The 2019-2020 UNI women’s basketball team was in action Sunday, Oct. 27 in the McLeod Center for an exhibition game against Upper Iowa University.

The Panther women dominated their in-state opponents, coming away with a 67-40 victory. 

“I was really pleased in the fact that we got to play everyone and we had a great contribution from the bench,” head coach Tanya Warren said.

UNI received big contributions off the bench as they had 38 bench points for the contest, outscoring Upper Iowa by 16 in that department. Northern Iowa only led by three points after the first quarter of play, but would break the game wide open in the second, outscoring the Peacocks 25-9.

UNI shot only 25 percent from the field in the first quarter, but shot 64 percent in the second. Upper Iowa was held to only 23 percent shooting overall for the game, and never had a lead throughout the game.

The Panther women didn’t look back in the second half, going on to take the victory in their first taste of game action this season.

“I liked the fact that we were able to put in different lineups and see how they had the ability to make the adjustments on the floor,” Warren said.

The Panthers had a balanced scoring attack with three players in double-figures and every player who entered the game registered at least one point. Redshirt freshman Kam Finley and graduate student Kristina Cavey led the Panthers in scoring with 11 points each, followed by Bre Gunnels with 10. Cavey led the team on the boards as well with ten rebounds, followed by senior Abby Gerrits with seven. UNI also outscored Upper Iowa 23-6 on second-chance points.

Up next, the Panther women will play host to North Dakota State University for their season opener. Tipoff is scheduled for Wednesday, Nov. 6 at 6:30 p.m.