Saturday, March 12
Moline, IL
4 p.m.
University of Northern Iowa
vs
Missouri State University
Photo by: Doug DeVoe
UNI women's basketball set to take on Missouri State in Hoops in the Heartland Semifinal
3/12/2022 10:47:00 AM | Women's Basketball
UNI vs. Missouri State
But the Panthers will have to get through the Missouri State Lady Bears first before focusing their eyes on the Hoops in the Heartland's ultimate prize. The Lady Bears have been one of the Missouri Valley's most successful teams in recent years, with 11 championships and 48 tournament wins. It could be more even footing this year as the teams went 1-1 in their regular season series with both teams grabbing wins on their home courts.
THE PANTHERS:
- The Panthers made a statement in their first game of the Hoops in the Heartland tournament, limiting Valparaiso to just 39 points through 40 minutes. The UNI defense led in just about every category for the 4th best defensive outing at the Hoops in the Heartland tournament.
- UNI and Missouri State have met in the Hoops in the Heartland tournament only four times in their 88 total meetings. The Panthers have an even 2-2 record against the Lady Bears in the post season. The two teams most recent meeting in 2019 ended in a loss for the Panthers 89-64.
- The Panthers were the last team to beat Missouri State in the Hoops in the Heartland tournament in 2018. UNI beat the Lady Bears 72-58. The Lady Bears would go on to win the tournament in 2019 and won their lone game of the 2021 tournament before opting out of the rest of the tournament due to COVID concerns.Â
- Senior forward Bre Gunnels had a season-high 15 rebounds in the quarterfinals game of Hoops in the Heartland against Valparaiso. Gunnels was one rebound shy of her career high of 16 blocks, recorded against Bradley in 2021.Â
THE LADY BEARS:
- Missouri State played a close matchup in their first game of the Hoops in the Heartland tournament against Drake. The Lady Bears were able to pull away from the Bulldogs in the second half to make it through to the semifinals, winning 63-49.
- The Lady Bears have continued their tradition of strong defensive play as they currently own the ninth-best scoring defense in the nation at 53.4, which is on pace to rank second in school history. MSU also ranks in the top 25 nationally in six other defensive categories.
- Out of the 29 opponents that qualify, Missouri State has held 23 out of 29 opponents under their scoring average entering. Across all 29 games, MSU is holding opponents to an average of 14.2 points below their scoring average.
- Missouri State had several players win all-conference honors this week including Brice Callip as the MVC Defensive Player of the Year, Abi Jackson as the Most Improved Player of the Year, and both being named to the All-MVC First Team and the All-Defensive Team.Â
- 4 p.m. | March 12
- Moline, Ill. | TaxSlayer Center (12,000)
- ESPN+ |Â Scott Warmann: Play-by-Play, Laura Lenoard: Analyst
- 1540 KXEL | Panther Sports Radio Network (Chris Kleinhaus-Shulz: Play-by-play)
But the Panthers will have to get through the Missouri State Lady Bears first before focusing their eyes on the Hoops in the Heartland's ultimate prize. The Lady Bears have been one of the Missouri Valley's most successful teams in recent years, with 11 championships and 48 tournament wins. It could be more even footing this year as the teams went 1-1 in their regular season series with both teams grabbing wins on their home courts.
THE PANTHERS:
- The Panthers made a statement in their first game of the Hoops in the Heartland tournament, limiting Valparaiso to just 39 points through 40 minutes. The UNI defense led in just about every category for the 4th best defensive outing at the Hoops in the Heartland tournament.
- UNI and Missouri State have met in the Hoops in the Heartland tournament only four times in their 88 total meetings. The Panthers have an even 2-2 record against the Lady Bears in the post season. The two teams most recent meeting in 2019 ended in a loss for the Panthers 89-64.
- The Panthers were the last team to beat Missouri State in the Hoops in the Heartland tournament in 2018. UNI beat the Lady Bears 72-58. The Lady Bears would go on to win the tournament in 2019 and won their lone game of the 2021 tournament before opting out of the rest of the tournament due to COVID concerns.Â
- Senior forward Bre Gunnels had a season-high 15 rebounds in the quarterfinals game of Hoops in the Heartland against Valparaiso. Gunnels was one rebound shy of her career high of 16 blocks, recorded against Bradley in 2021.Â
THE LADY BEARS:
- Missouri State played a close matchup in their first game of the Hoops in the Heartland tournament against Drake. The Lady Bears were able to pull away from the Bulldogs in the second half to make it through to the semifinals, winning 63-49.
- The Lady Bears have continued their tradition of strong defensive play as they currently own the ninth-best scoring defense in the nation at 53.4, which is on pace to rank second in school history. MSU also ranks in the top 25 nationally in six other defensive categories.
- Out of the 29 opponents that qualify, Missouri State has held 23 out of 29 opponents under their scoring average entering. Across all 29 games, MSU is holding opponents to an average of 14.2 points below their scoring average.
- Missouri State had several players win all-conference honors this week including Brice Callip as the MVC Defensive Player of the Year, Abi Jackson as the Most Improved Player of the Year, and both being named to the All-MVC First Team and the All-Defensive Team.Â
Players Mentioned
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