UNI women’s season shifts into high gear
Posted: Wednesday, November 19, 2008
CEDAR FALLS -- Thanks to Nicole Clausen and K.K. Armstrong's furious running and gunning, Northern Iowa's women's basketball squad came back from a 16-point second-half deficit in its opener at North Dakota State.
Now, the pace picks up even more.
The Panthers (1-0) host intrastate rival Iowa State Thursday at 7:05 p.m., and the Cyclones, ranked No. 24 in the ESPN/USA Today poll, are far less likely to ease off the gas pedal than North Dakota State.
"This will be a good test for us. I think we can really prove something come Thursday," noted Clausen, a swing player who scored a game-high 27 points last Friday in Fargo, N.D.
"Being an instate game, it adds a little more excitement," Clausen, a Denison native, explained. "Northern Iowa Panthers mostly hear about Iowa State and Iowa, and we're gonna look to put our name out there too."
Iowa State's name was prominently displayed in most preseason publications. The Cyclones (1-0) are one of a handful of ranked squads from arguably the best women's basketball conference in the nation, the Big 12. And, as Iowa State begins a six-game road trip, it knows the importance of taking care of business in Cedar Falls.
"The next 12-13 days could define our season -- look at who we're playing and where," explained Cyclone coach Bill Fennelly, whose squad will play No. 8 Stanford on Nov. 30. "The world changes dramatically on Thursday."
Iowa State is led by junior guard Allison Lacey, a Canberra, Australia, native whom Fennelly says could be one of his program's best players ever.
But UNI, which shot an eye-opening 72 percent in the second half at North Dakota State, is confident. Especially after watching Clausen and freshman guard K.K. Armstrong combine for 52 points in Fargo.
"We were really able to go out and push the ball," said Clausen. "That will be more our style of play this year."
The Panthers haven't beaten Iowa State since 2002, and will play Thursday without star guard Jacqui Kalin, still day-to-day with an ankle injury.
Yet, second-year UNI coach Tanya Warren still likes her club's chances.
"Iowa State, they love to shoot the 3," Warren noted. "We're gonna have to be able to take away wide-open looks. We have to make them defend.
"If we can do those things," Warren added, "and play with intelligence and great enthusiasm, it will be a very good ballgame."
Now, the pace picks up even more.
The Panthers (1-0) host intrastate rival Iowa State Thursday at 7:05 p.m., and the Cyclones, ranked No. 24 in the ESPN/USA Today poll, are far less likely to ease off the gas pedal than North Dakota State.
"This will be a good test for us. I think we can really prove something come Thursday," noted Clausen, a swing player who scored a game-high 27 points last Friday in Fargo, N.D.
"Being an instate game, it adds a little more excitement," Clausen, a Denison native, explained. "Northern Iowa Panthers mostly hear about Iowa State and Iowa, and we're gonna look to put our name out there too."
Iowa State's name was prominently displayed in most preseason publications. The Cyclones (1-0) are one of a handful of ranked squads from arguably the best women's basketball conference in the nation, the Big 12. And, as Iowa State begins a six-game road trip, it knows the importance of taking care of business in Cedar Falls.
"The next 12-13 days could define our season -- look at who we're playing and where," explained Cyclone coach Bill Fennelly, whose squad will play No. 8 Stanford on Nov. 30. "The world changes dramatically on Thursday."
Iowa State is led by junior guard Allison Lacey, a Canberra, Australia, native whom Fennelly says could be one of his program's best players ever.
But UNI, which shot an eye-opening 72 percent in the second half at North Dakota State, is confident. Especially after watching Clausen and freshman guard K.K. Armstrong combine for 52 points in Fargo.
"We were really able to go out and push the ball," said Clausen. "That will be more our style of play this year."
The Panthers haven't beaten Iowa State since 2002, and will play Thursday without star guard Jacqui Kalin, still day-to-day with an ankle injury.
Yet, second-year UNI coach Tanya Warren still likes her club's chances.
"Iowa State, they love to shoot the 3," Warren noted. "We're gonna have to be able to take away wide-open looks. We have to make them defend.
"If we can do those things," Warren added, "and play with intelligence and great enthusiasm, it will be a very good ballgame."
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