1) all earning the feat via the points/rebounds path.
Howell's came against Indiana State (1/14) after scoring 11 points and 10 rebounds, while Simon-Ressler's came in back-to-back games against Evansville (2/11) and Drake (2/16)
The double-doubles for Maahs and Howell against INS (1/14) marked the first time UNI had two players record a double-double in the same game since Feb. 2, 2014 versus Drake (Stephanie Davison, Jen Keitel, Hannah Schonhardt).

ALL-MVC HONOREES

UNI claimed three All-MVC honors on Wednesday, with Megan Maahs earning All-MVC First Team and All-Defensive Team laurels and Ellie Howell collecting All-MVC Honorable Mention.
On Tuesday, the Panthers earned two selections to the MVC Scholar-Athlete Second Team, with Kennedy Kirkpatrick and Ellie Howell claiming spots after stellar seasons.

ALL WE DO IS WIN

UNI has won at least 17 or more games in nine-straight seasons.
The win total also marked the 16th season since the women's basketball program joined NCAA Division I basketball in 1982 that the Panthers have achieved at least 17 wins.
Tanya Warren now owns nine seasons with at least 17-plus wins or more in a season, which is more than all other coaches at UNI combined.

HOWELL HEATS UP IN LEAGUE PLAY

This season, redshirt junior Ellie Howell has scored in double figures 18 times, with 14 of those coming against conference foes.
Howell scored a season-high 21 points against Loyola.
During MVC play, Howell has averaged a team-best 10.9 points per outing.

KIRKPATRICK'S BREAK OUT

Kennedy Kirkpatrick's senior season has been by far her best, as she's earned career-highs in minutes, starts, points, rebounds, assists and steals for her senior campaign.
The Lawrence, Kansas native, has averaged 10.5 points per game, while also leading the Panthers from the 3-point line with 44 made from beyond-the-arc.

WARREN IN THE VALLEY

Head coach Tanya Warren finished the 2017-18 regular season tied for fourth all-time in the Valley for most league wins.
Warren has earned 131 conference wins for her career, tied with Creighton's Jim Flanery (2003-13).

200 WINS AND COUNTING FOR WARREN

On Feb. 23 against Illinois State, head coach Tanya Warren became the fifth women's basketball coach in the MVC to surpass the 200-win total.
Warren is the only active coach in the Valley to own at least 200 career-victories
Only four coaches in Valley history have crossed the 200-win mark, with SIU's Cindy Scott (353), MSU's Cheryl Burnett (319), Illinois State's Jill Hutchison (277) and Eastern Illinois' Barbara Hilke (231) being the only coaches in league history to do so.

HOOPS IN THE HEARTLAND

Under Tanya Warren, the Panthers are now 8-3 in their opening game of the MVC Tournament.
UNI is 14-8 at the MVC Tournament under Warren. MSU downed UNI the last time the two squads met in the 2016 championship game, winning 71-58.
The Panthers have earned back-to-back trips to the title game overall, losing in overtime to Drake last season and dropping a tough contest to MSU in 2016.

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."

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