After defeating the former Missouri Valley Conference women’s basketball standings leader Belmont in Nashville on Feb. 13, the University of Northern Iowa traveled to Murray, Kentucky, to face Murray State in their second meeting this season. Looking to end their two-game road stint on a high note, the Panthers struggled to contain the Racer offense harboring three 20-point scorers on the night. Ultimately, UNI fell 91-96 in a high-scoring affair.
Senior forward Shateah Wetering scored the first points for the Panthers a minute and a half into the contest, connecting on a layup off an assist from Ryley Goebel. Her bucket would start a series of back-and-forth baskets between Northern Iowa and Murray State in the first quarter, ultimately ending with the Panthers leading the Racers 27-25 heading into the short break. Wetering would end the contest with 15 points on an efficient 5-10 from the field while contributing a block and steal on the defensive end. Similarly, Goebel shot 50% from the field on her eight shot attempts. She finished with eight points, four rebounds, and a team-high four blocks.
On the heels of their hottest start of the season, the Panthers cooled off in the second quarter, only scoring 16 points to Murray State’s 24. The Racers used UNI’s lapse in scoring to pave the way for a chunk of their three 20-point scorers’ production — Katelyn Young, Haven Ford, and Ava Learn tallied 30, 23, and 21 points respectively by the afternoon’s end. A flurry of Racer foul shots and 3-pointers offset the strong quarter UNI sharpshooter Kayba Laube had. Laube had six points in the period to help keep the Panthers afloat heading into halftime, where they trailed 43-49. She would finish with 11 points, five rebounds, and three steals and connected on 2-4 of her 3-point tries.
Exiting the locker room, Northern Iowa would need a commendable second half from their senior leader, Maya McDermott, who had gone scoreless in the second quarter after helping the Panthers build a slight lead in the first. Luckily for UNI, she did just that.
McDermott got started just over two minutes into the second half, connecting on a pair of free throws. A layup by a teammate Emerson Green cut the Racer lead to just two possessions at 51-57. Green ended with 13 points and five boards before fouling out later in the contest. Then, McDermott saw two layups go down before nailing a 3-pointer just before the third-quarter buzzer sounded. Her strong quarter allowed the Panthers to weather the Racer storm entering the final frame, trailing 67-73 with 10 minutes of action remaining.
With 8:22 left in the game, McDermott drilled a triple to give Northern Iowa their first lead since the 2:10 mark in the second quarter. However, this lead would be short-lived, as a tandem of Murray State free throws saw the Racers up 75-74 just 20 seconds later. Like in the first quarter, the two teams traded scores throughout the middle of the frame, but neither could sustain more than a one-possession lead. After a McDermott layup put the Panthers in front 91-89 with 1:30 left, Murray State closed the game on a 7-0 run, allowing the Racers to walk away victorious.
McDermott finished with 35 points in her third 30-plus point game of the season. She also finished with six rebounds and assists while cashing in on 15 of her 24 field-goal attempts.
The UNI women’s basketball team will be back in action at the McLeod Center against Missouri State at 6 p.m. on Feb. 20. The Panthers will look to take down the current MVC leaders in their second meeting of the year.
