ST. CHARLES, Mo. (AP) — Katelin Oney scored 16 points and Amber Kirschbaum added 12 points and a game-high 11 rebounds to lead Northern Iowa to a 69-41 victory over Missouri State in the Missouri Valley Conference championship game on Sunday.
Northern Iowa advances to the NCAA tournament for the second year in a row. The top-seeded Panthers (27-5) have won a school-record 19 successive games.
Casey Garrison led third-seeded Missouri State (23-10) with a game-high 17 points.
Northern Iowa used a 17-0 run in the first half to take control. Jacqui Kalin, who was selected as the Most Valuable Player of the tournament, triggered the spurt with a pair of 3-pointers.
Kalin finished with 13 points. K.K. Armstrong added 14 points off the bench for the Panthers.
Northern Iowa has won its last nine games by 10 points or more.
