Ace Hunt
GoSycamores.com
CEDAR FALLS, Iowa -- Indiana State made a large run in the first half and got themselves into the contest with a 12-1 spurt to begin the second stanza, but it wasn't enough to overcome Northern Iowa's hot shooting from 3-point range as the Sycamores fell to the Panthers 65-48 in front of 3,409 fans at the McLeod Center.
The Sycamores dropped to 10-4, 1-2 MVC while UNI ended a three-game losing streak to improve to 11-4, 1-2 MVC.
Indiana State was led in scoring with 15 points by Dwayne Lathan while Carl Richard added 10. ISU was limited to just 37.5 percent shooting (18-of-48) in the game, including a 3-of-15 mark from 3-point range (20.4 percent).
Mahurin made it a close game late after the Sycamores trailed by as many as 17 points late in the first half as he hit a wide-open 3-pointer with just over six minutes left to cut the Panther advantage down to just 49-44. The Panthers responded to the Mahurin bucket by scoring xx consecutive points to stretch the lead back out to 53-44 with just under five minutes remaining.
Walker stopped the UNI run at the 4:20 mark with a jumper in the paint to make it 53-46, but UNI hit yet another 3-pointer to strech the lead out to 56-46. After an ISU turnover, the Panthers lead stretched out to 59-46 as Koch hit a 3-pointer for the second consecutive trip down the floor.
The Sycamores scored first in the game with 18:31 on the clock with a Jake Odum jumper for the quick 2-0 lead. Northern Iowa would answer with a 10-0 run over the next four minutes to make it 10-2. Carl Richard ended the UNI spurt with a free throw at the 14:46 mark to inch ISU closer at 10-3. After UNI hit a 3-pointer, Dwayne Lathan hit 1-of-2 free throws as the clock ticked under 11 minutes to make it 13-4.
Odum ended an eight-minute plus field goal drought with a 3-pointer of his own at the 10:20 mark which cut the UNI lead down to 13-7. Lathan made it a 6-0 ISU run with a running jumper with nine minutes left to make it 13-9 UNI. Lathan then answered a Northern Iowa lay-up as the clock neared eight minutes to go to make it 15-11.
A lengthy 13-0 run by UNI run put the Panthers up 28-11, before the Sycamores stopped the bleeding with a pair of free throws by Justin Gant at the 2:25 mark to make it 28-13. Odum added another charity toss on the Sycamores' next possession to make it 28-14. Each team traded buckets in the final minute as UNI went into the lockeroom with a 32-16 lead.
Lathan led ISU with seven points in the first half, while the Sycamores hit just 5-of-21 shots from the field (23.8 percent) and were limited to 1-of-5 shooting from 3-point range.
Richard led the ISU charge back into the game to start the second half with a jumper on the Sycamores' first possession and a conventional 3-point play as the Sycamores made it 33-21 just one minute in. Seth Tuttle was called for a technical foul for hanging on the rim after a missed dunk and Printy hit both of the awarded free throws to make it 33-23.
Printy then added a lay-up to stretch the Sycamore lead out to 9-1 to open the second half and got ISU back to within single digits at 33-25. After UNI was whistled for an offensive foul, UNI called a timeout withj 17:45 left in regulation. Out of the timeout, Printy stayed hot and made it a 12-1 run as he drilled a 3-pointer to make it 33-28 as the clocked ticked near 17 minutes.
UNI scored the game's next nine points to make it 42-28 before ISU got things cooking again at the 11:59 mark as RJ Mahurin grabbed an offensive rebound and put the ball back in to make it 42-30 in favor of the Panthers. Lathan then made a steal and recorded an emphatic fastbreak dunk to cut the UNI advantage down to 42-32.
Anthony James scored 16 points to lead the Panthers in the game.
Indiana State continues Missouri Valley Conference play on Saturday, January 7 when the Sycamores host league-leading Missouri State inside Hulman Center. Tip-off is set for 1:05 p.m. (ET).
