University of Northern Iowa Athletics
University of Northern Iowa
10-10,6-4MVC
Illinois State
12-9,6-4MVC
UNI women’s basketball: Redbirds outlast Panthers in MVC-opener rematch
1/29/2026 8:21:00 PM | Women's Basketball
UNI women’s basketball battled until the final buzzer, but fell 59-55 to Illinois State.
NORMAL, Illinois --- UNI women's basketball traveled to Normal, Illinois, to take on the Illinois State Redbirds on Thursday, January 29. A low-scoring first half gave way to a high-scoring third quarter in a tight battle between two Valley powerhouses. The teams were tied with just over 39 minutes played in the 40-minute matchup before Illinois State scored the difference-maker with 20 seconds remaining. The Panthers were unable to score on their subsequent possession and were forced to send Illinois State to the line, where the Redbirds took a four-point lead with one second to play. UNI was unable to overcome the deficit and dropped their second-straight MVC contest, 59-55.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Kaylynn Janes knocked in a pair of three-pointers in the first 10 minutes of action, which accounted for six of UNI's eight points in the frame. Jenna Twedt was the other point scorer in the quarter. Illinois State scored eight in the first as the teams headed into the second quarter, all knotted at eight.
A 6-2 run from the Redbirds forced an early timeout from the Cats as Illinois State took a 14-10 lead. The Panthers tied it up out of the break, but the Redbirds drained a pair of triples while the Panthers scored five points to give Illinois State a one-point edge after 20 minutes of play.
Kaylynn Janes led the Panthers at halftime with six points. Elise Jaeger brought in six rebounds in the first half while Maren Schmotzer blocked three shots.
Scoring ramped up out of the break as both teams scored more points in the third quarter than each did in the first half as UNI edged out the Redbirds 22-21 in the frame. The Cats fought off a late 6-0 run from Illinois State with an 8-2 run to quarter, including a three-quarter-court, buzzer-beating three-pointer from Abby Tuttle tied the contest at 41 heading into the final 10 minutes of play.
Jenna Twedt took over the game and scored nine points for the Panthers, including a 7-0 run by herself, in the first five minutes of the final frame. Twedt went on to score 12 of UNI's 14 points in the frame, but the Panthers ran out of time in the end and lost to Illinois State, 59-55.
Jenna Twedt led the Panthers with 19 points including nine from beyond the arc and a perfect 4-for-4 from the free-throw line. Ryley Goebel finished with nine rebounds while Elise Jaeger brought in seven. Freshman Maren Schmotzer blocked three shots.
"I thought we competed today," said head coach Tanya Warren. "I thought we competed from start to finish. It was a typical UNI versus Illinois State matchup. It went down to the wire, and you know a couple key possessions in the fourth quarter where we turned it over and didn't get a shot come back to haunt you, but I like how we competed today!"
ADDITIONAL NOTES
- UNI drops to 10-10 on the season and 6-4 in conference play with the loss at Illinois State. UNI is now 45-50 all-time against the Redbirds.
- The Panthers continued an active program-record 566-game three-pointer streak with seven triples against the Redbirds.
- Kaylynn Janes finished with a career-high four steals.
UP NEXT
The Panthers will add another game to its longest played rivalry on Sunday, February 1 in Des Moines, Iowa. The Panthers take on the Drake Bulldogs for the 103rd time in program history with a 2 p.m. CT tip time inside the Knapp Center. The matchup will be 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 2025-26 schedule and roster, along with the latest Panther news and information can be found online at UNIpanthers.com.
