CORALVILLE — Top-seeded Murray State used a dominant fourth quarter to pull away from Northern Iowa and secure a 72-59 victory Saturday in the Missouri Valley Conference women’s basketball tournament semifinals at Xtream Arena.

The Racers (30-3) outscored the Panthers 22-6 in the final period to erase a tight game and advance to the MVC championship game.

UNI (18-14) battled back from an early deficit and briefly held the lead late in the third quarter before Murray State regained control behind a barrage of perimeter shooting.

“I’m really proud of our team and the way they competed,” Northern Iowa head coach Tanya Warren said. “We had some stretches where we did some really good things, but you can’t have those lapses against a team like Murray State.”

The Racers were led by Keslyn Secrist, who scored 22 points and hit four 3-pointers. Haven Ford added 19 points, five assists and four rebounds, while Waterloo native Halli Poock finished with 13 points and seven assists.

Murray State made 11-of-28 attempts from deep.

Northern Iowa struggled from long range, finishing just 3 of 19 from 3-point distance.

Ryley Goebel and Jenna Twedt each scored 12 points to lead the Panthers. Goebel also grabbed eight rebounds, while Abby Tuttle added 14 points off the bench.

UNI fell behind early as Murray State opened the game on a 9-0 run and built a 25-13 lead after the first quarter.

The Panthers chipped away in the second quarter, cutting the deficit to seven by halftime at 38-31.

“We just had to settle in and start playing our game,” Warren said. “I thought our kids responded really well after that first quarter.”

Northern Iowa carried that momentum into the third, outscoring the Racers 22-12 in the quarter. The Panthers briefly took the lead when Twedt scored inside to put UNI ahead 44-43 with under five minutes remaining.

Bri Robinson’s three-point play later in the period pushed the Panthers’ advantage to 47-46, and Abby Tuttle’s fast-break layup gave UNI a 53-50 lead heading into the final quarter.

But Murray State quickly swung the momentum back.

Poock opened the fourth quarter with a layup and then buried back-to-back 3-pointers to spark a decisive run. Secrist added two more triples as the Racers stretched the lead to double digits midway through the period.

“We knew it was going to be a battle,” Murray State head coach Rechelle Turner said. “Our group stayed composed and made big plays when we needed them.”

The Panthers were held to just two field goals in the fourth quarter, shooting 2-of-19.

Despite the loss, Warren praised her team’s effort throughout the tournament and the season.

“This group fought all year,” Warren said. “They showed a lot of resilience and a lot of growth, and I’m proud of what they’ve accomplished.”

Murray St. 72, UNI 59

N. IOWA (18-14) — Goebel 6-11 0-0 12, Jaeger 2-5 2-3 7, Twedt 3-14 5-5 12, Wharton 1-8 0-0 2, Janes 2-4 0-0 4, Tuttle 5-12 3-3 14, Edmondson 0-0 0-0 0, Nicholson 0-1 0-0 0, Robinson 1-7 2-3 4, Schmotzer 0-0 0-0 0, Walker 1-3 2-2 4. TOTALS 21-65 14-16 59.

MURRAY ST. (30-3) — Poock 5-13 0-0 13, Ford 6-12 5-5 19, Pena 1-4 0-0 3, Secrist 9-15 0-0 22, Currie-Jelks 4-11 2-2 10, Cook 0-2 0-0 0, Minch 0-0 0-0 0, Baker 1-2 0-0 3, Hoover 0-0 0-0 0, Thomas 1-2 0-0 2. TOTALS 27-61 7-7 72.

UNI 13 18 22 6 — 59

MURRAY ST. 25 13 12 22 — 72

3-Point Goals–UNI 3-19 (Jaeger 1-2, Tuttle 1-5, Twedt 1-7, Goebel 0-1, Janes 0-1, Robinson 0-1, Walker 0-1, Nicholson 0-1), Murray St. 11-28 (Secrist 4-8, Poock 3-6, Ford 2-5, Baker 1-2, Pena 1-3, Currie-Jelks 0-1, Thomas 0-1, Cook 0-2). Rebounds–UNI 41 (Goebel 8), Murray St. 37 (Currie-Jelks 13). Assists–UNI 4 (Jaeger 2), Murray St. 18 (Poock 7). Total Fouls–UNI 12, Murray St. 16. Fouled Out–none.