University of Northern Iowa Athletics
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UNI women’s basketball: Panthers close 2025 with a thriller at UIC
12/31/2025 2:16:00 PM | Women's Basketball
UNI Panther women’s basketball edges out the Flames in a 75-74 battle.
CHICAGO --- UNI women's basketball rounded out 2025 with the last matchup of a four-game road stand at UIC on Wednesday, December 31. The New Year's Eve matchup proved to be a thriller to end the year with back-and-forth action all the way to the final buzzer. The Panthers and the Flames traded blows over the stretch of the fourth quarter, but a clutch basket from the Panthers, followed by lock-down defense, gave UNI the edge in the contest by a 75-71 final.
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Flames jumped out to a 10-4 lead early in the first quarter after back-to-back three-pointers and a layup gave them the advantage. The Panther offense battled back with a 10-2 run to take a 14-12 lead before a pair of UIC buckets swung the momentum once again. The Panthers recorded the final eight points of the frame to hold a 22-16 lead after the first 10 minutes of play. Bri Robinson converted on three free throws and scored a basket on a layup which were the final five points of the quarter.
UNI opened the second quarter with a 6-2 run to take a 28-18 lead before the Flames mounted a 12-point run which extended into an 18-2 run over the rest of the frame to give UIC a six-point lead at the break. The Flames won the second quarter 20-8 to hold a 36-30 lead at halftime. At the break, Ryley Goebel led the Panthers with eight points and two steals. Bri Robinson scored seven points while Jenna Twedt had six points and three assists at the break. Elise Jaeger brought in six boards in the first half.
UNI scored the first two buckets out of the break to cut the UIC lead to one possession and continued to go back and forth with the Flames into the third-quarter media timeout. The Flames held a two-point advantage at the TV timeout which saw a 44-42 score. The Panthers edged out the Flames over the back half of the third quarter with a 12-8 advantage to hold a two-point lead heading into the final frame of action. The Cats finished the quarter on a six-point run with baskets from Taryn Wharton, Ryley Goebel, and Elise Jaeger.
The fourth quarter was one for the books. It saw each team score at over 50% from the floor as well as four lead changes over the final two minutes. Ryley Goebel scored seven straight points for the Panthers which, combined with a clutch three-pointer from Jenna Twedt, set the Panthers up with a two-point lead with 30 seconds to play. An and-one layup from UIC gave the Flames a one-point lead and forced a bucket from the Panthers. With eight seconds remaining, Bri Robinson battled through contact and laid in what would be the game-winning layup through contact which gave the Cats a one-point advantage. Taryn Wharton came in clutch on the defensive side of the ball and locked down the UIC ball handler to solidify the Panther victory.
Ryley Goebel led Panther scoring with 23 points. She was one rebound shy of another double-double on the season with nine boards and added four blocks and two steals. Jenna Twedt and Bri Robinson each finished with 15 points while Taryn Wharton tallied 12 points to round out double-digit scoring for UNI. Elise Jaeger finished with a UNI-high seven assists while Bri Robinson dished out six.
"What a battle," said head coach Tanya Warren. "You know, I am really proud of this team. I thought we did a terrific job in the first quarter, and then we hit a lull in the second quarter and started the third quarter pretty well, got ourselves into a rhythm, and then it was a little bit of a dog fight from there. And what I really liked about this team is that we didn't duck our heads when things weren't going well, when they were scoring, and we came up with a way to get a big stop and some pretty good offensive execution down the stretch."
ADDITIONAL NOTES
- UNI improves to 7-6 on the season and remains perfect at 3-0 in Valley play. UNI is now 17-6 against the Flames all-time.
- The Panthers continued an active program-record 559-game three-pointer streak with three triples against the Flames.
- Ryley Goebel recorded a career-high 23 points and 11 field goals against the Flames.
- Elise Jaeger dished out a career-high seven assists.
UP NEXT
The Panthers return to the McLeod Center on Sunday, January 4 to take on the Southern Illinois Salukis. The Panthers and SIU tipoff at 2 p.m. CT and will be streamed on ESPN+ and 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.
