The UNI Panthers women’s basketball team fell short against the South Dakota State University Jackrabbits after a disappointing fourth quarter. Despite a strong showing in the first half and much of the third quarter, the Panthers were not able to keep up the barrage and ended up on the losing side of a 80-69 game.

The Panthers defense was the focal point of the game plan in the first quarter of the game. They used this to their advantage by converting on offense and locking their opponents down on the defensive end. They managed to get their largest lead of the game with seven points before the Jackrabbits would respond with a run of their own, making the score 17-15 with the Panthers on top entering the second quarter. 

The two teams volleyed for much of the second quarter, trading buckets throughout. Although it looked like the Jackrabbits were going to have a decent lead on the Panthers entering the second half, Maya McDermott and Cynthia Wolf both hit shots from behind the arc to cut the Jackrabbits lead to one point going into the final half. 

The Panthers looked strong throughout the third quarter. Kam Finley would get things going by hitting a three-pointer off of a turnover early in the quarter. The Panthers once again obtained a seven point lead over their opponent with four minutes left in the third. SDSU fought back, however, and managed to tie the game up going into the fourth and final quarter of play. 

UNI started the fourth quarter out by scoring thanks to some early buckets by Grace Boffeli and a three-pointer by Emerson Green. The Panthers kept it a highly contested game for the early parts of the fourth quarter with the two teams going back and forth. However, the Panthers were no match for a late-game onslaught by the Jackrabbits. SDSU finished the game by scoring 18 points to the Panthers seven, handing UNI an 80-69 loss. 

Despite the loss, many Panthers shined on the road. Green led the Panthers in scoring with 17 points with Boffeli and McDermott following with 15 and 14, respectively. The team shined on defense, collectively recording six steals and six blocks. The team also performed well from behind the arc, recording a total of 10 three-pointers. 

The Panthers will try to return to their winning ways when they return home on Tuesday to face the North Dakota State University Bison at 5 p.m. in the McLeod Center. The Bison are currently 6-2 after losing their last two games.