University of Northern Iowa Athletics
University of Northern Iowa
12-11,7-5MVC
Illinois State
14-9,8-4MVC
Panther women’s basketball races past Illinois State, 72-52
2/9/2025 4:29:00 PM | Women's Basketball
Wharton, Jaeger and Laube shine in UNI’s 20-point home win over Redbirds. Panthers visit Belmont on Thursday night.
CEDAR FALLS, Iowa --- Senior guard Kayba Laube scored her 1,000th career point while Elise Jaeger notched the second double-double of her career on Sunday as the UNI women's basketball team outpaced the Illinois State Redbirds in a 72-52 home win in Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) action.
Northern Iowa held the Redbirds, the MVC's leader in field goal percentage to just 30.4% shooting in the game and outrebounded ISU by a 33-25 margin to complete the weekend home sweep. The victory avenges UNI's 13-point road loss to Illinois State last month in Normal.
HOW IT HAPPENED
UNI's offense started hot off the starting tip, scoring on each of its first three possessions, including a three-point basket from Emerson Green to open the game. The Panthers shot 42.9% from the floor and led for much of the opening period with Maya McDermott scoring on back-to-back jump shots, helping UNI build a 17-13 lead after one.
In the second quarter, Northern Iowa's offense continued to click as Taryn Wharton gave the Panthers a big spark off the bench, scoring ten of her 12 first half points in the second stanza both inside the paint and beyond the three-point line. Ryley Goebel helped crash the offense glass early for UNI helping UNI shoot 53.3% from the field in the second and hold the Redbirds to 39.1% shooting in the first half to take a 38-29 lead into halftime.
Illinois State would slow Northern Iowa's offense to just 26.7% shooting in the third quarter, but the Panther defense would hold firm at the three-point arc with no Redbird triples falling. Holding ISU to 30.8% shooting, Jaeger paced the Panthers with their lone three-point bucket of the period as part of a five-point period with UNI continuing to capitalize off ISU turnovers, leading 50-41 at the end of the third.
The Panthers closed out Sunday's action with a dominant fourth quarter performance, opening the final frame with an 11-1 scoring run. UNI shot 57.1% from the field to close out the game with a balanced scoring attack with Wharton tallying six points in the final ten minutes, Jaeger scoring three points and Green, Kaylee Corbin, Shateah Wetering and Bri Robinson each scoring two points, all while holding the Redbirds to 11 points on 20% shooting.
Wharton finished the game with a career-high 18 points on eight-of-12 shooting, while Jaeger notched a new high-water mark with 15 points and tied her career-best with 12 rebounds. Laube scored ten points for Northern Iowa and pulled down seven boards, as Wetering tallied seven points. Goebel finished with six points, three rebounds, three steals and three blocks, with Green posting five points. McDermott posted four points while dishing out eight assists.
ADDITIONAL NOTES
- UNI improves to 44-48 all-time against Illinois State having won eight of the last 12 matchups.
- The Panthers outscored the Redbirds 15-1 in fastbreak points, 40-12 off the bench and 15-6 off turnovers in Sunday's win.
- The Panthers have made at least one three-point field goal in 555 consecutive games, a streak dating back to December 2008 during UNI's first season under head coach Tanya Warren.
- Kayba Laube became the 31st member of UNI's 1,000 career point club on Sunday, joining Grace Boffeli, Maya McDermott and Emerson Green as the fourth active Panther to surpass the milestone.
UP NEXT
The Panthers return to action on Thursday, Feb. 13 as they visit the Belmont Bruins. Tip-off is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. CT inside the Curb Event Center in Nashville with live coverage available 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 2024-25 schedule and roster, along with the latest Panther news and information can be found online at UNIpanthers.com.
