The University of Northern Iowa women's basketball team will play its final three regular-season games on the road, beginning with Evansville on Thursday and Southern Illinois on Saturday.
Evansville claimed a 71-61 victory at Southern Illinois in the last outing for both teams. Rebekah Parker led the Aces with 15 points, and Jayme Sweere led all scorers with 18 points and 11 rebounds for SIU.
The Panthers enter the weekend in a tie with Missouri State for fifth place in the Missouri Valley Conference standings. Evansville is holding onto the MVC's second seed, and the Aces sit just one game out of first place in the standings. Evansville has won 11 of its last 12 games, with an 82-71 loss at Creighton on Feb. 17 being the only blemish on UE's record over the last six weeks.
Parker is leading the Aces with 14.5 points per game, and Shannon Novosel and Courtney Felke are averaging 11.5 and 11.1 points per game, respectively. Novosel is leading UE with 6.5 rebounds per game.
After missing 11 games with a knee injury, SIU's Jasmine Gibson returned to action against Evansville. The junior is averaging 16.5 points per game in 13 games for the Salukis. Sweere is scoring 14.1 points per game for SIU.
The Panthers are coming off a weekend split in their final home games of the season. UNI fell 69-51 to Creighton on Thursday before picking up a 72-70 win on a three at the buzzer from freshman Jacqui Kalin. Kalin led all scorers with 27 points, tying a career mark. She also set a new career high with nine assists in that win. Nicole Clausen notched her first double-double with 16 points and 10 rebounds, including an offensive board in the game's final three seconds that allowed the Panthers a second chance at the game-winning shot.
Kalin is leading UNI with 13.2 points per game, and Clausen is second in scoring with 10.7 points per game.
UNI vs. EVANSVILLE
This is the 31st meeting between UNI and Evansville, and the Aces lead the overall series, 16-14. The Panthers led by as many as nine points in the second half of the last meeting, but Evansville pulled away at the end to claim a 57-52 win in the McLeod Center. Shannon Novosel led the Aces with 15 points in that win, and Rebekah Parker and Robyn Jennings each scored 10. Jacqui Kalin led UNI with 15 points, and Alexa Mennen scored14.
The Aces have won the last four meetings against the Panthers, including a 75-49 win over UNI the last time the teams met at Roberts Stadium. The Panthers shot just 16 percent from the floor in the second half of that loss.
UNI vs. SOUTHERN ILLINOIS
This is the 49th meeting between UNI and SIU. The Salukis lead the overall series, 29-19. The Panthers topped SIU 64-52 when the teams met in the McLeod Center on Jan. 31. Jacqui Kalin led UNI with 21 points, and Lizzie Boeck threw in 18 points to go with eight rebounds. The Panthers shot 49 percent from the floor in that win.
The last time the teams met in Carbondale, SIU came away with a 49-46 victory. The Panthers led by as many as 10 points in the second half of that game, but the Salukis held the Panthers to just three points in the game's final four minutes to rally for the win.
IN-STATE STAR
Freshman Jacqui Kalin has played well in the Panthers' four games against in-state teams. Kalin averaged 19.3 points per game and 5.5 assists per game against Iowa, Iowa State and the two against Drake. Kalin has also notched two 20-point performances against in-state rivals, scoring 21 at Iowa State and matching her career high with 27 against Drake. She shot 47 percent from the floor in those games, including 42 percent from three-point range.
SECOND-HALF SUCCESS
After going 3-6 through the first half of the conference schedule, the Panthers are 4-2 in the second half. Statistically, not much has changed for the Panthers. UNI is only averaging two more points per game, but they are turning the ball over 5.5 fewer times per contest. The biggest difference has been the Panthers' results in close games. In the first half of league play, UNI was 1-3 in games decided by five or fewer points. In the second half, the Panthers are 3-0 in those games.
ON THE ROAD AGAIN
UNI will play its final three games of the regular season on the road. The Panthers are 2-10 away from the McLeod Center this season, including 1-5 in road Valley contests. The Panthers have a +2.7 scoring margin at home, but they have a -12.0 margin on the road.
GET TO SIXTY
The Panthers have had a tough time winning when not reaching 60 points. The Panthers have fallen below that mark 11 times this season, and they are 1-10 when scoring fewer than 60 points. On the other hand, the Panthers are 10-5 in games where they score 60 or more points.
FIRST-YEAR SUCCESS
After earning her eight win of the season against Illinois State on Feb. 7, head coach Tanya Warren has earned the most wins by a UNI first-year head coach since the school moved to Division I in 1982. At 11-13, Warren has four more victories than the previous mark, a 7-21 season by Tony DiCecco in his first year at the helm.
FANTASTIC FRESHMEN
Jacqui Kalin and Lizzie Boeck have each picked up Missouri Valley Conference Newcomer of the Week honors this season. Boeck 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. Kalin has picked up the honors twice this season. She picked up the accolades Dec. 3 following a week where she averaged 14.0 points, 4.5 rebounds and 5.0 assists per game, and on Feb. 11 after averaging 11.0 points, 5.5 rebounds and 6.5 assists in wins over Illinois State and Indiana State.
COMEBACK KIDS
The Panthers' win over Indiana State in the McLeod Center on Saturday was the first time this season that UNI has won a game after trailing at the break. The Panthers had come back to take leads against Iowa, UMBC, South Dakota State, at Indiana State and Drake, but failed to hold on for a win until Saturday. UNI trailed the Sycamores by 11 at the break, and fell behind by 15 in the second half before coming back for a 68-65 win.
TRIPLE THREATS
The Panthers' three-point attack goes beyond guards Nicole Clausen and Traci Ollendieck While those two are combining for almost four threes per game, the rest of the team has been chipping in as well. In UNI's last two games, all nine players who saw action attempted a three-point attempt, and six different Panthers connected from behind the arc.
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.
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.
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.
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
The Panthers have used six different starting lineups this season, and 10 different Panthers have found their way into the starting five. Of the nine players currently suiting up for UNI, eight have started. Jacqui Kalin is 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.
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.
CEDAR FALLS, Iowa -- University of Northern Iowa freshman Jacqui Kalin knocked down a deep three at the buzzer to give the Panthers a 72-70 win over in-state rival Drake Sunday afternoon in the McLeod Center. Nicole Clausen grabbed an offensive rebound with less than five seconds remaining, and the Panthers called time out with 1.2 seconds left to set up the game-winning shot.
Kalin finished 5-of-6 from three point range and tied a career high with 27 points. She came one assist shy of a double-double, dishing out a career-high nine. Clausen notched her first career double-double, scoring 16 and grabbing 10 rebounds. Senior Traci Ollendieck, who was playing in her final game in the McLeod Center, scored 11 points and grabbed two rebounds for UNI.
Four Bulldogs scored in double figures, led by Lindsay Whorton's 15 points. Monique Jones finished with 13 points, and Jill Martin and Lauren Dybing added 12 and 11, respectively.
The teams went back and forth through much of the first half, trading leads three times and tying the game seven times in the first half. Neither team led by more than five through the first 20 minutes of play.
Drake took a 31-26 lead on a jump shot from Whorton with 1:50 left in the first half. Clausen hit one of two free throws to make it a four-point game, and Ollendieck hit her second three of the game to pull the Panthers within one with 1:10 on the clock. Jordann Plummer hit a layup with just under a minute remaining to send the Bulldogs into the break with a 33-30 lead.
Martin scored on Drake's first possession of the second half to extend the Bulldogs' lead to 35-30. A basket from Lizzie Boeck brought the Panther deficit back to three, and a pair of free throws from Kalin made it a one-point game. Ollendieck hit a jumper at 16:50 to put the Panthers back in front, 36-35, and Boeck hit a pair of free throws that gave UNI a 38-35 lead with 16:22 remaining. A three from Clausen at 15:59 gave the Panthers points on five straight possessions, and capped an 11-0 run that put UNI in front 41-35.
Drake chipped away at the UNI lead, and at 13:52, Martin hit a pair of free throws to cut the Panthers' lead to 42-41. Clausen hit a three on the Panthers' next possession to stretch UNI's lead back to four points.
Martin and UNI's Erin Brocka traded baskets, and Kalin hit a jump shot with 11 minutes left to put UNI in front, 49-43.
A pair of free throws from Whorton and a layup from Plummer cut the Panther lead to two, but Kalin drained a three to put the Panthers back up by five, 52-47 with 10:17 remaining.
At 9:56, Whorton connected from the charity stripe again, but Kalin hit her second three in as many possessions to stretch the Panther advantage to 55-49.
Dybing hit a jump shot and Kristin Turk hit a three to make it a one-point game, but Kalin hit her third three of the half to put the Panthers up 58-54 with 6:44 left to play.
Ashleigh Brady and Whorton scored for Drake to tie the game at 58-58, and with 4:26 to play, Whorton hit one of two free throws to put Drake back in front, 59-58.
Kalin answered with a pair of free throws on the other end, returning a one-point lead to UNI.
At 3:47, Dybing made a layup to put the Bulldogs back in front, and Whorton was fouled as she made a layup at 2:55. She connected on the free throw to give Darke a 64-60 lead.
Clausen hit a three on the Panthers' ensuing possession to pull the Panthers within a point. Martin and Alexa Menne traded baskets to keep it at a one-point game, 66-65 in favor of Drake, with less than two minutes to play.
Clausen put the Panthers back in the lead when she hit a pair of free throws with 1:22 remaining.
Martin found Jones under the basket, and her layup gave the Bulldogs a 67-68 advantage with 1:08 on the clock.
Kalin hit a short jump shot on the Panthers' next possession to give UNI a 69-68 edge. With 32 seconds left, Dybing made a layup to give Drake a 70-69 lead.
The Panthers set up to take the game's final shot. Kalin drove into the lane and found Brocka open at the elbow. Her shot with five seconds remaining did everything but go down, but Clausen was able to collect the offensive rebound to give UNI its chance at the game-winning shot. Coming out of a time out, Kalin came off a screen by Mennen and was able to get the 25-foot shot off just before the buzzer sounded.
