University of Northern Iowa Athletics
University of Northern Iowa
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UNI women’s basketball: Panthers rain threes in Vegas and tab second straight victory
11/26/2025 7:30:00 PM | Women's Basketball
The UNI women’s basketball team got hot from deep and took home a 79-60 victory over NAU.
LAS VEGAS --- UNI women's basketball opened play in Las Vegas at the UNLV Thanksgiving Tournament on Wednesday, November 26 against the Northern Arizona Lumberjacks. The Panther offense came alive and knocked down a season-high 13 three-pointers to take home UNI's second-consecutive victory, 79-60.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Northern Arizona opened scoring with three quick points before Ryley Goebel took over on offense with six straight points on her own to take an early 6-3 lead. The Panthers and the Lumberjacks battled even the rest of the way through the first quarter as the Cats held a 14-11 lead after the first ten minutes of play.
Jenna Twedt buried three threes to open the second quarter which was followed by a layup from Bri Robinson to extend UNI's lead to 12 points at 27-15 early in the second quarter, forcing a Lumberjack timeout. Out of the break, Nau held a 10-9 edge on the Panthers to cut into the UNI lead as the Panthers went into the break with an eight-point advantage at 36-28. Ryley Goebel shot 5-for-6 from the floor for 12 points in the first half. Elise Jaeger pulled down 11 boards in the first 20 minutes.
The Panthers were automatic from deep in the third quarter with just two of their eight field goals coming from inside the three-point line. The UNI offense came to life and notched 24 points, the most it has scored in a quarter all season. Jenna Twedt opened the quarter with a pair of free throws before back-to-back layups from Goebel and Taryn Wharton gave the Panthers a 12-point lead at 42-30. The next six buckets came from beyond the arc with two falling off the hand of Jenna Twedt, one from Wharton, and the final three of the quarter from Elise Jaeger. The Panthers outscored the Lumberjacks 24-17 in the frame and led 60-45 heading into the final 10 minutes.
UNI opened the final quarter of action with 15 straight points to take a 30-point lead. Including the final six points of the third quarter, the UNI offense benefited from 21 unanswered points to put the game virtually out of NAU's reach. The stretch saw a pair of three-pointers from Kaylynn Janes. The Lumberjacks outscored the Panthers 15-4 over the last five minutes, but their fate was sealed as the Cats notched their second victory of the year with a 79-60 final score.
Jenna Twedt led the Panther offense with 20 points including a game-high five three-pointers. She added a pair of steals to her line. Ryley Goebel, Elise Jaeger, and Kaylynn Janes all crossed the double-digit threshold with 16, 13, and 11 points respectively. Goebel and Jaeger finished with double doubles as Jaeger brought in 16 boards and Goebel finished with 11. Both had three blocks in the matchup. Taryn Wharton dished out seven assists and tabbed three steals.
ADDITIONAL NOTES
- UNI improves to 2-3 on the season and 3-1 all-time against NAU with the 79-60 victory. Tanya Warren grabbed her first career win over the Lumberjacks.
- UNI continued an active program-record 551-game three-pointer streak with 13 triples against Northern Arizona, the most the Panthers have made all season and UNI's first double digit three-pointer performance since last season against Southern Illinois. The Panthers' 13 threes are the most since they drained 16 against Pittsburgh in last season's Paradise Jam tournament.
- Jenna Twedt's five threes are a single-game career high. She also finished with a career-high 20 points, five free throws, and two steals.
- Elise Jaeger finished with a career-high 16 rebounds. Paired with her 13 points, it was her first double-double since a 12-point, 15-rebound performance last season against Illinois State. She tied career highs with five field goals, three three-pointers, and three blocks.
- Ryley Goebel's last double-double came in a 10-point, 15-rebound performance against Evansville last season.
- This is UNI's first game with a pair of athletes with point and rebound double-doubles since February 16, 2018 when Rose Simon-Ressler had 16 points and 10 rebounds and Megan Maahs had 16 and 16 in a contest against Drake.
- Mya Nicholson recorded her first collegiate steals as a Panther with two against Northern Arizona.
- Kaylynn Janes finished with career highs with 11 points, four field goals, and three three-pointers.
- Taryn Wharton's seven assists are a career high.
- Bri Robinson's five assists are a career high.
- Maren Schmotzer recorded her first collegiate assist.
- Lauren Walker tabbed her first two collegiate free throws and her first steal.
UP NEXT
The Panthers wrap up their time in Las Vegas on Friday, November 28 for a matchup with host school UNLV. The Panthers and the Rebels tip off at 4:30 p.m. CT. The matchup will be broadcast on the Mountain West Network and 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 2025-26 schedule and roster, along with the latest Panther news and information can be found online at UNIpanthers.com.
