University of Northern Iowa Athletics
University of Northern Iowa
10-11,5-5MVC
Drake
13-8,7-3MVC
Panthers edged out in in-state rivalry at Drake
2/1/2025 4:06:00 PM | Women's Basketball
UNI women’s basketball fell just short at Drake, 69-63
DES MOINES, Iowa — UNI women's basketball traveled to Des Moines, Iowa on Saturday to take on the Drake Bulldogs in the Panthers' longest rivalry. The 101st meeting opened with Drake taking a quick lead which the Panthers overcame, battling back to tie the matchup, but were unable to stave off a late run by the Bulldogs who came away with a 69-63 victory inside the Knapp Center.
HOW IT HAPPENED
The matchup opened with four three-pointers, two from the Panthers and two from the Bulldogs, for a 6-6 tie early in the opening frame. Drake mounted an 11-point run, including its second triple, to take a 14-6 lead, forcing a UNI timeout. Out of the break, the Panthers recorded back-to-back buckets to cut the Bulldog lead to four. Back-and-forth buckets down the back half of the quarter saw Drake hold a seven-point lead at 21-14 heading into the second quarter.
Maya McDermott opened the second quarter with eight points which were followed by a pair of threes from Emerson Green and Kayba Laube. Drake continued to answer the Panther momentum with baskets from deep and held a six-point lead at 34-28 heading into the second-quarter media timeout. Out of that break, each team put up five points for UNI to remain in a six-point hole at 39-33 in favor of Drake. The teams were a combined 45% (13-for-29) from beyond the arc including a 46.7% (7-for-15) clip from the Panthers. McDermott led UNI at the half with 11 points.
A seven-point run from the Bulldogs opened the third quarter before UNI answered with a nine-point run, including seven points from Taryn Wharton. A Drake three and a free throw from Ryley Goebel closed out the third quarter with each team scoring 10 points in the frame. Drake held a six-point lead at 49-43 heading into the final 10 minutes of play.
Maya McDermott opened the fourth quarter with back-to-back threes to tie the matchup at 49 before a 10-2 Drake run pushed the Bulldogs ahead by eight at 59-51. The Panthers continued to claw their way back, including eight more points from McDermott, but were edged out after an and-one layup from Drake's Katie Dinnebier sealed the Panthers' fate. McDermott was the lone Panther in double figures with 27 points. She added three rebounds and four assists. Ryley Goebel led the UNI rebounding effort with seven boards.
ADDITIONAL NOTES
- UNI falls to 10-11 on the season and 5-5 at the midway point of the conference slate with the loss to Drake.
- UNI continued an active program-record 553-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 12 threes against Drake to continue the streak.
- With her second assist of the game, Maya McDermott became UNI's fourth leading assist-getter, passing Loretha Mosley (1987-91) with 425. McDermott finished with four assists and sits with 428 career assists. McDermott also finished with 27 points, her 19th double-figure matchup of the season. McDermott's 27 points saw seven threes go down, a career-high for the senior guard.
UP NEXT
The Panthers return to the McLeod Center on Friday, February 7 for a rematch with the Bradley Braves. Tipoff is scheduled for 6 p.m. CT in Cedar Falls with the matchup available for streaming on ESPN+ or on the radio 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.
