The Women’s basketball team lost their first regular season game to Indiana University – Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) after a final score of 54-48.

It was a statistically close game. UNI led with 37 rebounds compared to IUPUI’s 33, as well as eight assists compared to the Jaguars’ six.

Turning the ball over 20 times would inevitably lead to the Panthers’ downfall as IUPUI’s defense recorded an impressive 11 steals and five blocks. They scored 16 points off of turnovers compared to UNI’s eight.

The Panthers recorded 15 points off the bench that made up for roughly 30 percent of their total scoring. Taylor Hagen had six points, Rose Simon-Ressler had four, Nicole Kroeger had three and Marissa Robson had two.

The game was tied only once at 2-2 with 8:16 remaining in the first quarter. The Jaguars’ defense stopped the Panthers from ever taking the lead, and IUPUI’s largest lead was 11 points late in the third quarter.

It is still early in the season, and an 0-1 start does not necessarily mean anything. After their loss to the Jaguars, the Panthers turned around and defeated inner state rivals, the Iowa State Cyclones.

2,099 fans packed into the McLeod Center to witness UNI earning their first win of the season, 57-53. It was another close game. Both teams scored 15 points in the first half and 17 in the fourth. Iowa State scored 13 compared to UNI’s 12 in the third quarter.

The biggest difference was just before halftime as the Panthers scored 13 to ISU’s eight in the second quarter; this would be the game changer.

Their starters showed more promising numbers against the Cyclones. Ellie Howell and Kennedy Kirkpatrick had 17 points and a combined seven rebounds. Megan Maahs had eight points and 13 rebounds.

Off the bench, Taylor Hagen had 11 points, two rebounds and four assists with only 20 minutes played.

By the end of the fourth quarter, UNI had taken their largest lead of the evening with nine points.

The Panthers did a great job of keeping Iowa State’s defense on their toes. In the first quarter, a majority of their points came from inside the paint or the free throw line.

The second quarter proved to be a different story as they found the bottom of the basket from midrange jump shots and three-point shots.

Their next game will be their first on the road as the Panthers take on Creighton University.

Over Thanksgiving break, the team will compete in a two-game tournament hosted by the University of Central Florida (UCF) in Orlando, Florida.

They will take on Wyoming and UCF in the tournament before their next away game against South Dakota State.