UNI DEFEATS BRADLEY, 76-62; ADVANCES TO MVC CHAMPIONSHIP GAME

Adam Koch had 22 points and nine rebounds, and Kwadzo Ahelegbe added 21 points and four assists to lead the University of Northern Iowa to a 76-62 win in the semifinals of the State Farm Missouri Valley Conference men’s basketball tournament.

Koch hit 7-of-10 shots from the floor, including both his shots from three-point range, on the afternoon. Five of his nine rebounds were on the offensive end of the floor, and he also chipped in with two assists and a career-high three blocked shots. Ahelegbe scored 15 of his points in the second half, and was a perfect 9-for-9 at the free throw line for the game. Jordan Eglseder and Johnny Moran chipped in with eight points each for UNI, while Travis Brown and Kerwin Dunham each added seven points.

The victory moves UNI into the MVC championship game for the third time in school history, and first time since 2004. The Panthers also made the Valley title contest in 1994.

UNI scored the first four points of the game, on a jumper from Ahelegbe and a layup from Eglseder. Bradley then went on an 11-2 run to take an 11-6 lead. UNI got within 14-12 after a Koch layup, but the Braves’ Chris Roberts drained a three-pointer from the left corner to extend BU’s lead back to five with 10 minutes left in the half.

The Panthers then embarked on a 16-6 run over the next six minutes, getting four points each from Koch and Dunham, to move in front 28-23. Bradley then went on a 7-2 run to pull even at 30-all, and the teams entered the locker room tied at 32.

UNI scored the first four points out of the locker room, and never trailed in the second half. With the score even at 38, UNI got a layup from Moran and a three-pointer from Koch to move in front by five. The Braves fought back to get as close as one, 45-44, with 11:57 left, but Brown and Dunham then hit back-to-back threes to push the Panthers’ lead to 51-44. Ahelegbe made two free throws and drained a pull-up jumper in the lane to conclude a 10-0 UNI run, pushing the Panthers’ advantage to 55-44 with 8:19 on the clock.

Bradley got within seven, 55-48, but UNI then scored six straight – including a three-pointer from Koch – to push its advantage to 61-48 with 5:39 remaining. UNI maintained its double-digit lead the rest of the way, earning the 76-62 win.

UNI shot 50 percent from the field, and was 24-for-30 at the free throw line, including 16-for-17 at the charity stripe in the second half. Bradley connected on just 37 percent of its shots and was 16-for-19 from the free throw line. UNI won the rebounding battle, 36-28, marking the sixth straight game the Panthers have out rebounded their opponent.

The Panthers, who have won four straight games, improved to 22-10 on the year, while Bradley fell to 18-14. Top-seeded UNI will face third-seeded Illinois State in tomorrow’s MVC tournament championship game, with tipoff from Scottrade Center set for 1:05 pm. The game will be televised nationally by CBS.