University of Northern Iowa Athletics
University of Northern Iowa
Loyola Chicago
Late Surge Pushes UNI Past Loyola, 61-50
12/1/2007 7:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Dec. 1, 2007
Cedar Falls, Iowa - The University of Northern Iowa men's basketball team outscored Loyola University Chicago 13-2 over the last three and a half minutes of the game, and posted a 61-50 win Saturday night at the McLeod Center.
Jared Josten led the way with 13 points for the Panthers, while Travis Brown added 11. Adam Koch had 10 points and a team-high eight rebounds, and Eric Coleman added seven points, six rebounds and a career-high six blocked shots off the bench.
After Loyola's Leon Young tied the game at 48-all with a pair of free throws with 3:36 remaining, UNI went in front on the after Adam Koch drained a pair of charity tosses of his own. Coleman blocked an Andy Polka shot on the ensuring possession, and Coleman converted a conventional three-point play on the other end to put the Panthers up 53-48 with 2:29 left. Loyola's Ross Forman scored with just over two minutes left to make the score 53-50, but the Ramblers would not score again, missing their last six shots. UNI sealed the game by making all eight of its free throws in the final minute. Koch, Coleman and Josten scored all 13 points for the Panthers during the decisive 13-2 run down the stretch.
UNI never trailed in the first half, jumping to a quick 10-4 lead as Koch scored four points and Kerwin Dunham knocked down a three-pointer. Back-to-back treys from Josten and Brian Haak extended its lead to its largest point of the first half, 18-8, with 11:21 left. Loyola then went on a 14-4 run over the next seven minutes to pull even at 22-all, but the Panthers were able take a 28-24 lead into the locker room.
The Panthers pushed its lead to 32-27 on a pair of free throws by Brown early in the second half, but Loyola fought back to take its first lead of the night, 37-36, on a Tracy Robinson three-pointer with 12:53 remaining in the game. UNI then went on a 7-1 run, culminated by an Adam Viet three-pointer from the corner, to go back up by five, 43-38, with just over nine minutes left. Loyola responded with six straight points to retake the lead, 44-43, and neither team led by more than two points until UNI's decisive run down the stretch.
With the victory, UNI improves to 6-1 on the season, while Loyola falls to 2-4. The Panthers play host to Iowa on Wednesday (Dec. 5) at 7:05 pm at the McLeod Center.
