CEDAR FALLS, Iowa – Northern Iowa seniors Jen Keitel and Amber Sorenson scored 15 and 14 points, respectively, to lead the Panthers to a 64-43 win against South Dakota in the McLeod Center on Tuesday night.
 
Northern Iowa improved to 2-0 on the season while South Dakota fell to 0-2.
 
South Dakota shot a mere 28.1 percent (16-for-57) from the field and finished 1-for-10 beyond the arc.
Although the Coyotes crashed the boards to outrebound the Panthers 45-32, South Dakota had 19 turnovers to Northern Iowa's nine. UNI scored 22 points off of Coyote turnovers during the game.
 
"We were playing a bit rushed under pressure instead of with poise, which I believe caused a few of the shooting woes," said head coach Amy Williams. "Even more concerning is having only seven assists and 19 turnovers – that's not the way we want to play basketball. There is a bit of a learning curve early in the season with seven new players and some of that will come with time."
 
After an early bucket by senior center Margaret McCloud, the Coyotes missed eight straight jumpers to help the Panthers on a 12-0 run. Northern Iowa would not trail again. Sophomore Kate Liveringhouse ended the Coyotes' five-minute scoring drought with a layup in the sixth minute of the game.
 
Keitel had eight of her game-high 15 points in the first quarter.
 
The Coyotes started the second quarter down 18-8. South Dakota matched Northern Iowa nearly bucket-for-bucket in the second quarter as Northern Iowa took the halftime lead 35-22.
 
Senior Kelly Stewart sunk the Coyotes only 3-pointer of the game just 20 seconds into the second half to start the Coyotes on a 9-2 run. South Dakota would close the gap down to six, the smallest margin since the first quarter, when a pair of treys by Panther guard Angie Davison would put Northern Iowa back on the board again.
 
After a layup by freshman guard Jaycee Bradley with four minutes remaining in the third quarter, the Coyotes would not score again until two minutes into the fourth. UNI racked up 12 points during the span to increase the lead to 20. The Panthers then outscored the Coyotes 13-8 in the fourth quarter to seal the victory.
 
In addition to Keitel and Sorenson, Northern Iowa's Madison Weekly reached double-digits with 11 points. Sorenson and Sharnae Lamar led the Panther rebounding effort with six boards apiece.
 
Liveringhouse led the Coyotes in scoring with 11 points. She also pulled down five rebounds.
 
Senior point guard Tia Hemiller, junior forward Bridget Arens, and McCloud each tallied six points a piece. McCloud added a team-high six rebounds with four offensive boards.

Northern Iowa ties the all-time series up at 6-6. The home team has won 11 of the 12 match-ups.
 
The 2015 Summit League Preseason Player of the Year Nicole Seekamp, who forfeited two games when the NCAA reinstated her fourth season of eligibility, returns to the court with the Coyotes Thursday.
 
"Nicole makes everyone around her better," said Williams. "I hope she brings that calming presence to the floor, as we have been playing rushed and taking out-of-character shots these first two ball games."
 
South Dakota faces the Big 12's Kansas State at 7 p.m. Thursday in Manhattan, Kan.