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Women's Basketball
Panthers Open Conference Play with 63-38 Win
Jan. 1, 2005
The University of Northern Iowa women's basketball team opened up Missouri Valley Conference play with a victory over Wichita State tonight in the West Gym. Behind stingy defense and strong performances from senior forward Alex Cook and junior center Cassie Hager, UNI improved to 7-5 on the season while WSU dropped to 3-7. "I thought Alex and Cassie did an absolutely tremendous job of playing a physical game and making themselves a factor inside," UNI head coach Tony DiCecco said. "Because of our depth, we were able to apply full-court pressure and control the tempo of the game and that was to our advantage." Cook led the way for UNI, connecting on eight-of-13 shots from the floor for a balanced 16 point, nine rebound effort. Hager was six-of-11 from the field for 12 points to go along with five rebounds and four blocked shots. Freshman forward Megan Keefe and junior guard Amanda Faas both added eight points while Jessie Biggs chipped in six. For the third straight game the Panthers held their opponents to under 50 points and no player for Wichita State scored in double-figures. UNI was 15-of-31 from the field (48.4 percent) in the second half while the Shockers struggled, only making 14-of-48 (29.2 percent) from the floor in the game. Senior point guard Emily Berry did not play in the game due to illness but Sarah Larsen stepped in for her first start this season and contributed a steady effort finishing with two points, three assists, one steal and two rebounds. The Panther's full-court pressure forced the Shockers to turn the ball over 23 times as UNI outscored WSU 22-6 on points off turnovers.
UNI will host last year's MVC champion, Southwest Missouri State on Monday (Jan. 3). Tip-off is set for 5:35p.m. at the West Gym. |
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