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 pm semifinal.
The Panthers initially grabbed control with defense, forcing Valpo into a tone 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. Valpo made some small dents in the second half, but UNI’s cushion was much too large. Valpo shot just 29% on the evening.
More from the MVC Tournament:Drake women’s basketball goes cold in second half of MVC quarterfinal loss to Missouri State
Kam Finley led the Panthers with 16 points. Grace Boffeli added a double-double with 10 points and 14 rebounds.
Dargan Southard covers Iowa and UNI athletics, recruiting and preps for the Des Moines Register, HawkCentral.com and the Iowa City Press-Citizen. Email him at msouthard@gannett.com or follow him on Twitter at @Dargan_Southard.
