Southern Illinoise University Athletics
Southern Illinois University
18-5, 7-3MVC
Northern Iowa
12-11, 4-6MVC
| Team | 1 | 2 | F |
|---|---|---|---|
| Southern Illinois | 29 | 29 | 58 |
| Northern Iowa | 29 | 38 | 67 |
Northern Iowa tops Men's Basketball, 67-58
01/31/2016 | 12:00:00 | Men's Basketball
CEDAR FALLS, Iowa - Northern Iowa rallied from an 11-point deficit, held Southern Illinois to a season low in scoring, and handed SIU its first road loss of the season, 67-58, on Sunday afternoon at the McLeod Center.
The Salukis (18-5, 7-3) got off to a great start, jumping to a 23-12 lead with 6:27 remaining in the first half behind a potent inside-outside combo of forward Sean O'Brien and guard Anthony Beane. The duo combined to score 19 first-half points, however the Panthers (12-11, 4-6) closed the half on a 17-6 run to tie the game, 29-29, at halftime.
UNI seized control of the contest early in the second half behind the dominating, low-post presence of Bennett Koch. The 6-foot-9 sophomore scored 15 of his career-high 22 points in the second half, making 8-of-9 field goals on the day. His array of post moves had SIU's big men in foul trouble all afternoon, fouling out both Bola Olaniyan and Ibby Djimde.
"Our bigs just have to do a better job defensively," said SIU head coach Barry Hinson. "(Koch) just whipped us. Kid has a career night, a career game. We did a job like we said we had to do on (Matt) Bohannon and (Paul) Jesperson. Koch got a lot of openings because we couldn't control (Wes) Washpun."
Both team's sharpshooters were mostly off-target from 3-point range -- SIU was 4-of-18 as a team, while UNI finished 3-of-19. The Panthers have struggled this season when their perimeter shots aren't falling, but today they were able to spread the floor and allow space for Washpun to create. The explosive point guard probed his way through Southern's defense for 16 points and three assists.
The game began slipping away from SIU midway through the second half. After Southern cut the deficit to 46-44 on a Beane pull-up jumper, the Panthers went on a 12-2 run that featured eight points by Koch. Southern's bench was assessed a technical foul with 6:09 remaining that led to two free throws by Bohannon and made the score 58-46. The Saluki coaching staff complained about a scramble for a loose ball in which Beane ended up on the floor.
"We lost our composure today -- staff included," Hinson said. "You have to be focused in order to win a ballgame. Every bit of your focus has to be on your gameplan and how to execute it. It can't be on officiating."
Beane, who finished with a team-high 16 points, sat out for two minutes after he was shaken up. By the time he re-entered, the outcome was no longer in question. In the first meeting between the teams in Carbondale, Beane was unstoppable with 32 points on 11-of-17 shooting. Today, the All-Conference guard was 7-of-16 from the field, but he had little help from his back-court mates who were 3-of-14 combined from 3-point.
"We got selfish down the stretch," Hinson explained. "Everybody started trying to hit home runs. We got away from our gameplan."
Although the Salukis struggled to defend the post, they did get some good post-up action themselves from O'Brien, who scored 14 points and added four assists. All but four of his points came in the first half.
"We wanted to play through Sean and that's where we got selfish in the second half," Hinson said. "For whatever reason, we just stopped doing it. And Sean has to finish some baskets and he's got to make his free throws."
Northern Iowa has experienced an up-and-down season. The team is currently in seventh place in the Missouri Valley Conference, two games below .500, but the Panthers also have non-conference wins over nationally ranked North Carolina and Iowa State. Head coach Ben Jacobson said this season has tested his team's resolve.
"It's not easy to stay positive, as much as you want to and as hard as you try," he said. "We talk a lot about that and trying to work your way through this. It doesn't mean it's easy. It's hard...so it's a little blessing when something like this (victory) happens."
Playing in front of a hostile road crowd for the first time this season, SIU saw its nation-leading eight-game road winning streak come to an end. The program has not won in Cedar Falls since 2004 and dropped to 0-10 at the McLeod Center.
Even with the loss, SIU remained tied for second place with Evansville in the Missouri Valley Conference standings, three games behind league-leading Wichita State. The Salukis will face the Shockers in Wichita on Wednesday night.
"If we continue to do what we did today, we're going to destroy all the things we've worked for to get to this point," Hinson said. "If this is not a wakeup call for us, then we're going to have issues."
