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Women's basketball falls in season opener Cornell leads Rams with 12 points and 8 rebounds
Nov. 9, 2007
CEDAR FALLS, Iowa -Sophomore forward Juanise Cornell turned in a 12-point, 8-rebound effort to lead the Rams in both categories, but it was not enough as Colorado State (0-1) dropped its season opener at Northern Iowa (1-0), 72-58, in front of 421 fans at the McLeod Center. UNI opened on a 10-2 run over the game's first four minutes, and extended the lead to 19-6 just eight minutes into the contest, putting Colorado State into an early deficit that proved to be the difference in the contest. The Rams made several runs to keep the lead in single digits, but the Panthers responded each time, shooting 5-for-8 from 3-point range in the game's opening stanza. Despite causing 10 first-half turnovers by the Panthers, Colorado State entered halftime trailing by 15 points. The Rams' defensive pressure kept CSU in the game. Northern Iowa turned the ball over 16 times in the contest and the Rams converted those chances into 19 points. UNI made up for the deficit in points off turnovers by outrebounding Colorado State by a 36-26 margin and pouring in 18 second-chance points off of 10 offensive rebounds.
The Rams trailed by as many as 19 points, less than two minutes into the second half, but CSU rallied behind a 13-4 run to keep the game within reach, 50-40, with 13 minutes left to play. Trailing 54-42 midway through the second half, Cornell's layup at the 9:37 mark triggered another 8-2 CSU run. Junior Carine Reimink capped the run with six straight points to cut the Rams' deficit to eight points, 56-48. As in the first half, UNI responded with a pair of 3-pointers as part of an 8-0 run to push the lead back to 16 points, 64-48. Senior Sara Hunter added eight points, including two 3-pointers, in the game's final five minutes, but it was not enough to catch the Panthers. Hunter finished with 10 points, two rebounds and two assists while committing no turnovers in 39 minutes of action. Freshman forward Lauren Young, who started in her first collegiate game, tallied nine points in 15 minutes. Reimink added eight points and six rebounds in 19 minutes off the bench. Emily Neal and Kelly Rae Finley each chipped in seven points. UNI's Danlielle Wubbens and Nicole Claussen tallied 14 and 13 points, respectively. Claussen shot 3-for-5 from 3-point range, while Wubbens was 2 for 3 from long range. |
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