UNI women turn pressure into productivity

CEDAR FALLS — Right about the same time the Northern Iowa men's basketball team was in the process of locking up a trip to the Arch Madness final against Evansville, the Panther women's team was taking care of some business of its own.

The women's team completed a weekend road trip with a victory against Evansville to lock up the outright Missouri Valley Conference championship a day before the men beat the Aces for the tournament title.

Talk about synergy.

Coach Tanya Warren had led the Panthers to just the second regular season MVC title in school history, and her team proved it could show some fortitude in a high-pressure situation right as Ben Jacobson's crew was doing the same.

'If last weekend wasn't pressure, I'm not sure what pressure is. That was pressure,' Warren said. 'We have a very good senior class. They're great leaders. … They understand what's at stake. We've been in this position before in terms of the conference tournament; we understand it's survive and advance. And we're going to do everything we can to make sure we play very good basketball (again) on Friday.'

The pressure was absolutely there, but what Warren and her staff tried to do was channel it in a way that made the pressure productive instead of destructive.

This version of the Panthers hasn't had a year quite like this one, and new situations can be daunting. But with what Warren described as some very strong senior leadership and more high-level play from scoring leader, Benton Community alumna Madison Weekly, UNI heads to Moline, Ill., and the MVC Tournament on top and in-sync.

'To be able to accomplish that made all our work this season pay off,' Weekly said. 'I think there was some pressure on us, be we really didn't see it as pressure. We saw it as an opportunity to do something cool. Our coaches kept us calm through it all. I think that really helped and does prepare us for this weekend. It was great preparation and we have to continue to have that mindset; to play our game and not look at it as pressure, but as an opportunity.'

UNI will play the winner of No. 8-seed Wichita State and No. 9-seed Bradley on Friday at 12:30 p.m., and Warren said this week the lead-up to that game will be as routine as the rest of this season has been.

Warren is big on routine, and her players appreciate it. Part of what made clinching the outright title on the road a bit easier was Warren not changing her approach or her message. Seeing success while sticking to what made them who they are on the court puts the Panthers in a very good position, Weekly said.

'They tried to keep their same routine throughout the week and pregame speeches were pretty much the same. That helped us keep in our routine and we didn't see it as anything bigger,' Weekly said. 'I think that really helped us just stay calm and play our game again.

'There's going to be a little difference, but we're still going to come in and play our game. We know we can play with anyone in the conference, so it's nice to have that confidence. We just have to be ready to play.'

UNI most likely has to win the MVC Tournament to go on to the NCAA Tournament, but while Warren is well aware of that, she's not concerned about it.

Her team has taken great strides from dropping games they could have — or maybe, she said, should have — won against South Dakota State and Seton Hall to winning eight straight and nine of their last 10 to finish the regular season.

'This team has come a long ways. It starts with our seniors, their hard work, their leadership,' Warren said. 'And then offensively, if you look at what we've been able to do in conference play, we've had a lot better balance than we had in non-conference. I think that's what has allowed us to really be successful.

'Our expectations are always the same, and that's to compete. Hopefully we find ourselves playing on Sunday, but first we need to take care of business on Friday.'

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