Panthers return home for matchup against Racers

UNI (9-7 / 4-1 MVC) vs. Murray State (10-4 / 4-1 MVC)

6 p.m. CT | January 16, 2024
McLeod Center | Cedar Falls, Iowa
ESPN+
Panther Sports Radio Network

CEDAR FALLS, Iowa --- UNI women's basketball hosts Murray State on Thursday night inside the McLeod Center. This will be the seventh all-time matchup between the teams with UNI holding a perfect 6-0 record against the Racers. The last time these teams met, UNI took home an 89-87 victory in Kentucky after coming back from an 18-point deficit. At the time, the comeback was the largest of head coach Tanya Warren's career, a mark she beat in a 20-point comeback against UIC on January 4.

UNI is coming off a 67-44, bounce-back victory over Bradley. In that matchup, Maya McDermott and Kayba Laube led the Panthers with 21 points each. Laube added eight rebounds to her total. Ryley Goebel was the other lone Panther in double figures with 10 points. Goebel also led UNI with Laube with eight rebounds.

Maya McDermott finished with 21 points. It was her 15th double-figure game of the season. Kayba Laube's 21 points resulted in her sixth 20+-point performance of the season.

UNI continued an active program-record 548-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 seven threes against Bradley to continue the streak.

UNI checks in at no. 70 in the NET Rankings. The Panthers rank third in the Valley behind Belmont (59) and Murray State (66). Drake is number four at 71. This will be UNI's first Quad 3 matchup since a November 29 meeting with Kansas in the Virgin Islands at the Paradise Jam. The Panthers are 1-1 in Quad 3 matchups with a three-point loss to Kansas and a 15-point victory over Green Bay November 9.

Kayba Laube continues to eye the 1,000-point club as she sits with 939 points, just 61 short of being UNI's 31st member and fourth member in the last two seasons after Grace Boffeli, Maya McDermott, and Emerson Green joined last season. Laube currently holds UNI's second spot in three-point percentage with a career mark of 42.4% and is on pace to break the Panthers' single-season record of 52.8% set by Kris Huffman in the 1988-89 season. Laube is just six threes away (244) from being the third Panther on UNI's 250+ three-pointer list.

On Wednesday, Maya McDermott was named to the 2025 Becky Hammon Mid-Major Player of the Year Award midseason watch list, as announced by Her Hoop Stats. The team included 15 players over 10 conferences. Katie Dinnebier was the other MVC athlete to be named.

As of January 13, the Panther team leads the Valley in a number of statistical categories including three-point percentage (38.4), turnover margin (4.25), and turnovers per game (13.4). UNI also ranks second in the Valley in field goal percentage (46.1) and is third in assist/turnover ratio (1.11), blocks per game (3.4), steals per game (9.5), threes per game (8.1), and turnovers forced per game (17.69). The Panthers' 38.4% from beyond the arc is the sixth-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 (2.53), field goal attempts (263), field goals (121), free throw percentage (93.4), points (331), and points per game (20.7). McDermott's 93.4% from the free throw line is ranked 11th in the country while her 20.7 points per game is ranked 19th. McDermott is second in the conference in assists (76) while sitting third in assists per game (4.8). Kayba Laube leads the MVC from beyond the arc including three-point percentage (52), three-pointers (52), and threes per game (3.25). Laube's 52% from deep is the best mark in the country while her 3.25 threes per game is fourth and her 52 total threes are eighth. Ryley Goebel is second in Valley in steals (41), steals per game (2.56), blocks (36), and blocks per game (2.25).

The Racers are coming off a 67-60 victory over UIC. The victory was head coach Rechelle Turner's 121st career victory making her Murray State's all-time wins leader. In that matchup, The senior duo of Katelyn Young and Ava Learn led the Racers on the day with Young scoring 15 points and Learn securing a double-double with 13 points and 10 rebounds. Sophomores Halli Poock and Haven Ford put together 11 points apiece and freshman Braxcynn Baker had nine points, going three-for-six on three-point attempts. In a gritty defensive battle, the Racers forced 20 turnovers from UIC. Murray State sank 15 free throws to the Flames eight makes to prove to be the difference maker on the scoreboard.

Murray State leads the MVC in a number of statistical categories including free throws per game (16.36), rebounds per game (41), scoring margin (15.1), scoring offense (87.3), three-point attempts per game (30.2), and threes per game (10.5).

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.

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