Seattle University made a run for a comeback, but fell just short as Northern Iowa (19-14) came away with the win, 68-64, in the Women's Basketball Invitational semifinals.
"The opportunity for us to be in this tournament has really helped our program," said head coach Joan Bonvicini. "We've grown by leaps and bounds. For Talisa [Rhea] and Elle [Kerfoot] and our other seniors, [we will miss] their leadership and their competitiveness. What we want to do is build a great program, so I think they've set the groundwork for what we want in the future by what we've accomplished."
The Redhawks jumped out to a five-point lead, 7-2, with 14:56 remaining in the first half, followed by a 9-1 run by Northern Iowa. The teams then traded baskets for much of the remainder of the first half with four ties between the 10:24 and 8:14 marks of the first half.
The Panthers went on an 11-2 run over the last four minutes of the first half to put them ahead by seven, 32-25, at halftime.
Northern Iowa continued the offensive run, leading by as many as 14 with 9:50 remaining in the game, 54-40.
The Redhawks then started an offensive run, coming within one point two different times under the five-minute mark.
Northern Iowa held on to a lead of five points or less for the remainder of the game, and the Redhawks came back to within two, 66-64, with seven seconds remaining, but two made free throws by Katelin Oney gave the Panthers the win, 68-64.
Talisa Rhea (Juneau, Alaska) led the Redhawks with 21 points, as well as eight rebounds, three assists, a block, and five steals. Kacie Sowell (Ventura, Calif.) recorded her 18th double-double of the season, scoring 16 points and bringing down 13 rebounds, while shooting 10-for-16 from the free-throw line. Daidra Brown (Seattle, Wash.) also scored in double-digits, scoring 10 points and recording eight rebounds, two assists, and two steals.
Oney led the Panthers with 22 points, including six three-pointers, and also recorded two rebounds and an assist. Rachel Madrigal scored 16 points, shooting 7-for-13 from the field, and brought down five rebounds.
Northern Iowa led in field-goal percentage (44.2 percent to 28.1 percent) and three-point field-goal percentage (40.0 percent to 18.2 percent), but Seattle U led in free-throw percentage (63.4 percent to 54.4 percent). The Redhawks out-rebounded the Panthers, 52-34, and also led in steals, 11-5.
Seattle U (20-12) finishes a historical season, making their first NCAA Division I postseason run and recording their first 20-win season as an NCAA Division I program.