Wednesday, November 13
Columbia, Mo.
7 p.m.
University of Northern Iowa
at
Missouri
Photo by: Jason Rubin / JMRImages
Panthers Top Mizzou 78-73, Move to 3-0
11/13/2019 9:49:00 PM | Women's Basketball
COLUMBIA, Mo. – Karli Rucker scored 21 points and Megan Maahs added 18 to lead UNI to a 78-73 win over Missouri on the road Wednesday night. The win is the first-ever victory over Missouri in seven tries and the first victory over an SEC school since UNI topped Arkansas in 2001.
The Panthers and Tigers battle back and forth early, trading leads, but Kam Finley hit a three-pointer with 2:47 left in the first quarter to give UNI a 16-14 lead. UNI extended the lead to 10, the largest of the game on a pair of free throws by Bre Gunnels with 6:05 to play in the second quarter.
Mizzou began to chip away and cut the lead to 38-37 with under a minute to play in the first half before Maahs hit a pair of free throws to give UNI a 40-37 lead at the break.
The second half was a heavyweight bout where every haymaker was answered. Mizzou started the second half with a 5-0 run to give the Tigers a brief lead before UNI answered with back-to-back three-pointers to regain the advantage. Mizzou again took the lead at the midway point in the third quarter before The Panthers again answered. After three complete, UNI held a 62-61 lead.
The two teams again traded leads to start the fourth before Rucker hit back-to-back three-pointers to put UNI up 73-58 with 4:59 to play. The Panthers would not trail again and earned the five-point win with salty defense down the stretch, holding Mizzou without a field goal for the final 3:51 of the game.
Rucker scored nine of her 18 points in the fourth quarter.
Kam Finley joined Rucker and Maahs in double figures with 10 points. Gunnels and Kristina Cavey tied for a team-high five rebounds and Maahs tallied a career and game-high six assists. The Panthers were 28-67 (41.8%) from the field and 15-42 (35.7%) from the three-point line. UNI recorded 17 assists on 28 made shots.
UNI held Mizzou under 80 points for the first time this season. The Tigers shot well from the field, going 24-51 (47.1%) and 10-20 (50%) from the three-point line, but UNI forced MU into 16 turnovers and the Tigers were just 15-24 (62.5%) from the three-point line.
UNI outrebounded the Tigers 36-33 and turned the ball over just 10 times.
The Panthers are 3-0 for the first time in 15 seasons.
NOTES
- Megan Maahs was a game-changer. She had 18 points, six assists, four rebounds and two steals.
- Maahs went three quarters without missing a shot. She was 6-6 from the field, 2-2 from the three-point line and 2-2 from the free-throw line for 16 points in the first three quarters.
- Maahs' six assists tops her previous career-high of four which she recorded against Drake in 2017.
- Karli Rucker has now scored in double figures for six consecutive games. She has scored 20 or more points in two of the first three games of the season.
- Since returning from season-ending injuries last season Megan Maahs and Kam Finley have scored in double figures in all three games.
- The Panthers held Missouri without a field goal for the final 3:51 of the game.
- The win is the second over an SEC school ever for the Panthers. UNI beat Arkansas 66-63 on Dec. 7, 2001, on the road.
- UNI is now 52-60 (.867) from the free-throw line through three games.
- UNI moves to 3-0 for the first time since the 2004-05 season.
- The last win over a power five school came when UNI topped Kansas State 72-71 on Dec. 21, 2017.
- The Panthers are now 1-6 in the series against Missouri.
- The game is the first of five against Power Five opponents for UNI this season. The next is against Iowa Sunday.
UP NEXT
The Panthers return home to host Iowa at 2 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 17. The Hawkeyes are 1-0 and host North Alabama Thursday before making the trek to Cedar Falls on Sunday.
The Panthers and Tigers battle back and forth early, trading leads, but Kam Finley hit a three-pointer with 2:47 left in the first quarter to give UNI a 16-14 lead. UNI extended the lead to 10, the largest of the game on a pair of free throws by Bre Gunnels with 6:05 to play in the second quarter.
Mizzou began to chip away and cut the lead to 38-37 with under a minute to play in the first half before Maahs hit a pair of free throws to give UNI a 40-37 lead at the break.
The second half was a heavyweight bout where every haymaker was answered. Mizzou started the second half with a 5-0 run to give the Tigers a brief lead before UNI answered with back-to-back three-pointers to regain the advantage. Mizzou again took the lead at the midway point in the third quarter before The Panthers again answered. After three complete, UNI held a 62-61 lead.
The two teams again traded leads to start the fourth before Rucker hit back-to-back three-pointers to put UNI up 73-58 with 4:59 to play. The Panthers would not trail again and earned the five-point win with salty defense down the stretch, holding Mizzou without a field goal for the final 3:51 of the game.
Rucker scored nine of her 18 points in the fourth quarter.
Kam Finley joined Rucker and Maahs in double figures with 10 points. Gunnels and Kristina Cavey tied for a team-high five rebounds and Maahs tallied a career and game-high six assists. The Panthers were 28-67 (41.8%) from the field and 15-42 (35.7%) from the three-point line. UNI recorded 17 assists on 28 made shots.
UNI held Mizzou under 80 points for the first time this season. The Tigers shot well from the field, going 24-51 (47.1%) and 10-20 (50%) from the three-point line, but UNI forced MU into 16 turnovers and the Tigers were just 15-24 (62.5%) from the three-point line.
UNI outrebounded the Tigers 36-33 and turned the ball over just 10 times.
The Panthers are 3-0 for the first time in 15 seasons.
NOTES
- Megan Maahs was a game-changer. She had 18 points, six assists, four rebounds and two steals.
- Maahs went three quarters without missing a shot. She was 6-6 from the field, 2-2 from the three-point line and 2-2 from the free-throw line for 16 points in the first three quarters.
- Maahs' six assists tops her previous career-high of four which she recorded against Drake in 2017.
- Karli Rucker has now scored in double figures for six consecutive games. She has scored 20 or more points in two of the first three games of the season.
- Since returning from season-ending injuries last season Megan Maahs and Kam Finley have scored in double figures in all three games.
- The Panthers held Missouri without a field goal for the final 3:51 of the game.
- The win is the second over an SEC school ever for the Panthers. UNI beat Arkansas 66-63 on Dec. 7, 2001, on the road.
- UNI is now 52-60 (.867) from the free-throw line through three games.
- UNI moves to 3-0 for the first time since the 2004-05 season.
- The last win over a power five school came when UNI topped Kansas State 72-71 on Dec. 21, 2017.
- The Panthers are now 1-6 in the series against Missouri.
- The game is the first of five against Power Five opponents for UNI this season. The next is against Iowa Sunday.
UP NEXT
The Panthers return home to host Iowa at 2 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 17. The Hawkeyes are 1-0 and host North Alabama Thursday before making the trek to Cedar Falls on Sunday.
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