University of Northern Iowa
6-6,1-0MVC
Indiana State
2-10,0-1MVC
Panthers open conference play with a road victory
12/29/2024 3:12:00 PM | Women's Basketball
UNI women’s basketball closed 2024 and opened conference play with a 75-65 victory at Indiana State
TERRE HAUTE, Indiana — UNI women's basketball traveled to Terre Haute, Indiana on December 29 to take on the Sycamores in the Panthers' conference opener. The Sycamores and Panthers battled all the way to the final whistle. UNI came out on top in the 75-65 contest on the road in Indiana.
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Panthers and the Sycamores opened the game with back-and-forth basketball which saw a score of 10-9 in favor of Indiana State at the first-quarter media timeout. The Sycamores ended the first quarter on a 7-4 run to take a 17-13 lead after one. UNI finished the first quarter shooting just 28.6% (4-for-14) from the floor in the frame and 0-for-2 from beyond the arc.
The Panthers opened the second quarter on a 10-point run which included five different scorers for UNI. Indiana State knocked down its first field goal of the second quarter before a six-point run from UNI gave the Cats an eight-point lead at 31-23. The Sycamores finished the second quarter on a 4-0 run to cut their deficit to three heading into the halftime break. UNI shot 42.9% (6-for-14) from the floor in the second quarter, but continued to struggle from deep, shooting only 16.7% (1-for-8) from beyond the arc.
A six-point run from UNI opened the third quarter which included back-to-back buckets from Ryley Goebel. A pair of Sycamore baskets were followed by a 7-3 run from the Cats to give UNI a 44-36 lead heading into the first media timeout of the third quarter after Kayba Laube's second triple of the game. Out of the media timeout, the Sycamores went on an 8-5 run to cut UNI's lead to five points at 49-44 heading into the final frame.
An offensive-focused fourth quarter saw the Panthers record 26 points in the final frame to the Sycamores' 21 to give UNI a 75-65 victory over Indiana State. The period saw UNI go a perfect 3-for-3 from beyond the arc which included triples from Taryn Wharton, Kayba Laube, and Shateah Wetering. Wetering finished with eight points in the fourth quarter while Laube finished with seven. Laube led UNI with 20 points on 6-for-11 shooting from the field and 3-for-6 from deep. She added five rebounds to her total. Maya McDermott and Shateah Wetering were the other Panthers in double figures with 17 and 13 points respectively. McDermott added seven assists while Wetering finished with 10 rebounds.
ADDITIONAL NOTES
- UNI improves to 6-6 on the season and takes a 44-43 lead in the all-time series with the 75-65 victory over Indiana State.
- Maya McDermott continued her streak of double-digit scoring matchups with 17 points against Indiana State. McDermott has recorded double-figure points in all 12 matchups this season.
- Shateah Wetering's 10 rebounds is a career-high and, combined with her 13 points, is her first career double-double. Wetering is the third Panther this season with a double-double on a list that includes Grace Boffeli and Elise Jaeger.
- UNI continued an active program-record 544-game three-pointer streak that started December 6, 2008, versus Green Bay (6-of-19) following a 0-of-14 outing from behind the three-point arc December 3, 2008, against Northern Illinois. The Panthers knocked down five threes against Indiana State to continue the streak.
- Kayba Laube continues to eye the 1,000-point club as she sits with 891 points, just 109 short (after her 20 points against Indiana State) 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. This is Laube's fifth 20+-point game of the season.
UP NEXT
The Panthers open the New Year inside the McLeod Center on January 2 when they host the Beacons of Valparaiso. Tipoff is scheduled for 6 p.m. CT and can be streamed on ESPN+ or listened to on the Panther Sports Radio Network.
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.
