YORK, Neb. – The York University women's basketball team closed out 2025 with an 80-72 victory over Midland University Wednesday afternoon.

The Panthers are now 5-9 on the season. 

Head coach Corinna Minjarez's team was paced by Destiny Shepherd's 23-point effort. Monique Contreras added 15 points and four rebounds while Laurn Hiltl added 11 points. Alesia Rand chipped in nine markers while Olivia Adams accounted for eight points and seven rebounds.

Yareli Gomez had seven points and six boards while Zoe Brown and Amaya Payne netted three points apiece. Alliyana Page snagged 12 rebounds in the victory. 

A pair of free throws and a lay-up by Rand gave York its first lead at 4-3. Down 5-4, Contreras buried a three-ball. Shepherd followed it up with a pair of charity tosses at the 5:15 mark for a 9-5 edge. Leading 9-6, Hiltl canned two free throws. With a 17-12 edge and under 15 seconds to go in the quarter, Payne found Gomez for a jumper, extending the margin to seven, 19-12. 

Gomez pushed the advantage to nine, 21-12, just 20 seconds into the second frame. Down 25-24, Contreras connected with Adams for a jumper at the 4:43 mark. Trailing 27-26, Shepherd registered an old-fashioned three-point play. Midland sliced the deficit to 32-30 at the break. 

Down 40-36, Contreras and Rand hit shots, giving the Panthers a one-point cushion with 5:29 to play in the third. Trailing 45-41, Contreras made a free throw. Shepherd netted an old-fashioned three-point play, knotting the score at 45-45. With the score at 50-50, Shepherd hit two charity tosses with two ticks on the clock, giving the home squad a two-point margin entering the final 10 minutes of action.

With a 61-59 lead at the 6:55 mark, Shepherd connected on an inside bucket before hitting a free throw. Rand's lay-up off a pass from Gomez extended the margin to 66-59. Midland pulled within five at 70-65 before Brown found Shepherd for a shot from downtown, making it 73-67 with 2:19 to go. Leading 76-72, York hit four free throws down the stretch, securing the eight-point win.  

For the game, York hit 24-of-62 from the floor, including 10-of-28 from downtown. The team buried 22-of-33 charity shots. The Panthers held a 41-36 edge on the glass, including a 12-5 margin on the offensive side. York dished out 16 assists and maintained a 13-6 advantage in second-chance points. 

The Panthers return to action Saturday when they host Southwestern College at 1 p.m. Live stats and video will be available at Yorkpanthers.com.