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Women's Basketball
Panthers Hold Off Creighton For 78-72 Overtime Win
Feb. 3, 2007
The Panthers led by as many as eight points in the second half, but a late charge by the Bluejays left the score 65-65 at the close of regulation. The Panthers took the lead for good in overtime by breaking a 67-all tie at the 3:28 mark of the extra period and then were clutch from the free-throw line to maintain their lead. Jessie Biggs and Sarah Larsen each capitalized on a pair of charity tosses with less than 20 seconds to play to help fend off the Bluejays, who were hindered by foul trouble in the extra session. Starters Sam Schuett and Megan Neuvirth both fouled out in the overtime period for Creighton.
The Bluejays were unable to trim UNI's lead below four points in the final minute. "As much as we'd like to win by 10 or 15, I think these are the games that get us ready for the conference tournament," said King, who tallied a game-high 22 points and pulled down seven rebounds. King led all scorers with 22 points and Biggs added 20 as she became the 17th player in UNI history to record 1,000 career points as a Panther. In doing so, she and King also became just the third set of teammates in school history to reach the 1,000-point plateau in the same season. King achieved the milestone Jan. 13 against "I really didn't know how many I needed," said Biggs, who entered the contest 16 points shy of 1,000. "It's awesome. It's cool enough to have two people in the same year have 1,000 points, but to have them from the same town (is even more remarkable)." Biggs also had eight rebounds, as UNI had four players finish with at least seven boards and out-rebounded the Bluejays, 44-36. Traci Ollendieck had a game-high 11 boards, while King and Larsen -- who also chipped in 13 points -- each tallied seven. UNI shot 46.7 percent from the floor, compared to 40.6 percent shooting by the Bluejays, and also recorded six blocked shots, including four Larsen, who stands just 5-foot-8. Neuvirth led the way for Creighton, which had four players in double-figure scoring, with 17 points and 10 rebounds. Near the end of a first half that saw three ties and six lead changes, UNI looked poised to carry two-point advantage into halftime. That lead evaporated, however, as Tyrai Bronson drained a 3-pointer and then made good on a free-throw try after being fouled. That momentum carried Creighton to a strong second-half start, as the Bluejays led by as many as eight points early and held the upper hand until the Panthers forced a 49-all tie at the 11:43 mark and then grabbed a two-point lead when King nailed a jumper just over a minute later. The Panthers never trailed again in the half, holding the lead until Creighton, with 27 seconds remaining, forced the tie that led to overtime. The win concluded the first-ever season sweep of conference rivals Creighton and Drake by the Panthers, who defeated the Bulldogs at home on Thursday (Feb. 1) and swept a road swing against the two schools Jan. 4-6. With the victory, the Panthers improve to 13-9 overall and 7-4 in Missouri Valley Conference play while Creighton falls to 9-13 overall and 6-5 in the Valley. The Panthers return to action with a road trip to |
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