University of Northern Iowa
1-1,0-0MVC
Iowa
3-0,0-0Big Ten
Women’s basketball falls to Hawkeyes in Sunday matchup
11/12/2023 4:59:00 PM | Women's Basketball
UNI women’s basketball took on the Iowa Hawkeyes in a 53-94 defeat on Sunday.
CEDAR FALLS --- UNI women's basketball welcomed in the reigning Big Ten champion and NCAA Tournament runner-up Iowa Hawkeyes in the first women's basketball sellout of the McLeod Center in program history. The Hawkeyes shot 51.7% from the floor, their second-best mark of the season.
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Hawkeyes started quickly with a pair of buckets to take a 4-0 lead 1:30 into the first quarter. A layup by Grace Boffeli got the Panthers on the board and snapped the Iowa run. The Hawkeyes continued to roll, recording a 17-7 lead just over halfway through the first frame. All seven of the Panther points came off the hand of Boffeli. A defensive rebound and two steals by Riley Wright slowed the Iowa offense on three straight possessions heading down the stretch. Northern Iowa proceeded to net the final four points of the first quarter, three points from Wright and one from Rachael Heittola, to end the quarter with an 11-20 deficit.
Back-and-forth buckets, including Maya McDermott's first points of the game on a three-pointer, put the Hawkeyes in the lead at 25-15 with seven minutes remaining in the first half. A Heittola free throw stopped a 6-1 Iowa run with 4:45 left in the quarter, but the half was finished on a close, 12-9 run in favor of the Hawkeyes, seven of which came from Iowa guard Caitlin Clark. Iowa led heading into the second half 40-25.
The Hawkeyes opened the third quarter on a 7-2 run which was shut down by an and-one layup by Taryn Wharton. She sank the free throw for her ninth point of the contest. Out of a media timeout, Shateah Wetering sank her first points of the contest on a layup. The Hawkeyes would go on a 16-4 run following the Wetering layup which was snapped by a pair of free throws from Grace Boffeli. Iowa led heading into the final frame by a score of 75-41.
The fourth quarter saw the Panthers strike first with a free throw from guard Bri Robinson. A Wetering layup stopped a 7-2 Iowa run with just over five minutes remaining in the game. After the layup, the Hawkeyes mounted an 8-0 run which was then ended by back-to-back layups and a free throw from Riley Wright. Four more points fell for Iowa and two fell for the Panthers to end the matchup with the final score of 94-53 in favor of the Hawkeyes.
Riley Wright led the Panthers with 14 points. She added seven rebounds and four steals off the bench in her 29 minutes. Grace Boffeli was the lone other Panther double-digit scorer with 11 points. She added six rebounds and an assist in 18 minutes.
ADDITIONAL NOTES
- The series' history now sits at 26-3 in favor of the Hawkeyes and 13-2 in Cedar Falls.
- The Panthers played in front of the first sold-out crowd in women's basketball history.
- Riley Wright recorded a career-high 14 points, seven rebounds, and four steals in the contest.
- Freshmen Bri Robinson and Katy Reyerson saw the court for the first time in a Panthers uniform against the Hawkeyes.
UP NEXT
The Panthers hit the road for the first time this season on Saturday with an early-morning matchup with Ball State in Muncie, Indiana. The game tips off at 10 a.m. CT and will be broadcast on ESPN+. It can also be listened to on the Panther Sports Radio Network.
