Feb. 21, 2014

Final Stats | Photo Gallery

CHICAGO - Northern Iowa raced out to a double-digit lead in the first half and never looked back, handing Loyola its fourth straight loss, 73-49, this evening at Gentile Arena. The Panthers move to 14-11 (10-4 Missouri Valley), while the Ramblers slide to 9-16 (5-8 Missouri Valley).

The visitors from Cedar Falls, Iowa jumped out to a 4-0 advantage in the game's opening minutes before Troy Hambric got Loyola on the board (4-2) with 17:45 remaining. Brooke Brown connected from beyond the three-point arc shortly thereafter (7-2), one of seven shots from distance the Panthers would connect on in the first half. A basket from Taylor Nazon brought the deficit back down to five (13-8) before Madison Weekly nailed her second three of the night, which was followed by a Jen Keitel score to push the Panther lead into double figures (18-8) for the first time.

Hambric and Molly Crosby connected on back-to-back possessions to claw Loyola back within six (18-12) but Northern Iowa answered with an 11-0 run to bring its lead up to 17 (29-12) as it rolled into halftime with a 36-20 lead. The Panthers held Loyola to 30% from the field (9-of-30) in the first half and used a sizeable advantage in bench scoring (20-4) to establish gain separation.

The lead hovered between 16 and 19 points in the early stages of the second half before a three from Amber Sorenson brought the margin over 20 (47-25) with 16:08 left to play. Nazon and Hambric answered for Loyola to chip the deficit down to 18 (47-29) but Northern Iowa pushed its lead over 20 for good (52-31) on a Weekly three-point shot as the Panthers cruised to their tenth victory of the season in Valley play.

Hambric was the only Rambler to finish in double figures with 16 points. She also grabbed five rebounds, tying for the team-lead with Cate Soane. Weekly was fantastic for Northern Iowa, pouring in 23 points on 7-of-12 shooting, including 6-of-11 from three-point range.

Loyola returns to action on Sunday afternoon when it hosts Drake. Tip-off is slated for 2 p.m. from inside Gentile Arena.