By Josh Dinkelman/UNI Athletics
CEDAR FALLS, Iowa — UNI women’s basketball welcomed the Evansville Purple Aces to town for the Panthers’ second-to-last home matchup of the 2024-25 regular season. UNI took control early and never looked back as they came out of the matchup with a 71-54 victory.
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Panther offense opened on an 8-2 run to take an early six-point lead. UNI held a 9-8 advantage down the stretch of the first quarter to head into the second frame with a 17-10 lead. Another 8-2 run for the Panthers opened the second quarter to give UNI a 13-point lead at 25-12 before an 8-2 run from Evansville cut into the UNI lead. The Panthers scored eight points the rest of the quarter to hold a 35-27 heading into the halftime break. Maya McDermott led UNI with nine points at the break. Ryley Goebel was close behind with eight.
The Panthers opened the second half with a 13-2 run to take a 19-point lead at 48-29 early in the third quarter. Evansville stuck with the Panthers down the stretch of the third quarter which saw a 13-12 advantage for UNI to head into the final frame with the Panthers on top, 61-41. The fourth quarter didn’t see much scoring with a combined 23 points and a 13-10 advantage for the Purple Aces. The Panthers took home a 71-54 victory in their second-to-last matchup at home for the 2024-25 season.
Maya McDermott and Kayba Laube led UNI with 13 points. Laube was 3-for-4 from beyond the arc. Emerson Green, Ryley Goebel, and Shateah Wetering all finished with 10 points each. Goebel finished with 15 boards for a double-double.
ADDITIONAL NOTES
- UNI improves to 15-13 on the season and 10-7 in conference play. The Panthers are now 46-19 all-time against Evansville including 21 straight victories over the Purple Aces after the 71-54 win.
- Ryley Goebel finished with the first double-double of her career with 10 points and a career-high 15 rebounds.
- Kaylynn Janes finished with a career-high tying six points.
- UNI knocked down six threes against the Purple Aces, extending a 540-game three-pointer streak.
UP NEXT
The Panthers wrap up the home portion of the 2024-25 season with a senior day matchup against Drake on March 1. Tipoff is slated for 2 p.m. CT and can be streamed on ESPN+ or listened to on the Panther Sports Radio Network.