University of Northern Iowa Athletics
University of Northern Iowa
Bradley
UNI women's basketball: Panthers open the 2026 MVC Tournament against Bradley
3/12/2026 10:36:00 AM | Women's Basketball
No. 4-seed UNI takes on No. 5-seed Bradley in the MVC Tournament Quarterfinals
UNI (17-13 / 13-7 MVC) vs. Bradley (20-11 / 13-7 MVC)
- 2:30 p.m. CT | March 13, 2026
- Xtream Arena | Coralville, Iowa
- ESPN+
- Panther Sports Radio Network
CEDAR FALLS, Iowa --- The Panthers head to Coralville, Iowa, for the 2026 Missouri Valley Conference Tournament. After securing a first-round bye, the Cats will face the Bradley Braves on Friday, March 13, at 2:30 PM CT. The Panthers and the Braves split matchups this season, with the home team winning each contest. UNI won the first matchup of the season, 73-70, inside the McLeod Center. Bradley took home a 69-47 victory in Peoria. The last time the Panthers and the Braves faced off in the MVC Tournament was in 2021 in the Quarterfinals. The Braves were victorious in that contest, 62-59.
UNI wrapped up the 2025-26 regular season with a senior day victory over Drake. The Bulldogs came out hot and led for 33 minutes of the contest, but the Panthers turned on the jets and came away with a 65-58 victory in the 2025-26 regular-season finale.
In that matchup, Jenna Twedt led the contest with 20 points, including eight from the free-throw line. Both Ryley Goebel and Bri Robinson finished with 10 points to round out the Panthers' double-figure performers. Goebel led the team with eight rebounds and five blocks to go along with two steals. UNI ended the season 13-7 in MVC play for its 14th consecutive season with a winning record in conference play. The Panthers continued an active program-record 576- game three-pointer streak with eight triples against the Bulldogs. The Panthers are now 15-1 when three or more Panthers score in double figures (Twedt 20, Goebel 10, Robinson 10).
With her fifth defensive rebound of the game, Elise Jaeger passed Alex Cook's single-season defensive rebounding record from the 2002-03 season. Jaeger sits with 262 defensive rebounds this season after six against Drake.
The Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) announced the 2026 women's basketball All-Conference teams on Wednesday morning as voted on by league coaches, women's basketball contacts, and media. The six teams, comprising 31 players, include All-MVC First, Second, and Third Teams as well as All-Freshman, All-Newcomer, and All-Defensive Teams.
This season, Ryley Goebel was named the MVC Defensive Player of the Year as well as to the All-MVC First Team and All-Defensive Team. Jenna Twedt was named to the All-MVC Third Team and the All-Newcomer team. Goebel is the third player in UNI women's basketball history to earn Defensive Player of the Year honors, the last being Cassie Hager in 2005-06. She is appearing on her first All-MVC Team and her second All-Defensive Team. Goebel was named to the All-Freshman Team in 2023. Jenna Twedt was named to the All-MVC Third Team and All-Newcomer Team, UNI's first MVC All-Newcomer selection.
Ryley Goebel put together one of the best defensive seasons in UNI history in 2025-26 as she set UNI's single-game blocks record with 10 blocks in a triple-double performance at Drake. She is the only player in NCAA Division I with a points-rebounds-blocks triple-double this season and owns one of just two double-figure block performances this season. Ryley Goebel is second in the nation with a Valley-leading 2.8 blocks per game, fourth in the nation with 84 total blocks, and 14th in the nation with a 59% field goal percentage. Goebel is fourth in the MVC with 10 double-doubles and has one of 29 triple-double performances (24 players) in the NCAA Division I this season, as well as one of three in the Valley. Goebel is third in the league with 1.83 steals per game, and fifth with 242 total rebounds and 8.1 rebounds per game. Goebel has tallied six 5+-block games this season, one of just four NCAA Division I women's basketball players to do so this season.
Jenna Twedt joined the Panthers this season and made an immediate impact, leading UNI in scoring and three-pointers made. Starting all 30 games for UNI, Twedt was 12th in scoring in the MVC at 14.5 points per game and is second in the Valley with 2.67 three-pointers per game, 80 total threes and a 37.9% three-point percentage. The junior guard is one of 11 players in the MVC with seven or more 20+-point performances, and one of 11 with a 30+-point performance this season. In MVC play only, Twedt averaged 17.2 points per game and a 40.5% three-point percentage. Her scoring was seventh in the Valley in league-only contests while her three-point percentage was fourth in Valley-only games. She was one of just eight athletes with six or more 20+-point performances in conference play.
As of March 9, UNI leads the Missouri Valley Conference with 4.3 blocks per game and a 63.8 scoring defense. The Cats are second in the Valley with a 38.4 defensive field goal percentage, 28.6 defensive rebounds per game, and a 34.5% three-point percentage. The Panthers' 28.5 defensive rebounds per game are the 24th-most in the nation. Individually, Ryley Goebel is second in the nation with a Valley-leading 2.8 blocks per game, fourth in the nation with 84 total blocks, and 14th in the nation with a 59% field goal percentage. Goebel is fourth in the MVC with 10 double-doubles and has one of 29 triple-double performances (24 players) in the NCAA Division I this season, as well as one of three in the Valley. Goebel is third in the league with 1.83 steals per game, and fifth with 242 total rebounds and 8.1 rebounds per game. Elise Jaeger is fifth in the nation with a Valley-leading 9.0 defensive rebounds per game. The sophomore is second in the Valley with 9.9 rebounds per game and 287 total rebounds. Jenna Twedt is second in the Valley with 2.67 three-pointers per game, 80 total threes and a 37.9% three-point percentage.
Last season, Ryley Goebel became the first player in UNI and Missouri Valley Conference history to record 70+ blocks and 70+ steals in a single season. The forward was just one of 19 to do it in NCAA history at the time and was named to the All-MVC Defensive Team for her efforts. Goebel moved up to No. 2 on UNI's all-time blocks list during the 2024-25 season and now sits with 246 career blocks. She is currently third on UNI's career blocks per game list with 1.9 blocks per outing. Against Drake, Goebel passed Loretha Mosley (1987-91) for No. 4 on UNI's all-time steals list with three steals in the contest. She now sits with 208 career steals and is now 10 steals shy of tying Betty Davis (1979-83) for third on the list.
UNI continued an active program-record 576-game three-pointer streak that started December 6, 2008, versus Green Bay (6-of-19) following a 0-of-14 outing from behind the three-point arc December 3, 2008, against Northern Illinois. The Panthers knocked down eight triples against Drake to continue the streak.
UNI owns active streaks of 18 consecutive seasons at .500 or better in Missouri Valley Conference play, after its 2026 victory over Valparaiso, and 17 years in a row with at least a top-half finish in the league standings, after UNI's 2026 victory over UIC. These are the best active streaks among the 22 total MVC men's and women's basketball programs.
Following a recent audit of historical Missouri Valley Conference coaching records, former Southern Illinois head coach Cindy Scott's win total while a head coach in the league was discovered to be 311 (not 353 as previously recorded). As a result, Missouri State's Cheryl Burnett, previously listed second with 319 wins, had been the league record-holder for total victories while a head coach in the MVC. With her 320th victory on March 7, 2024, at Indiana State, Tanya Warren officially became the Missouri Valley Conference's all-time winningest women's basketball coach. Warren, the longest-tenured active head coach in Missouri Valley Conference women's basketball, sits alone at the top of the Missouri Valley Conference leaderboard in Valley wins with her record-breaking, 202nd conference victory coming at Murray State. The 18-season veteran on the UNI bench has been the Panthers' wins leader since a 65-64 victory on March 4, 2017, against Missouri State put her past Tony DiCecco, and she claimed her 300th win in 2023 in an 83-60 blowout on February 12 at Valparaiso.
This season, the Panthers returned six total players including four that made starts in the 2024-25 season. Ryley Goebel leads the returners in playing time with Taryn Wharton, Elise Jaeger, Bri Robinson, and Kaylynn Janes seeing 2024-25 minutes. Mya Nicholson returns as a redshirt freshman after not seeing any action last year. The six athletes combined for 306 career games played and 160 games played over the 2024-25 season, but just 63 career starts with 59 of them coming last season.
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.
