University of Northern Iowa
Wartburg
UNI Defeats Wartburg, 99-48
12/15/2007 7:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Dec. 15, 2007
Cedar Falls, Iowa - Four players scored in double figures as the University of Northern Iowa men's basketball team posted a 99-48 win over Wartburg College Saturday night at the McLeod Center.
Jordan Eglseder led the way with 15 points, while Eric Coleman came off the bench to score 14. Freshmen Lucas O'Rear and Jon Montgomery each had career highs with 13 and 12 points, respectively. Junior guard Carlton Reed, playing his first game for UNI after sitting out the first eight contests with a broken left foot, scored eight points in eight minutes of action. Senior forward Joe Green added nine points in 10 minutes, while freshman guard Drew Lundberg had nine points in 13 minutes. A total of 14 UNI players saw action, with 12 of them scoring. No player played more than 23 minutes. Wartburg was led by guard Mitch Eslick, who had a game-high 18 points.
With UNI holding a 6-5 lead early, O'Rear and Coleman combined to score all nine points during a 9-2 run that saw the Panthers extend to a 15-7 advantage. The Panthers built their lead to as many as 15 points in the first half, putting its decided size advantage to good use. Coleman, O'Rear, Eglseder and Koch - the Panthers four primary inside players - accounted for 34 points and 17 rebounds in the first half. UNI held a 44-29 lead at intermission.
UNI started the second half with a 22-4 run to extend its lead to 34 points, and Wartburg never got closer than 30 points the rest of the way. UNI shot 61 percent from the field after halftime, while Wartburg hit on just 20 percent of its shots, as the Panthers cruised to the 99-48 win.
The 51-point margin of victory was the third-largest in UNI history, and largest since the Panthers became a Division I program in the 1980-81 season. The last time UNI won a game by more points was back in the 1949-50 campaign, when it posted a 77-20 win over Central (Iowa) College.
UNI shot 53 percent from the field for the game, while holding Wartburg to just 24 percent shooting. The Panthers also had a huge advantage in rebounding (49-27), and committed only seven turnovers. Tonight marked the third straight game UNI recorded less than 10 turnovers. UNI entered this week's play ranked seventh nationally in fewest turnovers per game, averaging just 11.4.
With the win, UNI improves to 7-2 on the season, while Wartburg falls to 2-5. The Panthers are next in action on Wednesday, Dec. 19, when they travel to face UMKC in Kansas City, Mo. Tipoff is 7:05 pm.
