It was all U.N.I. in the McLeod Center last night as the Panthers rolled past the Iowa Hawkeyes 67-50. The Panthers took control with a 22-1 run in the opening half as they improve to 2-0 in the in-state series after winning at Iowa State last week.
It is the third time in school history that U.N.I. has beaten the Hawks and Cyclones in the same season. The Panthers are 6-1 and next up host Siena on Saturday. The Hawkeyes are 3-6 and visit Iowa State on Friday night.
The basketball series between Iowa and Iowa State will be played out over the next two nights in Hilton Coliseum beginning with the women’s matchup Thursday. The Cyclones are off to a 5-1 start after a victory against Arkansas-Pine Bluff over the weekend and their only setback was on the road against Drake.
With Kachine Alexander and JoAnn Hamlin out of the lineup the injury plagued Hawkeyes have dropped two straight and stand 5-4 on the season. The Hawkeyes opened the Big Ten race on Sunday with a 54-51 loss to Michigan and in their only in-state contest to this point posted a victory at U.N.I. The Hawkeyes won last year’s matchup in Iowa City and leads the all-time series 21-18.
The men’s contest is Friday night and the Cyclones will be a heavy favorite despite a three game losing streak. After starting the season 6-0 the Cycklones are now 6-3 after a 19 point loss at California and will host an Iowa team once again could not score more than 50 points in a lopsided loss at UNI on Tuesday night. the Hawkeyes are 3-6.