Red Hot UNI Women's Hoops Meets, Alabama, Ohio State

UNI travels to Las Vegas for two games at the South Point Shootout, playing Alabama Friday at 10 p.m. CT and Ohio State Saturday at 7:45 p.m. Both games will be played at the South Point Arena on the south end of the strip in Vegas. The Panthers are 5-0 and off to the best start since the 1998-99 season with a pair of wins over Power-Five teams for the first time since the 2017-18 season. Alabama enters the weekend 4-1 while Ohio State is 3-2 with a game against South Dakota on Friday.

• Friday's meeting is the second meeting all-time for UNI and Alabama. The Tide won the first meeting 76-56 in 2008. UNI already has a win over an SEC school this season with the 78-73 road victory over Missouri. Alabama is 4-0 after a season-opening loss to Hampton. Cierra Johnson leads Alabama with 12.2 points per game. Two other players average double figures.

• Ohio State and UNI have never met in a women's basketball game. The Buckeyes are 3-2 with losses to Ohio and UConn and wins over Valparaiso, Cincinnati (OT) and Ohio on the resume. Ohio State meets a solid South Dakota Friday night before facing UNI Saturday. Dorka Juhasz leads the Buckeyes with 11.2 points per game. Two other players average double figures.

• In the Panthers' last game, Rose Simon-Ressler led the Panthers with 14 points and Kristina Cavey came off the bench to score 12 points on 5-6 shooting to lead UNI to a 78-53 win over NW Missouri State Sunday at the McLeod Center.

• Karli Rucker leads the Panthers with 13.0 points per game. Kam Finley is second on the team with 12.2 PPG and Megan Maahs is third on the team at 11.4 PPG. Bre Gunnels leads with 7.0 rebounds per game and Maahs is averaging 5.6 RPG.

• UNI returns 2018-19 First-Team All-MVC honoree Karli Rucker and 2017-18 First-Team All-MVF honoree Megan Maahs to court. Maahs returns after missing most of the 2018-19 season with an injury.

• The Panthers are ranked sixth in the NCAA in free-throw percentage at 81.0%. UNI is also 11th in the NCAA with 9.8 Three-pointers made per game.

• UNI has played in postseason play in nine of the last 10 seasons, including an appearance in the WNIT in 2019 where the Panthers met Minnesota in the first round.

• Karli Rucker is the leading returning scorer at 15.0 points per game for the 2018-19 season.

• UNI plays games against five power- five conference teams, the most in the MVC. The Panthers picked up wins over Mizzou and Iowa in their first two games. After this weekend's meetings, UNI faces Iowa State on Dec. 22.

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Red Hot UNI Women's Hoops Meets, Alabama, Ohio State

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Players Mentioned

Kristina Cavey

Kam Finley

Bre Gunnels

Megan Maahs

Karli Rucker

Rose Simon-Ressler

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