CEDAR FALLS, Iowa ? Indiana State had a lot to fight for on Tuesday night on the road against Northern Iowa. The Sycamores (14-14, 8-9 MVC) were looking for just their second Missouri Valley Conference road win and they were also looking to secure a top-six seed in the upcoming State Farm Missouri Valley Conference Tournament, but the team's road woes continued and the Panthers (16-13, 8-9 MVC) earned a 73-58 win to tie ISU for sixth place in the conference standings at the McLeod Center.
The Panthers jumped out to an early 2-0 lead on a layup by Eric Coleman, but the Sycamores answered right back with a three-pointer from Harry Marshall to take a 3-2 lead. However, the Panthers took control after that point and proceeded to go on a 15-5 run to widen their lead to 15-8 at the 11:17 mark of the first half. ISU chipped into the UNI lead, cutting the advantage to four points at 17-13 after a three-pointer by Jay Tunnell with 9:17 left.
UNI then went on its second long scoring run of the half, this time a 13-6 stretch that extended its lead to 30-19 after a three-pointer by Jared Josten with 5:22 remaining in the first half. ISU did not back away, though, and the Sycamores scored the next six points, capped off by a jumper by Tunnell, to cut the lead to five points. After two free throws by Coleman, UNI took a seven-point lead but ISU got two free throws from Adam Arnold and then two more from Isiah Martin to cut the lead to 32-29 with just 1:17 left. Josten then hit a free throw to put UNI back up by four, before a three-pointer by Cole Holmstrom brought ISU within one point at 33-32. The Panthers got the final points of the half on a Travis Brown jumper to take a 35-32 lead into the locker room at halftime.
After the intermission, Marico Stinson connected from three-point range to tie the game at 35-35 just 12 seconds in. The Panthers then scored the next six points to take a 41-35 lead, before Stinson connected on another three to cut the lead to three. Adam Koch's free throw put UNI back up by four quickly after, but Tunnell connected on a three-point play to cut the lead back to one at 42-41 with 14:42 left to play.
The UNI lead stayed within five points over the next seven minutes, until a three-pointer by Adam Viet widened the lead to seven at 55-48 at the 7:08 mark. That lead would later grow to 62-52 after Josten made two free throws for UNI, but Martin answered with a layup to cut the lead to eight with 4:16 left in the game. Two free throws from Kerwin Dunham later put the Panthers up by 11, before Todd McCoy answered with two free throws of his own to cut the lead back to nine with 2:44 remaining.
After both teams traded free throws to make the score 66-57, the Panthers took over down the stretch and held steady at the free throw line to secure the 73-58 win. Tunnell led the way for the Sycamores with 12 points and a career-high 13 rebounds to record his second double-double of the season and the fourth of his career. Coleman led the way for the Panthers with a game-high 21 points to go along with 13 rebounds.
The Sycamores wrap up the regular season on Saturday, March 1, when they face off against the Missouri State Bears. ISU seniors Gabe Moore, Mick Yelovich and Todd McCoy will also be honored as part of the Senior Day festivities, with tip off set for 7:05 p.m. EST at the Hulman Center.
