University of Northern Iowa Athletics
University of Northern Iowa
*Creighton
No. 24 UNI Upset at Creighton, 63-55
1/31/2006 7:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Jan. 31, 2006
OMAHA, Neb. -- Nick Porter scored 14 of his career-high 16 points in the second half and Creighton spoiled No. 24 UNI's debut in the national ratings with a 63-55 victory on Tuesday night.
The Panthers, who until this week had never been ranked in the program's 25-year Division I history, shot just 42 percent and saw star guard Ben Jacobson held to eight points on 3-of-15 shooting.
Creighton (15-5, 9-3) pulled into a second-place tie with UNI (19-4, 9-3) in the Missouri Valley Conference, a half-game behind Southern Illinois.
The Bluejays won their 16th straight at home since last February and have now beaten UNI 10 times in a row in Omaha.
Creighton has accounted for two of UNI's four losses this season. The Bluejays also won 55-52 in Cedar Falls, Iowa, on Jan. 11.
Creighton, 2-of-9 on 3-pointers in the first half, made three straight 3s in the first 4 1/2 minutes of the second while turning a three-point deficit into a 33-28 lead.
Josh Dotzler hit the first to tie it, 6-foot-9 center Anthony Tolliver the second to give the Bluejays a one-point lead and Pierce Hibma the third to make it a five-point game.
The Panthers never got closer than two points the rest of the way, with the Bluejays pulling away in the late going in large part because of Porter.
Porter scored 10 points in the last 8 minutes to thwart UNI's comeback bid.
His finger roll and free throw stretched the Bluejays' lead to 45-37 with 8:18 to play.
Tolliver added 11 points and eight rebounds and Dotzler 10 points.
Jacobson, who made his school-record 110th straight start, couldn't get anything going against Creighton's man-to-man defense. Hibma and Porter shared most of the defensive duty against the MVC's preseason player of the year, who was 0-for-5 on 3s.
Grant Stout led UNI with 17 points and 10 rebounds. Eric Coleman had 13 points and Brooks McKowen 10.
UNI used a 17-4 run in the middle of the first half to take a 21-14 lead. Stout scored seven points and Coleman six during the spurt.
The Panthers scored just one field goal the last four minutes of the half and led 25-22 at the break.
