University of Northern Iowa
*Southern Illinois
UNI Falls To Southern Illinois, 76-69
2/23/2005 7:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Feb. 23, 2005
Ben Jacboson (Sioux City, Iowa) scored a game-high 18 points, but it was not enough as Southern Illinois defeated the University of Northern Iowa, 76-69, Wednesday night at SIU Arena.
Two other Panthers scored in double figures on the night, as the inside duo of Grant Stout (New Sharon, Iowa) and Eric Coleman (Maplewood, Minn.) had 16 and 15 points, respectively. John Little (Peoria, Ill.) added nine off the bench, hitting a career-high three three-pointers. Stetson Hairson led SIU with 17 points, including hitting four three-pointers.
UNI jumped out to an early 9-2 lead to start the game, but then went more than eight minutes without scoring. SIU took advantage with a 23-0 run to open a 25-9 lead with 8:50 left, and held a 40-25 lead at the break. The Salukis forced nine UNI turnovers in the first 20 minutes, with seven coming during their big run. SIU also grabbed 11 offensive rebounds in the opening half that led to 13 points.
The Panthers refused to quit in the second half, as they matched the Salukis intensity. UNI also found its shooting stroke. After hitting on just 28.6 percent (6-for-21) in the first half, the Panthers hit on 48.3 percent in the second half (14-for-29), including 5-for-8 from three-point range. UNI kept chipping away at the Salukis' lead, getting as close as six, 73-67, with 26 seconds left in the game. SIU hit enough free throws to seal the victory, however, to win its 23rd straight home game, and 34th consecutive Missouri Valley Conference home game.
With the loss, UNI falls to 19-9 overall, 9-7 in the Missouri Valley Conference, while Southern Illinois improves to 23-6, 13-3 in the MVC. UNI's next game is this Saturday (Feb. 26), when it hosts Bradley at 1:05 p.m. in the UNI-Dome.
