On March 1, the women’s basketball team challenged Valparaiso on the road. After winning two straight games, the Panthers used their recent success to blow out the Vals, 76-53.

The Panthers turned a 13-2 run into a 39-19 lead in the first. Kennedy Kirkpatrick and Megan Maahs led the team in scoring. Kirkpatrick had a big night with 15 points and three assists. Maahs recorded a 13 point double-double that featured 13 rebounds. In the third quarter the Panthers were up 38 points and continued to pour it on Valparaiso. At the beginning of the fourth, UNI led by more than 30 and would cruise to the win on the road.

The UNI women’s basketball team capped off a great season with a blow out win over Loyola in Chicago on Mar. 3, after a final score of 64-39. Maahs led the way with 16 points and 10 rebounds. Maahs also added another double double to her stat sheet. This makes 12 on the season. The last UNI player to do so was Alex Cook in 2004 with 13 doubles in one season.

Maahs moved up to third on the all time women’s rebound record. Her rebound stats are an outstanding 294 offensive rebounds and 208 defensive rebounds. Maahs was just named to the all Mississippi Valley Conference (MVC) first team and all MVC defense team on March 7.

The Panthers led by a large margin in the first half, ahead 28 points. The Ramblers did not score much in the first half, only shooting 28 percent from the field. Defense was on point for the women’s team and held Loyola to 15 points in the first half of play.  The women’s team currently sits at third in the conference behind Drake and Missouri State. With the win against Loyola, they advance to 13-4 in conference play and rank third in the MVC Tournament in Moline on March 9.

The Panthers are looking to make their presence known against the sixth ranked Illinois state. They are also on a four game winning streak, winning four of their last eight.