University of Northern Iowa Athletics
University of Northern Iowa
8-7,4-1MVC
Murray State
13-2,4-0MVC
UNI women’s basketball: Panthers drop first Valley contest of the season
1/9/2026 8:22:00 PM | Women's Basketball
Murray State pulls off a 19-point comeback to hand the Panthers their first MVC loss of 2025-26, 75-71.
MURRAY, Ky. --- UNI women's basketball hit the road for the first time in 2026 to face the Murray State Racers on Friday, January 9. The Panthers hit the gas in the first half and led by as many as 19 points before Murray State stormed back in the second half and walked away with the comeback victory in Kentucky by a 75-71 final.
HOW IT HAPPENED
After Murray State scored the first bucket of the contest, the Panthers put up 10 straight to take an eight-point lead. Four different Panthers scored on the run including four points from Bri Robinson. Murray State held a 16-11 advantage the rest of the way through the first quarter, but the Panthers remained in the driver's seat with a three-point advantage at 21-18 after 10 minutes of play.
The Racers scored the first bucket of the second frame to cut the lead to one point before a 20-2 run by the Panthers blew UNI's lead out of the water. The run saw four points from freshman Lauren Walker and junior Bri Robinson as well as five from Jenna Twedt. UNI held a 19-point lead with just over three minutes to play in the first half. Four points from the Racers cut the Panther lead to 15 before a layup from Robinson with 11 seconds remaining in the frame was the final bucket of the first half with UNI on top 43-26.
Bri Robinson led the UNI offense with 14 points in the first 20 minutes to go with a team-leading eight boards. Ryley Goebel also brought in eight boards with nine points to boot.
The teams traded buckets out of halftime before a 20-4 run by the Racers all but erased the UNI lead and saw the contest at 51-50 with UNI edging out Murray State. A pair of free throws from each side were the last points of the third quarter and took the teams into the final frame with UNI on top 53-52.
Taryn Wharton opened the fourth quarter with seven of the Panthers' first eight points, but the Racers had an answer to everything as they saw their first lead since the first basket of the contest with a three-pointer early in the fourth quarter. A late seven-point run from Murray State saw three late-game trips to the line as the Cats were forced to foul to draw out the clock, but the Racers were clutch from the charity stripe and took home a 75-71 comeback victory on their home court.
Bri Robinson led the Panther offense with 19 points. She brought in 11 boards and added two assists and a steal to the Panther line. Ryley Goebel, Jenna Twedt, and Taryn Wharton all finished with double-figure point totals with 13,12, and 11 points respectively. Goebel finished with a game-high 13 rebounds while Twedt had the Panthers' lone three-pointer.
"We're continuing to get better," said head coach Tanya Warren. "We get these guys in two weeks, but we have a few games to play before we get to that. I thought our effort was good and I'm proud of our effort, but there's a lot to learn."
ADDITIONAL NOTES
- UNI dropped its first MVC contest of the season and falls to 8-7 on the season and 4-1 in Valley play. The Panthers are now 6-3 all-time against the Racers.
- Ryley Goebel recorded her sixth double-double of the season and the seventh of her career with 13 points and 13 rebounds.
- Bri Robinson recorded the first double-double of her career with 19 points and 11 rebounds. Her 11 rebounds are a career high, and she tied a career high with 19 points.
- The Panthers continued an active program-record 561-game three-pointer streak with one triple against the Racers.
UP NEXT
The Panthers stay in the Southeast and take on Belmont inside the Curb Event Center on Sunday, January 11. UNI and Belmont face off for the first time this season with a scheduled tipoff time at 2 p.m. CT with streaming available on ESPN+. Fans can listen along with the action with Chris Kleinhans-Schulz 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 2025-26 schedule and roster, along with the latest Panther news and information can be found online at UNIpanthers.com.
