CORALVILLE — Despite some late turbulence following a potent start, No. 4 seed UNI women’s basketball kept its postseason journey alive.
The Panthers hung on for a 74-73 Missouri Valley Tournament quarterfinal win over No. 5 seed Bradley inside Coralville’s Xtream Arena. The March 13 victory propelled UNI (18-13) into a semifinal Saturday, where Tanya Warren’s squad will face top-seed Murray State at 1:30 p.m. CT. The Racers toppled No. 9 Indiana State in the first quarterfinal.
A look at what stood out from UNI’s quarterfinal victory.
A swift start followed by a frantic finish keep the Panthers alive.
Seesawing drama in the final moments hardly reflected the grip UNI had on this one throughout. The Panthers, after racing out to a 22-7 first-quarter advantage and leading by as many 17 in the second half, suddenly had to hold on down the stretch as Bradley (20-12) came charging back.
UNI never surrendered the lead. And Bradley never got closer than the one-point final score. But a pair of fouls in the last 30 seconds on 3-pointers from Kaylen Nelson, who finished with a game-high 30 points, had Warren’s stress level higher than she wanted.
“We have to be more disciplined,” UNI coach Tanya Warren said. “Even though you don’t want to give up a three, you can let them have a three and challenge and not foul. I thought we were a little bit undisciplined down the stretch.”
While the start to postseason play can produce all kinds of wonky showings, UNI came out with a clean offensive performance. The Panthers roared to a double-digit cushion less than four minutes in, setting an emphatic tone that Bradley never fully matched. The Braves only sporadically dented UNI’s double-digit cushion until the fourth quarter.
“I thought our offensive execution was very good, but it started with our ability to get stops,” Warren said. “I thought we defended well. I thought we rebounded well. We kept the ball out of the paint, and our offense was in a really good flow and rhythm.”
Two former high school foes carry UNI’s offense to victory.
Benton alum Jenna Twedt and Center Point-Urbana graduate Ryley Goebel used to battle it out as Iowa high school foes. Now they’re tasked with much friendlier responsibilities as the Panthers’ catalysts.
“So much better,” Twedt said with a laugh while Goebel chimed in with the same.
Twedt finished with a team-high 25 points alongside Goebel’s 16, as the duo combined for 16 of the Panthers’ 25 field goals. Twedt ignited the swift start by outscoring Bradley’s entire team in the first quarter, before giving way to Goebel while battling second-half foul trouble.
The CPU alum had 12 of her 16 in the second half on 6-for-8 shooting. These two upperclassmen have buoyed the Panthers’ offense all season, and their postseason opener was no different.
“It goes without being said that we complement each other really well,” Goebel said, “and I love playing with her.”
Up next is Murray State, which suffered its only MVC loss in Cedar Falls.
It was a whirlwind UNI weekend in late January, as the Panthers picked up an 89-74 win over Murray State on Jan. 23 before suffering a 68-65 stumble against Evansville two days later. The Panthers are dialed in to what happened first.
Murray State hasn’t lost since and will carry a 13-game winning streak into the semifinals. The Panthers kept it close at Murray State as well, suffering a 75-71 road loss on Jan. 9.
“We know what their strengths and their weaknesses are,” Twedt said, “and how we came out against them at home is how we have to come out tomorrow.”
Dargan Southard is a sports trending reporter and covers Iowa athletics for the Des Moines Register and HawkCentral.com. Email him at msouthard@gannett.com or follow him on Twitter at @Dargan_Southard.
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: UNI women’s basketball takeaways from MVC Tournament win vs. Bradley
Reporting by Dargan Southard, Des Moines Register / Des Moines Register
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