UNI women's basketball rolls Murray State 81-54

Friday, January 6

Cedar Falls, Iowa

6 PM

University of Northern Iowa

8-4,3-0MVC

Murray State University

9-3,2-1MVC

Murray St.

UNI

UNI women's basketball rolls Murray State 81-54

1/6/2023 8:35:00 PM | Women's Basketball

Box Score

CEDAR FALLS, Iowa -- The Panthers continued their early Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) success at home in a dominating win over the Murray State Racers 81-54.

UNI had one of its best shooting nights against Murray State in its third straight win of the Valley season. The all-around game from the Panthers helped multiple players get into double digits, as all but one player recorded an assist. Three UNI players set career highs in field goal percentage against the Racers for another commanding MVC win.

"I thought it [the win] started with our defense," said Head Coach Tanya Warren to the media. "I thought we did a terrific job of defending and helping and knowing where the help was coming from. We finished on the defensive end with stops and rebounds that allowed us to get out and get going offensively. But it certainly started with our defense.

"We had two emphases, keep them [Murray State] off the free throw line, which we did a terrific job of in the first half. They lead the league and shoot a little over 80% and our in the Top 10 in the country in free throw percentage. And then they're plus nine on the glass. So those two things were emphases we made throughout the course of the week. And I thought for the most part we did a terrific job of handling both of those categories."

The Panthers jumped out to an early lead going up by 10 three minutes into the game. Murray State was able to get back into the quarter with a five-point run over a minute and a half midway through the first. The teams would trade shots until the final minute as the Racers had a second five-point run to cut UNI's lead down to four.

Four was the smallest lead of the game for the Panthers as they held Murray State to just five points in the second quarter. Shooting 50% from the floor and 25% from three-point range, UNI grew its lead to 20 by the end of the second. The Panthers had an eight-point run to start the second, which pushed them out of reach for the rest of the game. Guard Emerson Green led the charge in the second with eight points on six shots.

The Racers got some of their offense back in the third quarter, trading shots with UNI. But the Panthers continued to make small runs throughout the third to help offset Murray State's newfound offense. UNI would head into the final quarter with a 19-point lead after a late basket from the Racers.

UNI shut the door in the fourth as multiple players contributed off the bench in the final frame. Guard Taryn Wharton helped lead the Panthers on offense with forward Grace Boffeli in the fourth as both put up five points. UNI also had a 13-point run right before the final minute to seal the win.

The Panthers had their second-best game from the floor on Friday night going 35 of 67 (52.2%). From other areas of the court, UNI was 7-19 (36.8%) from behind the arc and 4-6 (66.7%) from the charity stripe. The Panthers also shared the ball well through 40 minutes, recording 22 assists. UNI won on the glass against Murray State with 37 rebounds while adding four blocks and five steals.

Boffeli led the Panthers on offense for the fifth straight game this season. The sophomore forward recorded 21 points and recorded her fifth double-double of the season with 14 rebounds. Green and guard Maya McDermott also put up double-digit performances with 17 and 10 points respectively. On the defensive side of the ball, Boffeli led in rebounds while forwards Cynthia Wolf and Ryley Goebel each contributed two blocks.

UP NEXT:
UNI welcomes Belmont to the McLeod Center on Sunday for the team's first program meeting. The Bruins are coming off a tough 30-point loss to Drake in their first MVC trip to Iowa. The Panthers will tipoff against Belmont at 2 p.m. on Sunday, Jan. 8.