Feb. 2, 2008

Box Score

CEDAR FALLS, Iowa -

            The University of Northern Iowa women's basketball team could not fend off a late Evansville rally in a 57-52 loss to the Aces Saturday afternoon in the McLeod Center. UNI led by nine points midway through the second half, but the Panthers scored just four points through the rest of the game.

            Jaqui Kalin led UNI with 15 points, and Alexa Mennen finished 6-of-7 from the floor and 2-of-3 from the free-throw line to finish with 14 points. Nicole Clausen added 11 points for UNI, and senior Traci Ollendieck grabbed a career-high 14 rebounds.

            Shannon Novosel led Evansville with 15 points, and Robyn Jennings and Rebekah Parker each scored 10.

            Neither team led by more than three points until a free throw from Novosel put the Aces in front 22-18 at 7:22. Kalin made a pair of free throws, and Clausen connected from behind the arc to put UNI in front, 23-22 with six minutes to play in the period.

            A free throw from Novosel tied the game, then the teams traded layups to knot the game at 25-25 with 3:51 on the clock. UNI used an 8-2 run to build a 33-27 lead with 35 seconds left in the half. Courtney Felke hit a three with two seconds remaining to cut the Panther lead in half, 33-30 going into the break.

            Evansville's Amy Gallagher scored at the 15-minute mark to bring the score to 39-37 in favor of UNI. Kalin scored to give UNI a four-point lead, and Mennen followed with a bucket that stretched the Panther lead to 43-37. Novosel scored at the other end, and Mennen answered to keep the Panther lead at six.

            At 11:02 Danielle Wubbens made a three that extended the Panther advantage to 48-39. Evansville went on a 9-0 run over the next 2:20 to tie the game at 48-48 with 8:45 to play.

            Kalin put UNI back in front with a pair of free throws at 7:41, but Gallagher answered with a jump shot for the Aces to tie the game at 50-50.

            Parker made a free throw to give the Aces their first lead of the half, 51-50 at 3:20. Wubbens and Parker traded jump shots and one-point leads, putting the Aces in front 53-52 with 2:58 to play.

            At 1:08, Parker made a pair of free throws to stretch the Evansville lead to three, 55-52.

            A shot from Mennen would not fall, and Jennings came away with the rebound. Parker hit a jump shot with 25 seconds left to seal the win for Evansville.

            After shooting 52 percent (10-of-19) in the first half, UNI shot 7-of-23 (30.4 percent) in the second period to finish shooting 40.5 percent (17-of-42). UNI was 5-of-14 (35.7 percent) from three-point range and 13-of-15 (86.7 percent) from the free-throw line.

            Evansville shot 20-for-52 (38.5 percent) from the floor, including 7-of-21 (33.3 percent) from three-point range. The Aces were 10-of-18 (55.6 percent) from the free-throw line.

            UNI held a 39-26 rebounding advantage, and the Panthers did not allow Evansville to get an offensive rebound until the second half. The Aces turned the Panthers' 26 turnovers into 22 points, while UNI scored six points off 14 Evansville turnovers.

            The Panthers return to action on Thursday when they host the MVC's first-place team, Illinois State.