UNI vs. ILLINOIS STATE

This is the 54th meeting between UNI and Illinois State, and the Redbirds lead the all-time series, 33-20. Illinois State topped the Panthers 74-53 in Normal on Jan. 10. UNI trailed by just four points at the half before ISU was able to pull away in the second period. Jacqui Kalin led UNI with 18 points in that game.

The Redbirds (18-2, 8-1) are coming off of their first Missouri Valley Conference loss and just their second overall loss on the season after dropping a 75-71 contest to Creighton on Saturday. Junior point guard Kristi Cirone, the league's defending Player of the Year, is leading Illinois State with 16.7 points per game this season. She also leads the league with 6.1 assists per game.

UNI vs. INDIANA STATE

This is the 51st meeting between UNI and Indiana State, and the Sycamores lead the overall series, 33-17. Indiana State claimed a 73-69 overtime win when the teams met in Terre Haute on Jan. 12. Danielle Wubbens was 4-of-6 from three-point range on the way to 16 points in that loss.

Indiana State enters the weekend 10-9 overall and 4-5 in conference play. Laura Rudolphi leads the Sycamores with 14.7 points per game.

ON THE REBOUND

The Panthers have a negative rebounding margin on the season, but that has started to change. In UNI's last three outings, UNI has grabbed an average of 40.3 rebounds, while opponents are averaging 33.0. Traci Ollendieck is averaging 10.3 rebounds per game in those three games, and Lizzie Boeck and Alexa Mennen are averaging 6.0 and 5.7, respectively.

BREAKING THE TREND

Through UNI's first 19 games, the team that has been leading at halftime has gone on to win the game. Evansville broke the streak, however, as UNI held a three-point advantage at the break but fell to the Aces, 57-52 on Saturday. It was the first time the Panthers lost at home after leading at halftime since Jan. 11, 2007, when Evansville erased a three-point halftime deficit to take a 56-54 win.

GUARDING THE GLASS

Since entering conference play, the Panthers have been led in rebounding by senior guard Traci Ollendieck. Ollendieck is averaging 7.3 rebounds per game in MVC games. Ollendieck is averaging 5.5 rebounds per game on the season, and she finished with a career-high 14 rebounds against Evansville

GOOD TO BE HOME

The Panthers will warp up their longest homestand of the year when the play fourth straight in the McLeod Center on Saturday. The Panthers have posted a 6-4 record at home this season, but the have lost their last nine games on the road to hold a 1-9 record away from McLeod.

CLOSE BUT NO CIGAR

Sitting at 3-6 in Valley play halfway through the conference season, the Panthers were very close to seeing the record in a mirror image. Three of UNI's MVC losses came within five points, and in all three of those the Panthers held the lead in the game's final two minutes. UNI fell in overtime to Indiana State on Jan. 12, then lost on a three at the buzzer at Drake on Jan. 27. Against Evansville, UNI saw the Aces erase a nine-point second-half lead and go ahead in the game's final 90 seconds.

PUT ON YOUR RALLY CAPS

The Panthers are still looking for their first second-half comeback of the season. UNI has trailed at the half in 12 of its 13 losses this season. UNI has come back to take second-half leads against Iowa, UMBC, South Dakota State, Indiana State, and Drake but were unable to hold on in those games.

HONORS FOR BOECK

Freshman Lizzie Boeck earned Newcomer of the Week honors on Jan. 28. The Milwaukee, Wis., native picked up the award following a week where she averaged 13.5 points and 4.5 rebounds. Boeck shot 54.5 percent from the floor in UNI's games against Creighton and Drake. On Jan. 24, she scored 10 points and collected two rebounds against Creighton. Against Drake, the freshman scored a career-high 17 points on 8-of-14 shooting. She also grabbed seven rebounds, all on the offensive end, and collected two blocked shots in that game. Boeck is averaging 7.5 points and 3.3 rebounds this season.

FIRST-YEAR SUCCESS

With the win over Southern Illinois on Jan. 31, head coach Tanya Warren tied the school mark for wins by a first-year head coach since the school joined the Division I ranks. J.D. Anderson, who took over while UNI still competed in Division II, is the only coach to earn more than seven wins in his first season, compiling an 18-10 record in his debut season. Tony DiCecco finished 7-20 in his first season as UNI's head coach to set the mark in the Division I era.

THIRTYSOMETHINGS

UNI gave up just 30 points against Wichita State on Saturday, the fewest points allowed since moving to Division I in 1982. It was the second time this season the Panthers held an opponent to fewer than 40 points, and the fourth time since moving to Division I. This was the fewest points allowed by UNI since topping Luther 31-30 on Feb. 17, 1973.

GUARDING THE BOARDS

A trio of Panther guards has been clearing the boards for UNI over the last seven games. Danielle Wubbens, Traci Ollendieck and Nicole Clausen combined for an average of 15.7 rebounds per game during that stretch. Ollendieck is the Panthers' second-leading rebounder on the season, averaging 4.8 per game.

BY MENNEN

Alexa Mennen has turned into a new player as the Panthers have entered MVC play. In UNI's 11 non-conference games, Mennen averaged 2.8 points and 1.8 rebounds per contest. In the Panthers' five league games, however, the sophomore is averaging 10.0 points, third on the team, and a team-leading 5.6 rebounds per contest. She is shooting 58.3 percent from the floor during that span, and she has collected two blocked shots and four steals in league play.

BELL JOINS PANTHERS

Des Moines native Charmaine Bell has transferred from Northern Illinois to join the Panther team. The 5-10 guard owns several school records at Roosevelt High and was twice named state tournament MVP. She will sit out the rest of this season and the fall 2008 semester, according to NCAA rules. At this time she is planning on redshirting all of next season so she will enter the 2009-10 campaign with three full years of eligibility.

HOME COOKING

The Panthers have fared much better at home than on the road this season. The Panthers hold a 5-3 mark in the McLeod Center, while they are 1-7 on the road. In their eight road games, the Panthers are averaging 52.9 points per game, while their opponents are scoring 68.6 points per game. Conversely, at home UNI scores nearly 10 more points per contest, averaging 62.8 while holding opponents to 11 fewer points per game, an average of 57.5. On the road, the Panthers are outrebounded an average of 36.9 to 29.1, a rebounding margin of -7.8. At home, however, the UNI holds a 37.9 to 35.6 rebounding advantage, a margin of +2.3.

One of the biggest differences on the road has been in free-throw shooting, where the Panthers' opponents have had nearly twice UNI's free-throw attempts. UNI is 63-of-97 (65 percent) from the stripe while on the road, while their opponents are 129-of-172 (75 percent) from the free-throw line. At home, the Panthers have taken 148 attempts, making 111 (75 percent), while opponents have taken 121 free throws, making 93 (77 percent).

FANTASTIC FRESHMAN

Jacqui Kalin is putting together a stellar season in her first year in a Panther uniform. The 5-8 guard is leading UNI with 11.8 points per game, and she has scored 14.4 points per game in UNI's last five outings. She also leads the Panthers with 54 assists (4.5/game), and 33.4 minutes per contest. The point guard is second on the team with 4.3 rebounds per game. Kalin was named MVC Newcomer of the Week on Dec. 3 following a week where she averaged 14.0 poitns, 4.5 rebounds and 5.0 assists per game.

BACK ON TRACK

The Panthers started the season as one of the hottest three-point shooting teams in the nation, shooting 37.2 percent from behind the arc and averaging 8.75 threes per game through their first eight games. After making a school-record 17 threes against UMBC, the Panthers' three-point shooting went cold, connecting on just 19-of-90 (21.1 percent) from three-point range over the next five games. The Panthers looked to be back on track against Indiana State, shooting 45.8 percent from long distance, and making 11 threes in the overtime loss. The Panthers have made 115 threes on the season, making them 67 shy of the team record for threes in a season. UNI needs to average 4.8 threes over the next 14 games to tie that mark.

STARTING ROTATION

In their 12 games so far this season, the Panthers have used five different starting lineups, and 10 different Panthers have found their way into the starting five. Of the nine players currently suiting up for UNI, eight have started. Danielle Wubbens and Jacqui Kalin are the only Panthers to start every game this year.

DOUBLING UP

Erin Brocka recorded her first career double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds in the Panthers' win over Weber State on Nov. 16.

SHARING THE WEALTH

In UNI's first four games, the Panthers had four different leading scorers. In each of those instances, the Panther who led the way also set a career high for scoring. Danielle Wubbens scored 14 to lead UNI to a win over Colorado State. Kristin Iehl set a new career mark with 15 points against Minnesota. Nicole Clausen scored 15 points to lead the Panthers past Weber State, and Clausen and Jacqui Kalin each scored 14 points to lead the Panthers against Iowa, a career mark for Kalin.

LONG DECEMBER

The Panthers hit the road for five straight away contests in December and were unable to collect a win during that span. UNI held second-half leads against both UMBC and South Dakota State but the home team was able to come away with the win in both games. The Panther offense struggled during the month, and UNI averaged just 49.8 points per game in those five contest.

KEEFE LEAVES

University of Northern Iowa senior forward Megan Keefe has left the team, head coach Tanya Warren announced last week. Keefe is leaving due to personal reasons, and she will remain enrolled in classes at UNI.

Keefe has played in 90 games for the Panthers in her career, averaging 5.6 points per game. She has started seven games this season, averaging nearly 25 minutes per game.

NEW ERA

In April, Tanya Warren became the seventh head coach of the UNI women's basketball program. Only two Panther coaches have posted winning records in their inaugural campaigns. Wanda Green finished 4-1 in the programs first season, 1968-69, and J.D. Anderson led the Panthers to an 18-10 season in 1980-81. Both seasons occurred before the Panthers moved to Division I. Warren needs eight wins to earn the most by a Panther first-year head coach in the Division I era.

YOUNG GUNS

With 11 of 12 players on the roster being freshmen and sophomores, UNI will rely on its young players to contribute right away this season. The Panthers started three freshmen and one sophomore in their win over Colorado State. Sophomore Danielle Wubbens led the Panthers with 14 points, and sophomore Nicole Clausen came off the bench to score 13. Erin Brocka scored 11 points and grabbed seven rebounds in her collegiate debut, and freshman Jacqui Kalin scored eight points and dished out six assists.

HOME SWEET HOME

The Panthers open the year with a four-game home stand, tying its longest home stand of the year. The Panthers play five home games in the first month of the year, only venturing outside the McLeod Center for a Nov. 28 matchup at Western Illinois.

ONE GAME, ONE WIN

Tanya Warren earned her first career victory as a head coach when the Panthers topped Colorado State 72-58 Friday night. Only two other Panther head coaches won their debut games, Wanda Green in 1968 (the programs' first season) and J.D. Anderson in 1980. Warren is the first to accomplish the feat since UNI joined the Division I ranks in 1982.

PANTHERS SIGN THREE

UNI signed three players this November. Indy Uhlenhopp from North Butler High School and Katelin Oney and Kaitlin Armstrong from Cedar Rapids Washington High School have all agreed to play for the Panthers in 2008-09.

Indy Uhlenhopp is a three-time all-state, all-district and all-conference selection at North Butler High School. The 5-11 guard was also named to the all-state tournament team in 2005-06 and 2006-07, helping North Butler finish as 2A state champions in 2006 and 2007.

Katelin Oney averaged 15.9 points and 3.4 rebounds per game as a junior. She was a first-team all-Mississippi Valley Conference selection and a second-team all-state pick that year. Along with Oney,

Kaitlin "K.K." Armstrong helped Cedar Rapids Washinton reach the state semi-finals in 2006-07, and finish as state runners up in 2005-06 and 2004-05 in class 4A. As a junior, Armstrong averaged 13.5 points and 2.6 rebounds per game, along with 2.2 steals and 2.8 assists.

INSIDE OUT

Danielle Wubbens spent most of the 2006-07 season in at the post. With the addition of several posts to the roster, the 5-8 sophomore has been able to move back to her natural position on the perimeter.

USED TO WINNING

UNI's four in-state freshmen all join the Panther squad after tasting success in high school Erin Brocka helped North Butler win back-to-back 2A state titles. Jacqui Kalin led Sioux City North to a 4A championship in 2007, and Nelia Olson's IKM finished second in 1A in 2007, a year after winning the state title. In class 3A, Rachel Madrigal helped Decorah finish undefeated in the regular season.

PANTHERS PICKED SEVENTH

In a conference filled with teams with 3 or more starters returning, league coaches, SIDs and media members voted UNI to finish seventh in the standings this year.

CHUCK MADNESS

In 2008, the Missouri Valley Conference will hold the women's basketball tournament at a neutral site for the first time. The league's 10 teams will each head to St. Charles, Mo., from March 13-16 to fight for the automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. The four-day tournament will be held at The Family Arena. Tournament information can be found at www.mvcstcharles.com.