UNI vs. Bradley

Bradley leads the series with the Panthers, 30-19, but UNI has claimed the last six games. The last time the teams met in Cedar Falls, UNI came away with a 74-47 victory. The last time UNI lost to Bradley at home came on Jan. 17, 2003, when the Braves escaped with a 53-52 victory.

LONG DECEMBER

The Panthers hit the road for five straight away contests in December and were unable to collect a win during that span. UNI held second-half leads against both UMBC and South Dakota State but the home team was able to come away with the win in both games. The Panther offense struggled during the month, and UNI averaged just 49.8 points per game in those five contest.

A TALE OF TWO HALFS

The team that played in the second half against South Dakota State didn't look much like the one from the first half. UNI shot just 5-of-24 (20.8 percent) through the first half, but came out of the locker room to shoot 17-of-30 (56.7 percent) in the second period. The improvement helped UNI erase a 10-point deficit to take a lead early in the half.

TREY BIEN...

The Panthers are once again establishing themselves as a three-point shooting team. Last season's team set the school record for threes in a game with 14 against Iowa on Dec. 19, but the mark didn't even last one calendar year. On Dec. 9, UNI knocked down 17 threes to set a new school mark. The 17 threes also represent the second-most made in a single game by a Valley school, just two fewer than the record of 19 set by Missouri State on Jan. 16, 2005 and were the most by a Valley team since MSU connected 17 times from behind the arc on March 28, 2005.

... BUT NOT LATELY

After connecting on a school-record 17 threes against UMBC, UNI has made just nine in its last three games combined. The Panthers are 9-of-51 (17.6 percent) from behind the arc since their record-breaking afternoon, compared to a 9-of-15 effort in the first half alone against UMBC. The Panthers entered this cold stretch averaging 8.75 threes per game, but their season average has dropped to 7.1.

PUT ON YOUR RALLY CAPS

The Panthers are still looking for their first second-half comeback of the season. UNI has trailed at the half in all seven of its losses this season. UNI has come back to take second-half leads against Iowa, UMBC and South Dakota State, but were unable to hold on in those games.

THIRTYSOMETHINGS

The Panthers allowed just Detroit to score just 35 points in UNI's 62-35 win on Nov. 30. The 35 points are the fewest allowed by UNI since joining the Division I ranks. The Panthers have held their opponents to less than 40 three times since moving up, a 95-37 win over Chicago State on Jan. 18, 1989, a 63-35 win over Wichita State on Jan. 1, 2005, and the win on Nov. 30. This was the fewest points allowed by UNI since topping Luther 31-30 on Feb. 17, 1973.

GOOD FROM THREE

The Panthers are proving to once again be a sharp three-point shooting team. UNI has made 79threes in its 11 games this season, averaging 7.13 per contest. If the Panthers keep up this pace, they will eclipse the single-season mark of 182 set by last season's team. Nine different Panthers have connected form long range.

SHARING THE WEALTH

In UNI's first four games, the Panthers had four different leading scorers. In each of those instances, the Panther who led the way also set a career high for scoring. Danielle Wubbens scored 14 to lead UNI to a win over Colorado State. Kristin Iehl set a new career mark with 15 points against Minnesota. Nicole Clausen scored 15 points to lead the Panthers past Weber State, and Clausen and Jacqui Kalin each scored 14 points to lead the Panthers against Iowa, a career mark for Kalin.

DOUBLING UP

Erin Brocka recorded her first career double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds in the Panthers' win over Weber State on Nov. 16. The freshman has earned a place in UNI's starting lineup, and is leading the Panthers with 7.3 rebounds per game. She is fourth on the team in scoring with 8.0 points per game.

KEEFE LEAVES

University of Northern Iowa senior forward Megan Keefe has left the team, head coach Tanya Warren announced last week. Keefe is leaving due to personal reasons, and she will remain enrolled in classes at UNI.

Keefe has played in 90 games for the Panthers in her career, averaging 5.6 points per game. She has started seven games this season, averaging nearly 25 minutes per game.

NEW ERA

In April, Tanya Warren became the seventh head coach of the UNI women's basketball program. Only two Panther coaches have posted winning records in their inaugural campaigns. Wanda Green finished 4-1 in the programs first season, 1968-69, and J.D. Anderson led the Panthers to an 18-10 season in 1980-81. Both seasons occurred before the Panthers moved to Division I. Warren needs eight wins to earn the most by a Panther first-year head coach in the Division I era.

YOUNG GUNS

With 11 of 13 players on the roster being freshmen and sophomores, UNI will rely on its young players to contribute right away this season. The Panthers started three freshmen and one sophomore in their win over Colorado State. Sophomore Danielle Wubbens led the Panthers with 14 points, and sophomore Nicole Clausen came off the bench to score 13. Erin Brocka scored 11 points and grabbed seven rebounds in her collegiate debut, and freshman Jacqui Kalin scored eight points and dished out six assists.

HOME SWEET HOME

The Panthers open the year with a four-game home stand, tying its longest home stand of the year. The Panthers play five home games in the first month of the year, only venturing outside the McLeod Center for a Nov. 28 matchup at Western Illinois.

ONE GAME, ONE WIN

Tanya Warren earned her first career victory as a head coach when the Panthers topped Colorado State 72-58 Friday night. Only two other Panther head coaches won their debut games, Wanda Green in 1968 (the programs' first season) and J.D. Anderson in 1980. Warren is the first to accomplish the feat since UNI joined the Division I ranks in 1982.

PANTHERS SIGN THREE

UNI signed three players this November. Indy Uhlenhopp from North Butler High School and Katelin Oney and Kaitlin Armstrong from Cedar Rapids Washington High School have all agreed to play for the Panthers in 2008-09.

Indy Uhlenhopp is a three-time all-state, all-district and all-conference selection at North Butler High School. The 5-11 guard was also named to the all-state tournament team in 2005-06 and 2006-07, helping North Butler finish as 2A state champions in 2006 and 2007.

Katelin Oney averaged 15.9 points and 3.4 rebounds per game as a junior. She was a first-team all-Mississippi Valley Conference selection and a second-team all-state pick that year. Along with Oney,

Kaitlin "K.K." Armstrong helped Cedar Rapids Washinton reach the state semi-finals in 2006-07, and finish as state runners up in 2005-06 and 2004-05 in class 4A. As a junior, Armstrong averaged 13.5 points and 2.6 rebounds per game, along with 2.2 steals and 2.8 assists.

INSIDE OUT

Danielle Wubbens spent most of the 2006-07 season in at the post. With the addition of several posts to the roster, the 5-8 sophomore has been able to move back to her natural position on the perimeter.

USED TO WINNING

UNI's four in-state freshmen all join the Panther squad after tasting success in high school Erin Brocka helped North Butler win back-to-back 2A state titles. Jacqui Kalin led Sioux City North to a 4A championship in 2007, and Nelia Olson's IKM finished second in 1A in 2007, a year after winning the state title. In class 3A, Rachel Madrigal helped Decorah finish undefeated in the regular season.

PANTHERS PICKED SEVENTH

In a conference filled with teams with 3 or more starters returning, league coaches, SIDs and media members voted UNI to finish seventh in the standings this year.

CHUCK MADNESS

In 2008, the Missouri Valley Conference will hold the women's basketball tournament at a neutral site for the first time. The league's 10 teams will each head to St. Charles, Mo., from March 13-16 to fight for the automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. The four-day tournament will be held at The Family Arena. Tournament information can be found at www.mvcstcharles.com.