University of Northern Iowa
Iowa State
Panther host no. 8 Cyclones in an in-state matchup
11/19/2024 1:59:00 PM | Women's Basketball
UNI women’s basketball welcomes no. 8 Iowa State to the McLeod Center on Wednesday evening.
UNI (2-1 / 0-0 MVC) vs. Iowa State (4-0 / 0-0 MAC)
- 6 p.m. CT | November 20, 2024
- McLeod Center | Cedar Falls, Iowa
- ESPN+
- Panther Sports Radio Network
CEDAR FALLS --- UNI women's basketball plays host to the no. 8 ranked Cyclone of Iowa State on Wednesday evening inside the McLeod Center. The last time these teams matched up, the Cyclones took home a 17-point victory in Ames. In that matchup, Maya McDermott led all scorers with 30 points, shooting 10-18 from the floor and 4-6 from beyond the arc. Rachael Heittola was the only other Panther in double-figures with 16 points.
This will be the 50th overall meeting between these two programs. Head coach Tanya Warren is looking for her third win over the Cyclones in her coaching career with the Panthers. No current Panther athlete has been a part of a team that beat the Cyclones. The last time UNI beat Iowa State was during the 2019-20 season when now seniors Maya McDermott, Grace Boffeli, Emerson Green, and Kayba Laube were a year away from joining the Panther squad.
UNI is coming off a 76-70 loss to the Cardinals of Ball State on Saturday. In that matchup, Maya McDermott led the game with 27 points and four assists on a day where she tied her career high with six made three-pointers. Kayba Laube notched 11 points and a pair of assists in the loss, while Taryn Wharton tallied nine points and Ryley Goebel recorded six points and four steals. Elise Jaeger totaled five points and a team-high seven rebounds.
Maya McDermott's 27 points against the Cardinals marked her second 20+ point game of the season, and 19th of her career. After sinking three baskets from beyond the three-point line, Kayba Laube recorded her 200th career made three-pointer, tying Emily Berrt (2001-05) for sixth all-time in program history.
As of November 12, the Panthers were ranked the no. 11 team in the CollegeInsider.com Women's Mid Major Top 25.
Iowa State is coming off a 80-46 victory over St. Thomas inside the Hilton Coliseum. In that matchup, Emily Ryan dished out 13 assists, the top single-game mark in NCAA DI women's basketball this season. Also tying the 11th highest single-game assists mark with her total, Ryan now holds seven of the top 21 game totals at Iowa State. ISU shot over 56 percent from the floor and over 46 percent from 3-point range, led by Audi Crooks who went 12-of-17 for 26 points. Sydney Harris (13) and Addy Brown (10) also finished in double figures.
No. 8 Iowa State makes its first road trip of the season to take on UNI in Cedar Falls. This is the first of three in-state games for the Cyclones this season before ISU takes on Drake on Sunday and Iowa on December 11.
Iowa State returns six players from the 2023- 24 roster, including three Naismith Starting 5 Watch List members Addy Brown, Audi Crooks and Emily Ryan.
The Cyclones appear in the top 10 for both the AP Poll and the WBCA Coaches Poll after opening the season with a 4-0 record ... ISU was picked top 10 in both preseason polls for the fourth time in program history and the second time in three years.
ISU has started the season with a 4-0 record, the 15th time in program history and 14th under head coach Bill Fennelly to reach the feat ... the Cyclones have started the season 5-0 11 times. Sophomore center Audi Crooks was a unanimous preseason All-Big 12 Team selection and earned AP All-America Honorable Mention. Addy Brown had a star-studded freshman year as she became the only Cyclone to record 400 points, 250 rebounds and 150 assists in a single season ... she has averaged 15.8 points, 8.0 rebounds, 3.5 assists, 1.5 blocks and 1.0 steals through four games and recorded her 12th career double-double on Nov. 10.
Emily Ryan, Iowa State's all-time assists leader, recorded her 800th career assist against Southern (Nov. 10) ... she leads active NCAA women's basketball players with 818 assists.Â
In his 30th season at the helm, Bill Fennelly is the winningest coach in Iowa State athletics history ... his 781 career wins are also third-most among active NCAA Division I head coaches.
UNI women's basketball action can be followed all season long on social media on Facebook (UNI Women's Basketball), X (@UNIwbb), and on Instagram (@uni_wbb). The 2024-25 schedule and roster, along with the latest Panther news and information can be found online at UNIpanthers.com.
Â
