University of Northern Iowa Athletics
University of Northern Iowa
3-4,1-0MVC
Illinois State
4-5,0-1MVC
UNI women’s basketball: Panthers open MVC play with a win over Illinois State
12/3/2025 8:24:00 PM | Women's Basketball
UNI Panther women’s hoops start conference play with a 68-54 victory over Illinois State.
CEDAR FALLS, Iowa --- UNI women's basketball hosted Illinois State in its first MVC contest of the season. The Panthers came out firing on all cylinders and never looked back as the Cats held the lead for the entire matchup and took home a 68-54, conference-opener victory.
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Panthers came out of the gate hot with the first 11 points of the contest to jump ahead early and force an Illinois State timeout. The Redbirds knocked down the first shot out of the break, but UNI held a 10-7 advantage after the media timeout and took a 21-7 lead into the second quarter. Illinois State edged out the Panthers in the second frame with an 18-16 advantage in the 10 minutes, but the Cats still held a 12-point lead after the first half. The second quarter saw Illinois State get as close as eight points, but the Panthers responded to every basket down the stretch, including a buzzer-beating three-pointer from Bri Robinson to close the first 20 minutes of action.
Robinson had nine points at the break to go alone with her three assists and one steal. Goebel led the Panther rebounding effort with six boards.
Out of the break, the Panthers opened on a 9-1 run to take a 20-point lead over the Redbirds. Illinois State cut the lead to 15 with a five-point run and eventually to 12 at the end of the third quarter which saw UNI hold a 50-38 advantage heading into the final frame. The Panthers edged out the Redbirds in the final 10 minutes with an 18-16 lift including five free throws from Bri Robinson down the stretch. UNI took home the 68-54 victory after 40 minutes of play.
Jenna Twedt led the Panther offense with 16 points on four three-pointers. Bri Robinson, Ryley Goebel, and Taryn Wharton also finished in double digits with 15, 13, and 10 points respectively. Goebel finished with a game-high 13 boards while Elise Jaeger continued her dominant rebounding season with 10. Goebel stuffed the stat sheet and added seven steals and two blocks.
ADDITIONAL NOTES
- UNI improves to 3-4 on the season and starts league play 1-0 for the second consecutive season after the victory over Illinois State.
- UNI continued an active program-record 553-game three-pointer streak with nine triples against Illinois State.
- Ryley Goebel posted her second double-double of the season and her third career with 13 points and 13 rebounds. She tied her career high with seven steals.
UP NEXT
The Panthers head to Ohio to take on the Toledo Rockets on Saturday, December 6 inside Savage Arena. Tipoff is slated for 1 p.m. CT and will be available on ESPN+ or 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.
