University of Northern Iowa Athletics
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UNI women’s basketball: Panthers defeat Flames on Jacqui Kalin jersey retirement day
2/28/2026 4:21:00 PM | Women's Basketball
UNI scored first and never gave up the lead in an 82-68 victory over UIC.
CEDAR FALLS, Iowa --- UNI women's basketball hosted the UIC Flames on a day celebrating the jersey retirement of Jacqui Kalin. UNI scored first and never lost the lead as Taryn Wharton scored a career-high 22 points to lift UNI over UIC, 82-68, in a matchup with postseason implications.
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Panther offense came out of the gate hot with a 15-2 run to open up the contest, including five points from Ryley Goebel and a pair of three-pointers. UIC responded with back-to-back threes late in the first quarter before layups from Elise Jaeger and Ryley Goebel closed the quarter scoring. The Cats held a nine-point advantage at 22-13 after 10 minutes of action.
A 7-3 run from UNI opened the second quarter before a six-point run from UIC cut the Panther lead to seven points early in the second frame. Three three-pointers and four points from Taryn Wharton separated the Panthers from the Flames. UIC hit four free throws at the end of the half to cut into a double-digit lead by UNI as the Cats held a 12-point advantage at 42-30 heading into the locker room.
At the break, Elise Jaeger led Uni with 11 points, five rebounds, and four assists. Ryley Goebel had nine points over the first 20 minutes, while Jenna Twedt and Taryn Wharton had eight.
Out of halftime, UNI answered UIC's comeback run of six points with an eight -point run to remain ahead by double-digits. The Cats led by 12 at the midway point of the third quarter. Each team scored 10 points down the back half of the third frame as the quarter ended with UNI still holding a 12-point lead at 62-50.
The Panthers edged out the Flames in the final frame with a 20-18, quarter victory. Wharton scored nine of her 22 points in the final 10 minutes of action as the Panthers staved off any chance for a UIC comeback.
Taryn Wharton led the Panther offense with 22 points. Three other Panthers finished in double-figures, including Ryley Goebel (15), Elise Jaeger (15), and Jenna Twedt (11). Wharton was 8-for-14 from the floor and 5-for-5 from the free throw line and added three assists and three steals. Elise Jaeger finished with 11 rebounds and seven assists, while Goebel blocked three shots.
"I thought Maren came in and gave us valuable minutes," said head coach Tanya Warren. "We had to go small a little bit, and then we had to play a little zone, and try to get ourselves to where we could get one of the two [Goebel and Jaeger] back in. I thought Maren did a terrific job, I thought Lauren did a terrific job of battling, and I thought we got really good minutes off our bench today!"
ADDITIONAL NOTES
- UNI improves to 15-13 and 11-7 in Valley play this season with the victory over UIC. The Panthers are now 18-6 all-time against the Flames.
- UNI secured its 20th consecutive season at or above .500 inside the McLeod Center with the victory. The Panthers are now 192-84 all-time inside the McLeod Center.
- The Panthers continued an active program-record 574-game three-pointer streak with eight triples against the Flames.
- The Cats are now 13-1 on the season when three or more athletes score in double-figures (Wharton 22, Goebel 15, Jaeger 15, and Twedt 11).
- With two three-pointers against the Flames, Jenna Twedt broke into UNI's single-season top 10 in three-pointers made. She passed Molly Kelly (1989-90) for no. 10 on the list and is now tied for ninth with 74 three-pointers this season. She is tied for ninth on the list with current assistant coach Katelin (Oney) Vandevender, who had 74 three-pointers in the 2011-12 season.
- Elise Jaeger finished with her sixth double-double of the season with 15 points and 11 rebounds. Jaeger moved up to second on UNI's single-season defensive rebounding list, as she passed Megan Maahs who had 229 in the 2017-18 season. Jaeger has recorded 250 defensive rebounds this season and is just 10 defensive boards shy of UNI's single-season record held by Alex Cook with 260 in 2022-03.
- Elise Jaeger tied career highs with six field goals, three three-pointers, and seven assists.
- Taryn Wharton scored a career-high 22 points and tied career highs with eight field goals, five free throws, and three steals.
- Maren Schmotzer brought in a career-high seven rebounds and tied career highs with five points, one field goal, and three free throws.
UP NEXT
The Panthers head to Indiana State for their final road contest of the regular season on March 5. Tipoff in Terre Haute, Indiana, is scheduled for 6 p.m. CT and 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.
