The UNI women’s hoops team dropped their Missouri Valley Conference opener at Valparaiso on Friday night 60-58.

The Panthers went cold in the fourth quarter, notching just 9 points in the period. Valparaiso put together a 15-2 run at the end of the game to grab the win. Karli Rucker had a chance to win it at the end with a three-point attempt that bounced off the rim.

Freshman center Grace Boffeli led UNI with a double-double of 13 points and 12 boards. UNI falls to 7-5 overall and start Valley play 0-1.

Loyola got 18 points from Olivia Brown and 13 from Shay Frederick. The Ramblers move to 3-11 overall and 1-2 in Valley play.

UNI continues their weekend road trip with an afternoon contest against the Loyola Ramblers. The game is set for a 1 p.m. Sunday tipoff from Gentile Arena and will be broadcast on ESPN3.