Koch Boosts UNI Over SIU, 67-58

Sunday, January 31

Cedar Falls, Iowa

3 p.m.

University of Northern Iowa

12-11, 4-6MVC

Southern Illinois

18-5, 7-3MVC

Southern Illinois

UNI

Koch Boosts UNI Over SIU, 67-58

1/31/2016 5:56:00 PM | Men's Basketball

Box Score

CEDAR FALLS, Iowa - University of Northern Iowa sophomore center Bennett Koch posted a career-high 22 points and 11 rebounds in leading the Panthers to a 67-58 victory over the Southern Illinois Salukis in the McLeod Center Sunday.

UNI (12-11 overall, 4-6 MVC) overcame an 11-point first-half deficit to hand SIU its first road loss of the season. SIU came into the game 8-0 on the road. The Salukis (18-5 overall), 7-3 MVC) have lost consecutive league games. UNI has won consecutive games for the first time since Nov. 30.

Koch made 8-of-9 field goals and swatted three shots. He scored 15 of his 22 points in the second half as he drained all six of his field goal attempts in the final 20 minutes.

SIU led 23-12 following a Sean O'Brien bucket in the paint with 6:27 left in the first half. UNI responded with a 15-2 run to take a 27-25 lead with 1:18 remaining until intermission. The squads would head to halftime knotted at 29-29.

SIU's Bola Olaniyan sank a pair of free throws to begin the second-half scoring with 19:15 left in the game. UNI would score the next seven in a row and would not relinquish the lead. SIU's Anthony Beane Jr. hit a jumper with 11:24 left to pull within two at 46-44, but a 12-2 spurt by the Panthers pushed the margin to 12 at 58-46. The final two points of the run came via a technical foul on the SIU bench and Matt Bohannon drained both free throws with 6:09 remaining. Beane would lead SIU with 16 points - half of his total that he got at SIU Arena against the Panthers on Jan. 2.

UNI senior Wes Washpun added 16 points, three assists, two steals and two blocks. Bohannon scored 12 points and was 6-of-6 at the foul line.

The Panthers will remain home for their next game Wednesday against the Evansville Purple Aces. Tip is set for 6 p.m. in the McLeod Center.

NOTES: UNI made a season-low three 3-pointers, while SIU managed four 3-pointers ... UNI made one of its first 11 3-pointers in the first half ... UNI was 0-for-6 from 3-point land in the second half ... UNI drained 20-of-30 free throws, while SIU made 6-of-13 at the line ... UNI turned the ball over seven times ... the Panthers set a season-high with six blocks ... SIU has lost 13 consecutive games in Cedar Falls and is 0-10 in the McLeod Center ... UNI has made at least one 3-pointer in 518 straight games - the longest active streak in the MVC ... UNI improved to 12-3 when tied at the half under head coach Ben Jacobson's 10-year tenure with the Panthers.