UNI Women Battle to a 68-60 Win Over Missouri State

The University of Northern Iowa women’s basketball team battled to a 68-60 win over the Missouri State Lady Bears tonight in JQH Arena, winning for the fourth time in the last five games. UNI improved to 4-2 in the Missouri Valley Conference and 8-9 overall.

After the Lady Bears had scored seven unanswered points late in the game to cut the Panther lead to just one point, Brittni Donaldson silenced the crowd at JQH Arena with a huge three-pointer to give UNI a 62-58 lead with 1:33 to play in the game. Stephanie Davison, Brooke Brown and Hannah Schonhardt combined for the Panthers last six points to seal UNI’s 68-60 victory.

Amber Sorenson led the team with 18 points, scoring a career-high 18 points. Schonhardt added 15 points, notching a double-double adding a career-high 12 rebounds. Jen Keitel rounded out the double figure players for the Panthers, scoring 11 points and grabbing five boards.

The Panthers took a 7-6 lead over the Lady Bears at the 16:23 mark after Amber Sorenson broke off a screen for a three-pointer. Missouri State quickly traded baskets with the Panthers, gaining the lead just a minute later to head into the first media timeout with a score of 8-7 with Bry Snow scoring six of MSU’s first eight points.

Sorenson stayed hot from the arc, hitting back-to-back treys to tie the score 16-16 with 11:39 left in the half after a great hustle play from Hannah Schonhardt and Erin Dohnalek on the defensive end. The game remained tight, with Missouri State holding a 24-21 lead with 7:21 on the clock after the Bears hit back-to-back jumpers.

The Lady Bears were then able to go on an 8-0 run capped off by a layup from Hannah Wilkerson to extend their lead to 32-24 with 3:56 remaining in the half. The Panthers cut the MSU lead down to just three points after Jen Keitel scored UNI’s last seven points of the half to make the score 34-31 heading into halftime.

UNI tied the game at 36-36 with 16:45 left in the second half after Keitel scored off her signature turnaround jumper. Missouri State was then able to drive down the court for a quick jump shot from B. Snow to take a 40-38 lead heading into a timeout at the 15:56 mark.

The Panthers took a 46-42 lead after Sorenson scored her fifth and sixth three-pointers of the game just barely 30 seconds apart, giving the sophomore a new career-high. MSU cut the UNI lead to one point after Lady Bear Mikala McGhee hit a deep three-pointer to make the score 46-45 with 11:32 on the clock.

After a pair of jumpers from the Bears cut the Panther lead down to three, Stephanie Davison knocked down a huge shot from the arc at the shot clock buzzer to give UNI a 54-49 lead with 7:14 remaining. The Panthers then took its largest lead of the game with less than five minutes left on the clock when Schonhardt crashed the basket for a layup to give UNI a 59-51 lead.

MSU scored seven unanswered points in the last two minutes of the game, but Donaldson’s late three-pointer and the combined effort from Davison, Brown and Schonhardt sealed the Panthers 68-60 win over the Lady Bears.

Post-Game Notes vs. Missouri State:

• Amber Sorenson reached double figures for the second time in the last three games. She has finished in double-digits four times this season, notching a career-high 18 points against the Bears.
• Amber Sorenson has made 31 field goals this season with 26 of those being three-pointers. She finished shooting 6-for-10 from the three-point line against Missouri State. Her six three-pointers made ties for second all-time at UNI in three-pointers made in a game.
• Jen Keitel went a perfect 5-of-5 from the field during the first half of the game. She finished 5-for-6 with 11 points against the Bears.
• UNI finished the game with 12 three-pointers made against the Bears, setting a new season-high in the statistical category.
• Hannah Schonhardt notched her second-career double-double and her first of the season against the Lady Bears. She finished with 15 points and a career-high 12 rebounds.
• UNI picked up its 500th win in program history with its 68-60 win over MSU.