University of Northern Iowa
Cincinnati
Panthers Fall In Double Overtime Heartbreaker To Cincinnati, 76-70
11/24/2004 7:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Nov. 24, 2004
Erik Crawford (Oakdale, Minn.) scored a team-high 16 points, and all five starters reached double-figures in scoring, but it was not enough as the University of Northern Iowa fell, 76-70, in double-overtime to Cincinnati Wednesday night.
The Panthers dominated much of the game, leading by as many as 18 in the second half, and by 16 (50-34) with 7:10 left in the game. But led by point guard Jihad Muhammad, the Bearcats ended regulation play on a 22-6 run to tie the contest and force overtime.
Muhammad, who led all players with 23 points, was just 6-of-22 from the field for the night and 4-of-15 on three-pointers. But he made them when it counted, as three of his four three-pointers were during the final seven minutes of the game. His final trey was with 1:23 left, on which he was also fouled and made the ensuing free throw, to tie the score at 56-all. Crawford's shot from 40 feet to win it at the horn hit the rim but did not go in.
Cincinnati jumped out to a quick four point lead in the first overtime, but UNI rallied behind a Crawford jumper and a pair of free throws and layup by Chris Foster (Ironton, Mo.). Foster's score driving to the hoop with 34 seconds left tied the game at 62-all, and the Bearcats' Armein Kirkland missed a three-pointer from the top of the key with time running out, and the game went into a second overtime.
With less than a minute and a half left in the second OT, and Cincinnati holding a 68-65 lead, the Panthers John Little missed a three-pointer from the corner. The Bearcats Eric Hicks scored on the ensuing possession to put his team up by five, and after a UNI turnover, Jason Maxiell went in for an uncontested dunk to make the score 72-65. The Panthers would get not closer than five the rest of the way.
Brooks McKowen (Fairbank, Iowa) had 13 points, four rebounds and four assists, while Eric Coleman (Maplewood, Minn.) and Grant Stout (New Sharon, Iowa) each had 10. Stout had a double-double as he grabbed a team-high 10 rebounds.
UNI shot 42 percent for the game (27-for-64), while Cincinnati made just 29 percent of its shots (24-for-84), and just 18 percent on threes (5-for-28). However, the Bearcats made 23 free throws to just eight for UNI, and held a 55-45 edge in rebounding, including grabbing 26 offensive boards.
The Panthers held a 34-22 lead at halftime, as Stout scored all 10 of his points in the opening 20 minutes, and Coleman had six of his 10 in the first stanza. Coleman was limited to just 24 minutes of playing time due to foul trouble, fouling out with 4:16 left in the second half. Both Stout and Crawford played 47 of the possible 50 minutes for the Panthers.
With the loss, the Panthers fell to 1-1 on the season, while Cincinnati improved to 2-0. UNI next faces Iowa State on Wednesday (Dec. 1) in the UNI-Dome, with tipoff set for 7:05 p.m.
