CEDAR FALLS, Iowa -- Jordan Barnes posted 15 points and pulled down 11 rebounds as the Sycamores fell 69-64 to Northern Iowa on Wednesday night.

The Sycamores dropped to 10-7, 2-3 MVC while Northern Iowa improved to 8-10, 3-2 MVC. The loss ended a three-game winning streak for the Sycamores against UNI.

Barnes posted his first career double-double with 15 points and a career-high 11 rebounds. Cooper Neese came off the bench to score a career-high 13 points and had a look at three with eight seconds remaining which glanced off the rim.

Trailing 34-33 at the half, Bronson Kessinger came into the contest 18 seconds after the break and took a charge before laying the ball in for the 35-34 lead. Emondre Rickman would break nearly a four minute scoreless streak but the defense did the job as well and the Sycamores cut the Panther lead down to 40-38. A conventional 3-point play with 12:48 remaining by Wyatt Lohaus stretched the Panther lead back tou to 43-38. Just 20 seconds later Kessinger was tough inside as his jumper found the bottom of the net and Sycamore defcit was trimmed to just three points.

Cooper Neese then got heated up with a corner three at the 10:39 mark which knotted the game at 43 and then after Lohaus scored on a jumper, Neese hit another from the right wing to push the Sycamores ahead 46-45 and give him a new career high with 11 points. UNI would score the next four to regain the lead but a charity toss from Barnes and two more by Neese with 6;51 to go knotted the game at 49. UNI countered with four in a row but Christian Williams and then with the shot clock ticking down, Kessinger hit one in the paint to knot the game at 53 with just over four minutes to go.

The Sycamores played the foul game to perfection as they fouled the right guys and trailing 66-64 appeared to have the ball down a possession but two box outs resulted in the ball falling to the floor and ISU could not retrieve it. Down four points, Neese took the Sycamores' last shot from three but it fell off the rim and UNI earned the 69-64 victory.




A Christian Williams trifecta at the 16:30 mark pushed an early Indiana State lead out to 7-3 and after the Panthers went ahead on consecutive 3-pointers, Cooper Neese stroked one from the left wing with 14:34 remaining to push the Sycamores back ahead 10-9. Neese then answered a Panther run with a pair of free throws at the 10:30 mark to draw within 15-12. UNI countered with a 9-0 run which forced a Sycamore timeout before Bronson Kessinger and Jordan Barnes found the bottom of the net on consecutive trips around the eight minute mark to trim the lead down to 24-16.

Tyreke Key was fouled heading to the bucket where he was fouled with 6:29 remaining and he hit both free throws to make it six in a row for the Sycamores and cut the deficit down to 24-18. Then after Hughes was fouled grabbing a defensive rebound he made it eight in a row for the Sycamores with two charity tosses and ISU got within four points of the Panthers. Jordan Barnes then made a huge save on a defensive rebound which led the an Allante Holston bucket off the feed from Hughes and the 10-0 run cut further into the lead at 24-22 with just over five minutes to go.

Barnes completed the 12-0 run which knotted the contest at 24 after he was fouled off grabbing a long rebound and hit both free throws with 4:25 on the clock. Wyatt Lohaus stopped the Panther skid to momentarily give UNI a lead, but Barnes hit a long 3-pointer as the clock ticked under the four minute mark to push the Sycamores back ahead 27-26. With a Tyreke Key jumper at the 3:27 mark, the Sycamores pushed their lead out to 29-26. The lead reached 33-28 on a pair of Christian Williams charity tosses with a minute and a half left but UNI hit all six of their free throw attempts in final minute to take a 34-33 lead into the locker room. 

On Saturday, January 19 the Sycamores will host When March Went -- A Celebration and Reunion of the 1979 Indiana State Basketball Team as they host Loyola. Tip-off is set for 2:00 p.m. (ET) and the game will be televised nationally on ESPNU. Pregame festivities begin at 1:40 pm (ET) and a full celebration is planned for after the game. The first 5,000 fans will receive a Horrible Hanky while everyone in the building will receive a special program courtesy of Sycamore Athletics and the Terre Haute Tribune Star.