The UNI women’s basketball team pushed their record to 2-0 in the Missouri Valley Conference as they suprised Southwest Missouri State 65-55 last night at the West Gym, a team that was a near unanimous choice to win the Valley this season. Northern Iowa was carried by senior Alex Cook who scored 16-points and pulled down 14-rebounds. Emily Berry added 14-points, including four 3-pointers. Cook feels strong defense has been the key. He says she doesn’t know how to explain it, just right now they’re depending on their defense and they’re loving it. Panthers coach Tony DiCecco praised the play of Cook. He says her leadership is “absolutely amazing” and the way she played after picking up some fouls.DiCecco feels the Panthers need to do well on their homecourt if they hope to challenge for the M-V-C title. He says they talk a lot about taking care of things at home to be in the race, and then trying to get three or four wins on the road. The Panthers are 8-5 overall. They visit Bradley on Saturday.