The University of Northern Iowa traveled to Springfield, MO on Friday to take on the Bears of Missouri State.
Unfortunately, the Panthers were edged 72-70. UNI had a five-point lead late in the first half, but Missouri State was able to regain the lead heading into the locker room off a three-pointer in the closing minute.
Ellie Herzberg knocked down a pair of jumpers coming out of the gates in the second half, but the Bears ran off nine straight points to steal the lead back. Missouri State managed to push the lead up to as much as 11. UNI fired back and continuously whittled the lead down. With eight seconds left in the game, senior guard Brooke Brown nailed a trey to tie the game up at 70. However, Missouri State’s Kenzie Williams spoiled UNI’s comeback when she hit the game winner with only a second left in the game.
Brown lead the Panther attack with 20 points on 60 percent shooting. Madison Weekly chipped in 15, and Amber Sorenson added a dozen.
In yesterday’s match up, the women’s basketball team fell short in their final regular season road game at Wichita State 66-54. This was the second meeting this season between the two squads, with Wichita State smothering UNI in the McLeod Center earlier this season.
The Shockers were able to once again use their tenacious defense to shut down UNI, holding them to 36 percent shooting. WSU lead for almost the entire game, with UNI not getting many shots early on. At the break, UNI trailed by six, 29-23.
The second half seemed promising for UNI in the early stages. The Panthers started the half with a 7-0 run and took the lead thanks to a three from Madison Weekly. However, Wichita State responded with a three of their own the following possession and began to run away with the game, reclaiming and stretching their lead to as much as 14 points. The pesky Panthers , however, did not roll over. UNI went on a late 9-0 run and got within 5, but that was as close as they would get, as WSU finished strong with seven unanswered points to secure the game.
Amber Sorenson scored 11 points to lead UNI, while Brooke Brown added 10 of her own. Freshman Ellie Herzberg pulled down 10 rebounds in the losing effort. UNI is now sitting only one game above .500 (14-13 overall) and is 10-6 in the Missouri Valley Conference. The Panthers return to Cedar Falls for their final two regular season games.
On Thursday, March 5, the UNI women take on Loyola of Chicago at 7:00 p.m. They then take on the Bradley Braves from Peoria on Saturday, March 7.
They will look to close their up and down regular season on a high note before heading to the conference tournament.
