University of Northern Iowa
17-15,11-9MVC
Indiana State
4-28,2-18MVC
Panthers take down the Sycamores in round one of the MVC Tournament
3/13/2025 10:59:00 PM | Women's Basketball
UNI women’s basketball advances to the quarterfinals after an 87-73 victory over Indiana State.
EVANSVILLE, Ind. --- UNI women's basketball opened the 2025 MVC Tournament with a matchup against the Indiana State Sycamores. The Panthers took control early and didn't look back with an 87-73 victory over the Sycamores. UNI advances to the quarterfinals to take on the Belmont Bruins on Friday, March 14.
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Panthers and the Sycamores battled even through the first 7:15 of the matchup with a 17-17 score with 2:45 left in the first frame. The Panthers were the only team to score the rest of the first quarter which saw Shateah Wetering and Emerson Green hit buckets and Kayba Laube come through with a pair of free throws. UNI held a 23-17 lead after the first 10 minutes of play. Wetering led the Panther scoring effort with seven points in the first quarter.
UNI opened the second quarter with a nine-point run, holding Indiana State scoreless for the first four minutes of the frame to take a 32-17 lead. The Panthers ended the quarter on a 6-2 run to hold a 40-28 lead heading into halftime. The first half saw a balanced scoring effort from the Cats with Emerson Green leading the way with eight points and Shateah Wetering and Kayba Laube recording seven.
Potent offenses from each team came out of halftime firing. Each team shot 50% from the floor over the third quarter with a 26-24 advantage in favor of UNI. UNI's 8-for-16 from the floor saw eight points from Wetering including four from the free throw line. The Panthers held a 66-52 lead heading into the final frame.
The fourth quarter saw an even 21-21 score to lift UNI over Indiana State by a final score of 87-73. Laube finished with seven points in the final 10 minutes while Taryn Wharton scored six to close the matchup.
Five Panthers finished in double figures with Laube leading the way with 19 and eight boards. Shateah Wetering added 18 points, seven boards, and three steals to her total while Emerson Green, Taryn Wharton, and Maya McDermott finished with 14, 13, and 10 points respectively. Ryley Goebel finished with a game-high three blocks and two steals.
ADDITIONAL NOTES
- UNI guaranteed its 16th-straight season at .500 or better with an 87-73 victory over Indiana State. The Panthers are now 17-15 on the season.
- Maya McDermott became the second Panther in UNI history to eclipse 1,900 career points. The senior guard finished with 10 points.
- Ryley Goebel continued her dominant defensive season with three blocks and two steals against the Sycamores. With the two steals, Goebel became the first Panther in UNI history to record 150+ career blocks AND steals.
- Shateah Wetering set a career-high with eight free throws against Indiana State.
UP NEXT
The Panthers advance to the quarterfinals and will take on the Belmont Bruins on Friday, March 14. Tipoff is slated for 8:30 p.m. CT inside the Ford Center with streaming 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 2024-25 schedule and roster, along with the latest Panther news and information can be found online at UNIpanthers.com.
