University of Northern Iowa
*Missouri State
Missouri State Edges #25 UNI, 66-63
2/12/2006 7:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Feb. 11, 2006
Box Score | Quotes | Photo Gallery
Cedar Falls, Iowa - Senior guard John Little (Peoria, Ill.) scored a career-high 19 points, but it was not enough as Missouri State posted a 66-63 win over 25th-ranked University of Northern Iowa Saturday night in front of 10,053 in the UNI-Dome.
Little hit 7-of-12 shots from the field, including three three-pointers, and also grabbed six rebounds. He was joined in double figure scoring by senior guard Grant Stout (New Sharon, Iowa) who each had 11. Stout posted his fifth straight double-double, and 11th of the season, grabbing a game-high 12 rebounds.
A pair of Blake Ahearn free throws gave MSU a 64-58 lead with 1:30 left in the game. Little answered with a three-pointer with just over a minute remaining, pulling UNI within 64-61. With 22 seconds left, Jacobson stole the ball and was fouled, making both free throws, to pull the Panthers within 64-63. The Bears turned the ball over on the ensuing in-bounds play, and after a UNI timeout, the Panthers called Jacobson's number. But his three-pointer with five seconds left missed, and MSU's Nathan Bilyeu rebounded the ball and hit a pair of free throws to seal the win.
The Panthers jumped to an early 13-8 lead, with Stout scoring six of the Panthers first 13 points. MSU rallied to take the lead for good, 23-21, on a Kellen Easley basket with 6:34 left. MSU's Drew Richards scored eight of his 10 points in the opening half, as the Bears held a 31-27 lead at intermission. Despite the Panthers pulling to within one point on several occasions in the second half, MSU led the entire way after halftime.
Missouri State shot 49 percent for the game, while UNI connected on just 41 percent of its shots. The Panthers were 7-for-26 from three-point range on the evening.
Tonight's crowd of 10,053 was the largest ever to watch UNI play a Missouri Valley Conference game, and the eighth-largest ever to witness a basketball game in the UNI-Dome. Before the game, UNI head coach Greg McDermott and his wife, Theresa, presented a check for $34,182 to the American Cancer Society to assist with cancer research and education.
Missouri State improves to 16-7 overall, 9-6 in the Missouri Valley Conference, while UNI falls to 21-5 overall, 11-4 in conference. The Panthers are next in action on Tuesday, Feb. 14 when they travel to face Indiana State in Terre Haute, Ind. Tipoff time is 7:05 p.m. eastern time.
