UNI participated in the Hoops In The Heartland conference tournament this past week. The Panthers entered the tournament with a 14-6 conference record, earning themselves the No. 4 seed and a double bye in the tournament. Winning the tournament would give the Panthers their first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2017.
In their first game on Thursday, the Panthers faced the No. 5 seed Illinois State Redbirds.
The Panther offense got off to a hot start leading 20-11 at the end of the first quarter. Shateah Wetering jump started the offense scoring the first four points of the game. Kayba Laube was also a big contributor with two 3-pointers in the quarter.
The second quarter started with a 11-2 scoring run from the Panthers led by 2-point baskets from Taryn Wharthon and another 3-pointer by Laube. The Panthers went into the break up 37-26.
After the Redbirds cut the lead to nine to start the second half, Maya McDermott hit a 3-pointer to put the lead back to double digits. Later into the third quarter, Laube continued her strike from beyond the three point line, hitting two 3-pointers to extend the Panthers lead to 52-40.
The Redbirds cut the lead to six points to end the third quarter, but the Panther offense pulled away in the fourth led by Cailyn Morgan and McDermott. The Panthers advanced, beating the Redbirds by a final score of 79-75.
UNI’s next matchup took place against the No. 1 seeded Drake Bulldogs. The Panthers got off to a 9-8 lead courtesy of three straight baskets by Grace Boffeli. After a Drake scoring run, Wetering struck back with two baskets of her own. Drake led Northern Iowa 26-17 at the end of the first quarter.
The Panther offense cut the lead to three points to start the second quarter with a 3-pointer from Laube and a two pointer from McDermott. The Panthers kept pace with the Bulldogs, only trailing 43-37 at halftime.
The Bulldogs maintained the lead for most of the third quarter, but the Panther offense managed to keep the game close. Laube and Wetering both hit 3-point shots while McDermott and Taryn Warthan made two-point baskets. The Panthers only trailed 66-57 at the end of the third.
With the Panthers down eight with just under eight minutes to go in regulation, McDermott stepped up big time, scoring six straight points to cut the lead to two. A few possessions later, Laube hit a 3-point basket to give the Panthers a 70-69 lead.
Shortly after, the Bulldogs hit a 3-pointer to regain the lead at 72-71. On the Panthers following possession, McDermott took the lead right back hitting a 3-point basket to give them a 73-72 lead.
The Bulldogs fired right back, regaining the lead with a 3-pointer to make it 75-73. Eventually, Boffeli hit two clutch free throws down the stretch to tie it at 75-75 and send the game to overtime.
The Bulldogs dominated in overtime going on a 9-0 run at the start. Drake ended up defeating the Panthers by a score of 92-83.
The Panthers finish the season with a 16-15 overall record.
