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Mattox Hits Career-High 20 Points in Loss at UNI

Women's Basketball ISU Athletics

Mattox Hits Career-High 20 Points in Loss at UNI

CEDAR FALLS, Iowa -- Sophomore Deja Mattox had a career-high 20 points off the bench, but it was not enough to get past an 85-68 loss at Northern Iowa's McLeod Center on Saturday night. With the loss, ISU drops to 11-9 (2-7 MVC).

Mattox totaled her 20 points on 6-for-8 shooting, including four 3-pointers. The Peru, Ind., native also had a team-leading four rebounds and passed her previous career best of 14 points, which she had tied three times. As a team, Indiana State shot 50 percent, its second-best effort of the year.

"Deja played really well tonight," Head Coach Jim Wiedie said. "I think it's the best game she's played since she's been here. A couple of the others didn't get as much rotation time because of how well she, Brittany (Schoen) and (Kelsey) Luna were playing. It's nice to see Deja break out and have a good game. If we can get something close to that on a regular basis, it's going to go a long way to help the cause."

Senior guard Kelsey Luna and sophomore guard Brittany Schoen also contributed 12 points apiece. Luna was 5-for-13 and tied her career high with eight assists, while Schoen finished 4-for-8 with a trio of 3-pointers.

UNI (8-12, 4-5 MVC) leaned on Jacqui Kalin, who put up 34 points on an 11-for-17 performance with five treys. Kalin was also a perfect 7-for-7 from the free throw line, leading the Panthers' 27-of-28 team effort from the charity stripe. Kim Wypiszynski was 11-for-11 in free throws, finishing with 13 points of her own.

Sophomore center Shannon Thomas got the scoring started immediately for ISU with a layup, but two Kalin 3-pointers and a pair of baskets from Erin Brocka put UNI up by six. A jumper from Luna and a three by Mattox cut it to one, and a shot from sophomore guard Chelsea Buher, a Luna triple and a bucket from Mattox made it 16-14 ISU.

The Panthers rallied, but offense from Mattox and junior forward Kelsie Cooley kept it in check at 21-18. Luna then took it out to a lead of five, and a layup by Cooley paired with another Mattox three extended ISU's advantage to 31-24. After UNI tied it up at 31-all, Schoen banked in her first 3-pointer of the day. Two Panther baskets put them back in the lead, but a free throw by senior center Laurence Rivest matched the two teams at 35-35 at the half.

Early second-half shots by Cooley and Schoen were tempered by six points from Kalin, and Northern Iowa went up by four on a triple from Nicole Clausen. Freshman guard Taylor Whitley countered with a shot in the paint, and another trey from Schoen gave the Sycamores a 45-44 ballgame. Kalin and Brocka then combined for six points, and Luna tossed in a layup and a free throw to make it a two-point deficit.

The Panthers took command on a seven unanswered points from Brocka, and despite an inside move from Luna for two, Kalin dropped in two more threes. A jumper from Whitley was followed by six UNI free throws before a three from K.K. Armstrong iced a 20-point lead. Mattox responded with five points, and buckets by Schoen and Pedro brought it to 75-61. Whitley added a layup to narrow the game to 12, but the Panthers banked in eight more points in the closing minutes to earn the 85-68 win.

Indiana State returns to action on Saturday, Feb. 6, traveling to Illinois State. Tipoff is set for 3:05 p.m. in Normal, Ill.

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Players Mentioned

Chelsea Buher

#25 Chelsea Buher

G/F
6' 0"
Sophomore
Kelsie Cooley

#31 Kelsie Cooley

F
6' 1"
Junior
Kelsey Luna

#33 Kelsey Luna

G
5' 5"
Senior
Deja Mattox

#13 Deja Mattox

G/F
6' 0"
Sophomore
Laurence Rivest

#50 Laurence Rivest

C
6' 1"
Senior
Brittany Schoen

#1 Brittany Schoen

G
5' 6"
Sophomore
Shannon Thomas

#5 Shannon Thomas

C
6' 4"
Sophomore
Taylor Whitley

#23 Taylor Whitley

G
5' 9"
Freshman

Players Mentioned

Chelsea Buher

#25 Chelsea Buher

6' 0"
Sophomore
G/F
Kelsie Cooley

#31 Kelsie Cooley

6' 1"
Junior
F
Kelsey Luna

#33 Kelsey Luna

5' 5"
Senior
G
Deja Mattox

#13 Deja Mattox

6' 0"
Sophomore
G/F
Laurence Rivest

#50 Laurence Rivest

6' 1"
Senior
C
Brittany Schoen

#1 Brittany Schoen

5' 6"
Sophomore
G
Shannon Thomas

#5 Shannon Thomas

6' 4"
Sophomore
C
Taylor Whitley

#23 Taylor Whitley

5' 9"
Freshman
G