From UNI Athletics
Megan Maahs secures the No. 4 spot on the All-Time Rebound List with 747 career rebounds early in the first quarter against the South Dakota State Jackrabbits this afternoon. The Panthers started strong but were unable to hold the lead and fell to the No. 25 ranked team, 74-63.
Two Panthers, Kayba Laube, and Grace Boffeli make their Panther debuts against SDSU. Boffeli scored eight points and five rebounds, and Laube grabbed two rebounds and recorded six points.
Starting strong in the first quarter, Kam Finley scored eight points within the first five minutes giving the Panthers the lead. SDSU battled back and went on a quick 10-0 scoring run until Kroeger dropped two points for the Panthers.
After the Panthers went on a five-minute scoring drought, Maahs made a pair of free throws and found the basket from behind the arc, cutting the SDSU lead, ending the second half 26-31.
As the third quarter commenced, SDSU came off the bench with fire scoring 14 points in the first five minutes, holding UNI to only five points. Myah Selland came out strong and scored nine adding to the team’s total of 26 points for the quarter.
The Panthers locked down and held Selland to four points in the first half, 17 for the game. She came into today’s game with three consecutive double-doubles under her belt, but the Panthers defense only allowed 6 rebounds, ending her streak.
With a 19-point lead at the beginning of the fourth quarter, Laube was able to make a pair of threes scoring six points, along with Maya McDermott who scored seven points to cut the final score to just eleven points.
Just two weeks ago when the Panthers prevailed over the Jackrabbits with a 17-point win, Paiton Burckhard scored 18 points alone. This time around, Burckhard was only able to record 12 points and four rebounds.
Starting off the New Year, the Panthers will welcome the Missouri St. Lady Bears, and a limited number of fans, into the McLeod Arena. Missouri State holds the 56-28 series lead against Northern Iowa. With back-to-back games, both held on McCoy Court, the Panthers are looking to decrease that lead.
With a 15% capacity, fans are welcomed into the McLeod Arena for the first time in the 2020-21 season. Make sure to grab your single-game tickets and follow the COVID-19 Fan Guide on the UNI Athletics websites for procedures before, during, and after the games.
Game Notes:
– Maahs is now No. 4 on the All-Time Rebound List with 749 career rebounds as a Panther. She is nine rebounds away from Debby Drenth who holds the No. 3 spot with 758 rebounds.
– Grace Boffeli made her Panther debut with eight points and five rebounds while Kayba Laube scored six points and grabbed 2 rebounds for her debut.
– Karli Rucker is still ranked No. 16 on the All-Time Scoring List with 1,109 points, only 24 away from the 15th spot.
– The Panthers ended Selland’s double-double streak that had been happening for the past three games.
