University of Northern Iowa
*Wichita State
#25 UNI Defeats Wichita State, 68-56
2/7/2006 7:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Feb. 7, 2006
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Cedar Falls, Iowa - Sophomore center Eric Coleman (Maplewood, Minn.) scored a game-high 20 points, and three other Panthers starters scored in double figures, as 25th-ranked University of Northern Iowa posted a 68-56 win over Wichita State Tuesday night in the UNI-Dome.
Coleman hit 9-of-12 shots from the field and also grabbed eight rebounds. He was joined in double figure scoring by senior guard John Little (Peoria, Ill.) with 12 and junior forward Grant Stout (New Sharon, Iowa) with 11. Stout posted his fourth consecutive double-double with a game-high 12 rebounds.
The victory improved UNI to 21-4 overall, 11-3 in the Missouri Valley Conference. The win also kept the Panthers in a first-place tie in the Valley. Wichita State fell to 19-6 overall, 10-4 in league play.
Coleman was the story in the first half, as he racked up 18 of his 20 points on 8-of-9 shooting. He scored 10 consecutive points over a six minute span to keep the Panthers offense rolling. Brooks McKowen (Fairbank, Iowa) followed Coleman's offensive burst with a pair of three-pointers, giving UNI a 26-20 lead. UNI held a 34-30 edge at halftime.
If Coleman was the difference-maker in the first half, Jacobson and Stout were the difference in the second. The pair - held scoreless in the opening 20 minutes - combined to score all 26 of their points after intermission to push the Panthers to the win. Jacobson's three-pointer from 25 feet gave UNI the lead for good, 53-50, with 9:41 left. That sparked a 9-0 run over the next three minutes that made the score 59-50, with five points by Jacobson and four by Stout during the decisive stretch. The Shockers never got closer than seven points after that.
UNI shot 52 percent from the field, while holding Wichita State to just 37 percent shooting. The Panthers also outrebounded the Shockers, 34-30.
The Panthers are next in action on Saturday, Feb. 11 when Missouri State comes to the UNI-Dome. Tipoff is set for 7:05 p.m.
