UNI POSTS 10TH STRAIGHT WIN WITH 61-57 VICTORY AT INDIANA STATE

Forward Adam Koch scored 14 points and grabbed seven rebounds, both team highs, to lead the University of Northern Iowa to a 61-57 win at Indiana State Saturday afternoon at the Hulman Center.

Koch scored 10 of his 14 points in the second half, rallying UNI from a seven-point halftime deficit to pick up its 10th straight win, which ties the longest winning streak in school history. The 1963-64 Panther team, which was then a Division II school known as the State College of Iowa, started its season 10-0 en route to a 23-4 overall record.

Koch was joined in double-figure scoring by center Jordan Eglseder (13 points) and guard Johnny Moran (12 points), while forward Lucas O’Rear came off the bench to score eight points – all in the second half – and grab five rebounds. UNI enjoyed a commanding advantage scoring inside, totaling 34 points in the paint to just 14 by ISU.

Indiana State opened an 8-2 lead to start the game, as Harry Marshall and Rashad Reed each hit three-pointers. UNI scored six straight, including getting two buckets from Moran, to pull ahead 10-8 at the 14:30 mark.

UNI was in front 17-16 with 9:51 left in the first half, but Indiana State then heated up from behind the arc. The Sycamores drained 5-of-6 from downtown over the next six minutes, part of an 19-8 run that pushed ISU to its largest lead of the game, 35-25, with 3:26 on the clock. Moran, who scored 11 points in the opening 20 minutes, then hit a tough pull-up jumper, and also drained a deep three from the left wing, to get UNI within 37-30 heading into the locker room. In all, Indiana State made 9-of-14 shots (64 percent) from three-point range in the first half, while UNI was just 1-of-7 in the opening 20 minutes.

Indiana State scored the opening basket of the second half to go up by nine, but UNI got two baskets from Eglseder and one from Koch to quickly pull within 39-36. The Panthers clamped down defensively, as they allowed ISU to make only two field goals over the first 12 minutes of the second half. O’Rear had back-to-back layups to give UNI its first lead of the second half, 46-44, with 10 minutes left.

The Sycamores moved back in front by three, 53-50, after Printy drained two free throws with five minutes remaining. But Koch scored six points during an 8-0 run that saw UNI move in front 58-53, with 1:48 left. ISU got within 58-57 with 35 seconds remaining after a Tunnell layup, but Ali Farokhmanesh then calmy drained both two throws to put UNI in front by three. ISU’s Reed then missed a three-pointer from the corner, and Moran hit one more free throw to account for the final 61-57 score.

UNI shot 50 percent from the field for the game, while ISU shot just 38 percent. UNI held the Sycamores to just 5-for-22 (23 percent) shooting after halftime, including 2-for-10 from three-point range.

With the win, UNI improved to 16-6 overall, 10-1 in the Missouri Valley Conference, while Indiana State fell to 4-18 overall, 2-9 in the Valley. The Panthers’ next game is Tues., Feb. 3, when they travel to Peoria, Ill., to face Bradley. Tipoff time from Carver Arena is 7:05