MOLINE, Ill. – Taylor Hagen drove to the basket and hit a contested layup with 17 seconds left to give UNI a 64-63 lead and the third-seeded Panthers held on for the 66-63 win over the six-seed Southern Illinois in the quarterfinals of the Missouri Valley Championship Friday evening at the TaxSlayer Center.
The Panthers led much of the final three quarters, but Southern Illinois rallied to take a 60-58 lead with 1:48 to play in the game. The Panthers responded with a 4-0 run with free throws and a bucket by Karli Rucker to regain a 62-60 lead with a minute to play.