UNI Drops Title Bout to Drake

Sunday, March 11

Moline, Illinois

2 p.m.

University of Northern Iowa

19-13

Drake

26-7

UNI

Drake

UNI Drops Title Bout to Drake

3/11/2018 10:11:00 AM | Women's Basketball

Box Score

FINAL STATS

MOLINE, Illinois – The University of Northern Iowa women's basketball team (19-12) had its sensational run to the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament championship game cut short on Sunday, as top-seeded Drake (26-7) earned its second-straight tourney crown over the Panthers.

UNI held a 49-48 lead with 5:31 remaining in the third quarter, but Drake responded with an 11-2 rally to retake control on the game and earn the 75-63 victory. Following the game, sophomore Megan Maahs and junior Ellie Howell were named to the MVC All-Tournament Team.

Junior Mikaela Morgan and sophomore Rose Simon-Ressler each scored nine points to lead the Panthers on Sunday. UNI had eight players score at least six points in the title game.

The Bulldogs outscored the Panthers 43-25 off the bench, while shooting 43% from the floor and holding UNI to just 33% for the game. Drake also got to the free throw line 22 times on Sunday, to just nine times for UNI.

Drake opened the game on a 7-0 run to seize momentum early on Sunday, holding UNI scoreless until 3:45 left in the first quarter. The pace picked up for both squads after the slow start however, as the Panthers and Bulldogs combined for 20 points in the final 3:14 of the period.

Drake's lead swelled to 29-16 at the seven-minute mark of the second quarter, before a 3-point-flurry from the Panthers fueled a 13-2 run for UNI that closed the gap to just a basket midway though the period. A Simon-Ressler bucket cut the deficit to 37-36 with 1:56 on the clock, but the Bulldogs took away the short-lived momentum with a pair of treys to close out the half with a seven-point edge.

Coming out of the break, the Panthers fell behind by nine points before surging back with an 11-1 run to take their first lead of the game at 49-48 following a Taylor Hagen jumper. The Bulldogs retook the lead after mounting an 11-2 rally to close out the third period with a 62-56 lead. The Panthers opened the fourth quarter with a 5-1 run to move within striking distance of the Bulldogs, but the UNI offense stalled out with the score at 64-61 as Drake closed out the game on a 11-2 run.

UP NEXT
UNI awaits its fate for postseason play as the WNIT will release its 64-team field on Monday at 8 p.m. CT. The full bracket and pairings will be released by 11 p.m. CT Monday, with the finalized game times coming on Tuesday afternoon.

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

Drake has won the last six meetings against the Panthers.
Overall, the Panthers have advanced to the championship five times under Tanya Warren.
UNI is now 22-22 in the MVC Tournament.
The Panthers have now held the opposing team's leading scorer below their season average now 19 out 21 games this season against conference foes.
UNI had eight players score at least six points on Sunday.
Sophomore Megan Maahs and junior Ellie Howell were named to the MVC All-Tournament Team.
The four-day attendance for the MVC Tournament was 8,435, which ranks as the second-best all-time at neutral sites.