CEDAR FALLS, Iowa -- Indiana State basketball could not overcome its lack of depth Tuesday night in Cedar Falls, falling to Northern Iowa in overtime 80-74 inside the McLeod Center.
 
The Sycamores traveled to Cedar Falls with nine players with just seven available for action as both Sam Mervis and Nick Hittle were in the midst of return-to-play protocols.
 
Four Sycamores played 35 minutes or more, led by Julian Larry who played all 45 minutes. Larry dropped in 13 points on 5-of-10 shooting while grabbing five rebounds. ISU was led by Cameron Henry and Micah Thomas who each put in 18 points.
 
Xavier Bledson made his return to the court by nearly notching a double-double with eight points, 13 rebounds and five assists. Notably, true freshman Quimari Peterson logged 25 minutes and dropped in his first six points in his ISU career.
 
ISU put on a masterful performance in the first 20 minutes of action, taking a 38-30 lead into the locker room. ISU jumped out to a 5-2 lead before UNI answered with four-straight points to take their first lead of the game.
 
The Panthers led for just 53 seconds in the first half thanks in part to a 13-0 run by the Sycamores that pushed their lead to 18-6 eight minutes into action. The Sycamores picked up key baskets during the run from four players kicked off by a rebound putback from Xavier Bledson. After forcing a Panther miss on the other end, Cameron Henry was able to scoop in a layup to make it a 9-6 Sycamore lead.
 
The ISU offense went on to connect on back-to-back-to-back 3-pointers from Simon Wilbar, Henry and Micah Thomas to cap off the run.
 
UNI plugged away at the lead four quick points before ISU answered back. The Panthers cut the lead to 19-15 with a Trae Berhow 3-pointer before ISU scored six of the next eight points to weather the storm. ISU pushed its lead back out to nine points late in the half with an 8-0 run in 45 seconds.
 
The Sycamores went toe-to-toe with the Panthers in the second half, nearly escaping with a victory in regulation as Thomas' layup was just off. UNI outscored the Sycamores 42-34 in the second half including 8-for-9 from the free-throw line.  
 
UNI doubled ISU's shots in overtime with eight baskets off of offensive rebounds a string of turnovers, outscoring ISU 8-2 in the period, including 6-for-7 from the charity stripe.
 
The Sycamores won the points in the paint battle 32-30 but fell in points off turnovers as UNI turned 18 ISU miscues into 27 points while holding ISU to just 16 points off turnovers.
 
Overall, the Sycamores shot 42.2 percent (27-64) from the field and 11-for-38 from deep. UNI was 24-59 from the floor but took advantage of free throws, going 23-25 from the line. ISU was 9-for-11 from the free throw line.
 
Noah Carter had a team-high 17 points for UNI while AJ Green shot 4-for-16 for 16 points.
 
UP NEXT
The Sycamores are scheduled to return to Hulman Center Saturday, Jan. 15 at 7 p.m. ET when the team hosts Loyola. Fans are encouraged to wear white for the White Out event. Those wishing to purchase tickets can do so by clicking HERE, by calling 877-ISU-TIXS, or by visiting the Hulman Center Ticket Office.
 
For the latest information on Sycamore Basketball, be sure to visit GoSycamores.com. You can also find the team on social media, including Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube. Fans can also receive updates on Sycamore Athletics by downloading the March On App from both the App Store and the Google Play Store.