UNI DEFEATS WICHITA STATE 78-54

Cedar Falls, Iowa – The University of Northern Iowa men’s basketball team made a season-high 11 three-point baskets, and UNI shot 57 percent from the field in the second half, as the Panthers ran away from Wichita State in a 78-54 win.

Junior guard Ali Farokhmanesh led the way with 17 points, nailing 5-of-8 three-pointers, while sophomore guard Kwadzo Ahelegbe had 13 points and was 3-of-3 from behind the arc. Freshman guard Johnny Moran was also in double figures with 10 points, a team-high five assists, and three steals.

The Panthers got balanced scoring up and down the lineup, as all 10 players who saw the floor tallied at least four points. UNI’s bench was especially productive, as it got 25 points and 15 rebounds from its reserves. Junior forward Adam Rodenberg led the way with six points and six rebounds in 15 minutes off the bench.

Wichita State held an 11-7 lead less than three minutes in courtesy of Clevin Hannah. The junior guard was on fire to start the game, as he scored the first 11 Shocker points, including draining a trio of three-pointers. UNI pulled within 15-14 on a Rodenberg layup, but WSU scored four straight to go in front 19-14 with just under 10 minutes left in the half.

Both offenses struggled for the next six minutes, as there were only two baskets scored during that stretch. After Farokhmanesh drained a three from the corner to pull UNI within 22-19, the Shockers put together back-to-back baskets to build their largest lead, 26-19, with 2:23 left. But the Panthers answered, scoring the last nine points of the half. Ahelegbe had a three-pointer and then drained a pull-up jumper right before the first half horn to give the Panthers a 28-26 lead heading into the locker room.

UNI held a 37-31 lead with just under 16 minutes to go in the game. Ahelegbe then hit a three-pointer, and Lucas O’Rear hit a pair of free throws, before Farokhmanesh got rolling and provided the key stretch of the game. The junior college transfer hit three straight three-pointers to build UNI’s lead to 51-31 with just over 10 minutes to go in the game, and Wichita State didn’t get closer than 16 points the rest of the way.

In all, UNI was 8-for-11 from downtown in the second half (.727), as it turned its two-point halftime lead into its largest margin of victory of the season. It was also UNI’s largest winning margin ever over Wichita State.

UNI shot 47 percent from the field for the game, and was 11-for-19 (58 percent) from three-point range. Wichita State connected on 36 percent of its shots and was 7-for-18 (39 percent) on treys. UNI forced Wichita State into 21 turnovers, while committing just 10 of its own. The Panthers also had a season-high 11 steals.

UNI improved to 8-6 overall, 2-1 in the Missouri Valley Conference, while Wichita State fell to 6-8, 0-3 in The Valley. The Panthers next travel to Omaha, Neb., to face Creighton on Tues., Jan. 6, with tip off time from the Qwest Center set for 7:05 pm.