CEDAR FALLS, Iowa -- Kim Wypiszynski's 22 points led Northern Iowa to a 80-60 win over
The University of South Dakota women's basketball team Sunday afternoon in Cedar Falls, Iowa.
It was the second straight win for UNI (4-5), while the loss ended a two-game winning streak for USD (3-4).
Annie Roche (So., Vermillion, S.D.) paced USD with a career-high 20 points, while Abby Kinder (Jr., Granger, Ind.) added 13. Kara Iverson (Sr., Yankton, S.D.) had a season-high 10 points for USD.
The Coyotes started out slowly offensively, hitting just one field goal in the first 6:55 while committing six turnovers, falling behind 12-2 as a result.
However, USD fought back with a big 21-8 run - thanks to 10 points from Kara Iverson -- over the next 7:30 to take a 23-20 lead with 5:34 to go in the first half. Iverson hit two 3-pointers in that spurt, while Roche had six points and Kinder five points as USD erased the double-digit deficit.
USD started out 5-of-8 (62.5 percent) from three-point range.
The Panthers regained the momentum to close the half, outscoring the Coyotes 16-4 to end the half to take a 36-27 lead into halftime.
Two free throws by Jasmine Mosley (Sr., Bellevue, Neb.) cut the Panther lead to 44-38 with 13:04 left in the game, but UNI extended its lead to 61-42 with a 17-4 run over the next six minutes. The Coyotes started out the second half cold, hitting just five of their first 17 field goal attempts (29.4 percent).
USD cut the gap to 63-51 with 4:44 left after a Mosley free throw, but a Rachel Madrigal basket and a three-pointer by Nicole Clausen pushed the UNI lead back to 68-52, and the Coyotes got no closer than 15 the rest of the way.
Iverson and Mosley led with five rebounds each, while Roche had a team-high three assists.
Foul trouble hampered USD much of the game. Sophomore Amber Hegge (Crofton, Neb.), the team's leading scorer, was limited to just nine minutes in the first half with two fouls, while Iverson played just 17 minutes before fouling out. USD was whistled for 26 fouls in the game, compared to 18 for UNI.
The Panthers hit 25-of-31 free throws, compared to 11-of-18 for USD. Northern Iowa had a 40-23 edge in rebounds.
The Coyotes resume action on Sunday, Dec. 20 at home against Mount Marty College. Game time is 1 p.m. at the DakotaDome in Vermillion, S.D. It will mark USD's final game before Christmas.
