Jessie Biggs has started the last 77 games for the Panthers. If she starts the first 23 games this season, she will surpass former Panther and current associate head coach Allison (Starr) Pohlman for record consecutive starts (96). Biggs has 80 total starts, and if she starts every scheduled

game this season, she will move to third on the career games started list with 107. With 91 games under her belt, Biggs is 27 games away from tying Amy Swisher for most games played in her career. UNI has 27 games remaining on its schedule, including the first round of the MVC Tournament.

Senior Tara King has been nearly unstoppable in UNI's last two games. Against Weber State on Nov. 17, King led all scorers with 28 points, and she set a new career high with 38 points against Iowa State on Nov. 20. King shot a combined 23-45 (51 percent) from the floor, and she was 5-11 (45 percent) from three-point range. Besides points, King set career highs for field goals and field goal atempts against ISU.

Jessie Biggs has connected on her last 21 free throw attempts. Biggs is a perfect 17-17 from the stripe in 2006-07, and she made her final four free throws in the 2005-06 season. Biggs' last free-throw miss came at 13:53 in the first half at Kansas in the first round of the WNIT on March 16, 2006.

The Panthers are not used to a losing streak as long as the current three-game streak. UNI has not lost three straight games since December 2004, when the Panthers fell to Iowa, Iowa State and Northwestern in consecutive contests. This is the first time UNI has started 0-3 since the 2003-04 season, when UNI started 0-4.

Tara King's 38 points against Iowa State on Nov. 20 overshadowed a career night for junior Megan Keefe. Keefe set career highs for points (16), field goals (7), field goal attempts (14), and minutes (39) in the loss to Iowa State.

Senior Jessie Biggs had a career night at Minnesota on Nov. 10. The Ottumwa, Iowa, native shot 8-of-16 from the floor and was a perfect 6-of-6 from the free-throw line to lead all scorers with 22 points. Biggs also led the Panthers in rebounds with eight and assists with six.

UNI's three seniors enter the season with plenty of experience. The trio of Jessie Biggs, Tara King and Sarah Larsen have started a combined 148 games in their careers. The three accounted for more than half of UNI's point total a year ago, combining for 32.5 points per game. The Panthers have won 51 games with Biggs, King and Larsen on the roster, putting them 18 wins shy of becoming the winningest class in UNI history.

For the first time in four seasons, the Panthers will take to the court without 6-7 center Cassie Hager. To adjust to life after the MVC's all-time blocked shots leader, the Panthers will install a new style of play that relies less on a half-court offense and more on up-tempo, fast break scoring. The style will be more conducive to UNI's guard-heavy roster, and the shooting range of forwards Tara King and Megan Keefe will help open up the offense.

UNI's starting five combined for more than 4200 minutes in 2005-06, but once you get past Tara King, Sarah Larsen, Jessie Biggs, Traci Ollendieck and Megan Keefe, the minutes are few and far between. UNI's four returning non-starters played just seven minutes in 2005-06, and they have a career total of 286 minutes. Jackie Norton accounts for the majority of those minutes. The sophomore sat out last season with an injury after playing in 28 games during her freshman season. UNI will incorporate seven freshmen into the team, giving UNI 10 players with five or fewer career minutes entering the season.

The Panthers have nine players on their roster who did not play in 2005-06. Kristyn Ferris and Jackie Norton are both returning from injuries that sidelined them in 2005-06. UNI also brings in seven freshmen to the mix: Kristin Iehl, Alexa Mennen, Danielle Wubbens, Nicole Clausen, Lindsey Swanson, Rachel Yeggy and Jackie Osborn.

The Panthers have three sets of high school teammates on their roster. Seniors Jessie Biggs and Tara King played together at Ottumwa High, sophomore Kristyn Ferris and freshman Danielle Wubbens both played at Charles City High, and freshmen Lindsey Swanson and Nicole Clausen both played at Denison-Schleswig.

The Panthers' two returning forwards also represent the two most accurate three-point shooters from last season. Senior Tara King and junior Megan Keefe finished first and second on the team in three-point shooting percentage in 2005-06. King led the MVC with 47.7 percent (42-of-88) shooting from behind the arc, and Keefe shot 12-of-28 (42.9 percent) from three-point range. The duo combined to hit 46.6 percent (54-of-116) of their three-point attempts.

The Panthers had some impressive debuts from a pair of its freshmen in the season opener on Nov. 10. Alexa Mennen came away with four rebounds and three blocked shots in just nine minutes of play. Nicole Clausen shot 4-of-6 from three-point range to tally 12 points in her first collegiate game.

Head Coach Tony DiCecco received National Letters of Intent to play at UNI in 2007-08. Joining the Panthers are Erin Brocka (Allison, Iowa), Jacqui Kalin (Sioux City, Iowa), Rachel Madrigal (Decorah, Iowa), Nelia Olson (Manilla, Iowa) and Lizzie Boeck (Milwaukee, Wis.). Four of the five (Boeck, Brocka, Olson and Madrigal) stand at 6-0 or taller.

Brocka, Kalin, Madrigal and Olson have each been named to various all-state teams in the state of Iowa. Boeck is a two-sport star at Milwaukee Lutheran.

The University of Northern Iowa and CSTV Networks, Inc. have teamed up to create a brand new broadband channel, UNI Panther All-Access. Offering live games and other features, UNI Panther All-Access is being offered free of charge through Nov. 21.

Fans can get live streamed audio and video of most home games of UNI volleyball, football, men's and women's basketball and wrestling, as well as some road contests. To sign up, please go to UNI's official athletic website at

www.unipanthers.com.

After the free preview ends Nov. 21, pricing for the UNI Panther All-Access package is as follows:

$6.95/month - UNI Panthers All-Access

$49.95/annually - UNI Panthers All-Access

$99.95/annually - CSTV XXL Premium (all CSTV All-Access partners)

With this being the 100th anniversary of the formation of the Missouri Valley Conference, and as a part of the Valley's Centennial Celebration, fans will have the opportunity to help select all-time teams in each of the league's sports. Fans can go to the website www.mvc100.org, and cast their votes.

On Nov. 20, UNI and Iowa State played in the first women's basketball game in the new McLeod Center. This was not be the first time that these two teams have christened an arena. The last time these two teams met, Dec. 17, 2005, the Panthers and Cyclones went to Des Moines to play in the first women's basketball game held in the Wells Fargo Arena. There were 12,500 in attendance to see the Cyclones edge the Panthers, 61-54.

The MVC coaches and media picked UNI to finish third in the MVC standings in 2006-07. That ties the highest preseason ranking for UNI since joining the Valley in 1992. UNI was placed behind Drake, who finished with 28 first-place votes, and Wichita State, who was tabbed for first by 10 voters. Evansville and Illinois State were picked fourth and fifth. 2005-06 MVC champion Indiana State picked up two first-place votes, but was predicted for a sixth-place finish. Missouri State and Southern Illinois tied for seventh, and Creighton and Bradley round out the poll at ninth and tenth.

UNI senior Tara King was tabbed for the preseason all-conference team by the MVC coaches and media. King is the Panthers' leading returning scorer, averaging 14.2 points per game a year ago. King led the MVC in three-point shooting percentage in 2005-06, connecting on 47.7 percent (42-of-88) of her attempts. The other members of the preseason all-conference team were Kristi Cirone (So., Illinois State), Jill Martin (Sr., Drake), Carlai Moore (Sr., Southern Illinois), Kiki Stephens (Jr., Wichita State), and Antionette Wells (Sr., Wichita State).