 Illinois State capitalized on Panther mistakes, picking up 30 points
off 16 UNI turnovers. Four Redbirds scored in double figures, with
Bobby Hunter and Daishon Knight pacing the Redbird offense at 17 and
15 points, respectively.
Matt Bohannan led the way for the Panthers, leading all scorers
with 19, while Seth Tuttle added 15 points and 10 rebounds.
Back-to-back 3-point baskets from Paris Lee and Hunter put the
Redbirds up an early six points, but eight straight points from
Tuttle would aid in a 16-2 run from the Panthers. A Jamaal Samuel
layup silenced the run, making the score 16-10.
At the 10:05 mark, Bohannan picked up the Panthers' fourth
3-pointer, as Northern Iowa went 6 for 9 from behind the arc in the
opening half. After Lee missed a 3-point shot with 6:32 to play in
the half, the freshman guard grabbed his own rebound, dishing the
ball out to Hunter for a basket from behind the arc. A pair of free
throws from Tuttle put the Panthers up 26-22, but Zach Lofton
answered with a 3-point make of his own.
At the four-minute mark, Northern Iowa notched five quick points,
including its fifth 3-pointer of the game, but in the final seconds
of the half, Samuel knocked in a bucket, shrinking the Panther lead
and making the score 34-31. The New Orleans, La., native concluded
the half with eight points on his way to finishing the game with a
career-best 10 points.
In the opening minute of the second half, Hunter capitalized on a
steal, converting a Panther turnover into a quick two points. UNI
did not back down, as it answered the Redbirds with a Tuttle layup
and a 3-pointer from Bohannan off an ISU turnover, extending its
lead to 39-33.
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At 15:37, Knight picked up a pair of free throws, followed by a
fast-break layup to tie the game at 39. Lofton added a jumper to
give the Redbirds their first lead of the game since the 15:34 mark
of the first half, but UNI answered right away with a quick layup
from Jeremy Morgan. At 12:53 a Panther turnover sparked a Knight
dunk, igniting the crowd and giving the Redbirds a 45-41 lead.
Knight converted on another UNI turnover with a shot from behind the
arc to give ISU a nine-point lead.
The Redbirds were 8 for 13 in the first 10 minutes (60 percent)
of the second half, until a missed 3-point attempt from Nick
Zeisloft, but the LaGrange native would not be rattled as he knocked
down the very next shot from behind the arc.
With just under six minutes to play, Lofton converted a
three-point play, giving the Redbirds a 58-52 lead, but Northern
Iowa would not quit, as Bohannan hit a quick jumper to keep the
Panthers within reach. A pair of free throws from Morgan at the
four-minute mark closed the gap to 62-56, but it would not be enough
for the Panthers. Hunter sealed the victory with the seventh Redbird
3, and a pair of free throws from Tony Wills would give ISU an
11-point lead. Reggie Lynch scored his seventh point in the final
minutes, after making a free throw to convert an old-fashioned
three-point play. Northern Iowa answered with a quick layup, but the
Redbirds claimed the victory 76-65.
Illinois State is back in action Sunday, as the Redbirds travel
to Loyola for a 3:05 p.m. tipoff. The game will be available on
ESPN3.
[Text from
news release received from
Illinois State University] |
