University of Northern Iowa Athletics
University of Northern Iowa
Indiana State
Panthers open conference play at Indiana State
12/28/2024 7:14:00 PM | Women's Basketball
UNI women’s basketball heads to Terre Haute to take on the Sycamores to open MVC play.
UNI (5-6 / 0-0 MVC) at Indiana State (2-9 / 0-0 MVC)
- 1 p.m. CT | December 29, 2024
- Hulman Center | Terre Haute, Indiana
- ESPN+
- Panther Sports Radio Network
CEDAR FALLS, Iowa --- UNI women's basketball hits the road for its first conference test of the 2024-25 season on December 29 as the Panthers take on the Indiana State Sycamores. This will be the 87th all-time meeting between the two programs with an even 43-43 record in the series.
UNI is coming off an 86-92 loss to No. 22 Iowa on December 20. In that matchup, Maya McDermott led UNI with 30 points. She added four rebounds and four assists to her totals. Kayba Laube finished with 20 points while Ryley Goebel and Shateah Wetering finished with 11 points each.
Kayba Laube broke into the Panthers' top-three in three-pointers made with a three in the third quarter. She passed Amber Sorenson's (2011-2016) 230 threes mark. Maya McDermott continued her streak of double-digit scoring matchups with 30 points against Iowa. McDermott has recorded double-figure points in all 11 matchups this season. This was the second time of the season she scored 30+ with 30 points and the seventh time she scored 20+.
UNI continued an active program-record 543-game three-pointer streak that started December 6, 2008, versus Green Bay (6-of-19) following an 0-of-14 outing from behind the three-point arc December 3, 2008, against Northern Illinois. The Panthers knocked down nine threes against Iowa to continue the streak.
UNI checks in at no. 69 in the NET Rankings. The Panthers' rank is third in the Valley behind Belmont (47) and Murray State (53). Drake is number four at 89. Indiana State checks in at no. 268. This will be UNI's third Quad 4 matchup including victories over Pitt and South Dakota this season.Â
Kayba Laube is eyeing the 1,000-point club as she sits with 871 points, just 129 short of being UNI's 31st member and fourth member in the last two seasons after Grace Boffeli, Mama McDermott, and Emerson Green joined last season.
As of December 26, the Panther team currently leads the Valley in a number of statistical categories including turnover margin (3.45) and turnovers per game (13.6). UNI also ranks second in the Valley in blocks per game (3.9), field goal percentage (46.3), and three-point percentage (39.2). The Panthers' 39.2% from beyond the arc is the ninth-best mark in the nation. Individually, multiple Panther athletes are among the tops in the Valley. Maya McDermott leads the MVC in assist/turnover ratio (2.52), field goal attempts (192), field goals (92), points (249), and points per game (22.6). McDermott's 22.6 points per game is ranked fifth in the nation. McDermott is second in the conference in assists (53) and free-throw percentage (92.3) while sitting third in assists per game (4.8), three-point percentage (43.3), threes (29), and threes per game (2.64). McDermott's 92.3% from the free-throw line is the 11th-best mark in the nation. Kayba Laube leads the MVC from beyond the arc including three-point percentage (53.9), three-pointers (41), and threes per game (3.73). Laube's 53.9% from deep is the best mark in the country while her 3.73 threes per game is second and her 41 total threes are eighth. Ryley Goebel leads the Valley in steals (30) and steals per game (2.73) and is second in the conference in blocks (28) and blocks per game (2.55). Goebel is 11th in the nation with 2.55 blocks per game and 14th in the nation with 28 blocks.
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.
