The women’s basketball team managed to finish off their regular season by winning both of their final two games and clinched second place in the Missouri Valley Conference (MVC). This is the ninth straight year UNI has finished in the top half of the MVC and it is also the first time the Panthers have finished with 20 or more wins in back to back seasons with a record of 22-7.

The first game of the week was against Wichita State University (WSU) on Thursday. It proved to be a one-sided affair as UNI rolled to a 62-37 win. The first half saw UNI take a 26-15 lead, thanks mostly to a stout defensive effort. UNI allowed the Shockers to only score five field goals in the half.

A third of the points in the first half for WSU came from the free throw line. UNI’s defense continued to stymie WSU in the second half as they only managed nine makes. This is UNI’s only game of the season where the opposing team was unable to score from three-point territory.

Senior Madison Weekly and freshman Megan Maahs were the statistical leaders for the Panthers. Weekly had game highs for points, 14 and assists, 4. Maahs chipped 12 points herself and was one of three Panthers to reach a game high seven rebound.

Junior Kennedy Kirkpatrick was also notable as she was a perfect 3-3 on the floor and a perfect 6-6 from the charity stripe on her way to 14 points off the bench. She hasn’t missed a free throw since Feb. 10, giving her 17-straight makes.

The Saturday night game proved a much tougher match as UNI limped to a 65-64 win. It was a close game throughout with multiple ties and lead changes. The first half ended up being tied at 26 all. The third quarter saw UNI squeak ahead by two points, 43-41.

The fourth quarter was the highest scoring one and finished off what had been an even affair throughout. Down six with 40 seconds left, MSU scored eight points on three shots. Thanks to Maahs and sophomore Ellie Herzberg making three free throws down the stretch,  UNI grabbed the win despite the near buzzer beater.

Weekly and Herzberg led the way for UNI. They finished first and second on the team for both points and minutes; Weekly had 13 points in 39 minutes, Herzberg had 23 points in 30 minutes. Both finished with a team-high two steals.

Over the course of this week, a few individual honors occurred as well. Coach Tanya Warren is now the all-time wins leader at UNI with 184. Maahs was named to the All-Freshman MVC team. Weekly and Herzberg both garnered first team All-MVC team.

It was Herzberg’s first after being All-Freshman last season; it’s Weekly’s third. For third time in MVC history a player was named Scholar-Athlete of the Year for the second time, UNI’s very own Madison Weekly.