Bobby Hunter and the Illinois State Redbirds fell to Northern Iowa, 83-64, on Wednesday. (Photo courtesy GoRedbirds.com)
By ISU Sports Information
CEDAR FALLS, Iowa – Seth Tuttle’s layup at the 7:14 mark in the first half established a double-digit lead for No. 12 Northern Iowa which the Panthers never relinquished, and Illinois State dropped its second-straight Missouri Valley Conference road contest, 83-64, Wednesday night at the McLeod Center.
Northern Iowa (23-2, 12-1 MVC) shot 53.7 percent from the field, and Illinois State (15-10, 7-6 MVC) finished with a 41.4 percent shooting clip. The Redbirds out-rebounded UNI, 33-30, marking ISU’s seventh-consecutive game in which Illinois State earned the rebounding edge, a feat ISU last accomplished in 2008-09.
Daishon Knight led Illinois State with 16 points on 7-for-15 shooting, and Deontae Hawkins collected a game-high 11 rebounds. Paris Lee also set the ISU single-season steals record, earning his third steal of the game and 62nd of the season at the 12:41 mark. Lee passed the previous record of 61, established by Todd Starks in 1986-87.
Tuttle scored a game-high 23 points for Northern Iowa while also earning five rebounds and five assists.
After Knight started the game by netting a 3-pointer, UNI scored eight-unanswered to take an 8-3 advantage. ISU then tied the game, 10-10, on another 3-pointer by Knight, with 16:10 remaining. The Redbirds again tied the game, 13-13, on a MiKyle McIntosh three-point play.
However, UNI responded, taking a 26-15 lead following a 10-3 run. The Panthers extended their advantage to 39-22 at the 4:01 mark by netting seven-unanswered points. Illinois State pulled within 48-33 on a Hawkins 3-pointer with 47 seconds remaining in the first half, but Tuttle scored a jumper at the 26-second mark, extending UNI’s halftime advantage to 50-33.
Illinois State cut its deficit to 54-41 following a 6-2 run, including two Knight layups and one Knight jumper. UNI answered with a 6-3 run to reestablish a 16-point lead. Lee broke the ISU single-season steals record, forcing Wyatt Lohaus to turn the ball over at midcourt with 12:41 remaining. Lee then scored a 3-pointer immediately following the steal, trimming UNI's lead to 67-48.
A 3-pointer by Bobby Hunter capped a 7-2 Redbird run, pulling Illinois State within, 76-58, at the 7:22 mark. UNI proceeded to build and maintain a 20-plus point advantage for the final six minutes, until DeVaughn Akoon-Purcell hit a 3-pointer with 35 seconds left, making the final score, 83-64.
PODCASTS: Listen to the post game interviews with coach Dan Muller and sophomore guard Paris Lee.
