A complete effort from start to finish is exactly what the Northern Iowa women’s basketball team needed Friday night.
The No. 3 seed Panthers zoomed by No. 6 seed Valparaiso for a 63-39 win in the MVC Tournament quarterfinals at TaxSlayer Center in Moline, Illinois. With the win, UNI (21-9) will face No. 2 seed Missouri State in Saturday’s 4 p.m. semifinal.
The Panthers initially grabbed control with defense, forcing Valpo into a ton of tough looks that had little chance of falling. UNI held Valpo (11-19) to 11 first-half points to establish dominance.
The Panthers then ended the second quarter on a 10-0 run for a 20-point halftime advantage.