University of Northern Iowa Athletics
University of Northern Iowa
North Dakota
Ahelegbe Leads UNI to 69-49 Win Over North Dakota
12/6/2008 7:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Dec. 6, 2008
Cedar Falls, Iowa - Sophomore guard Kwadzo Ahelegbe had 17 points to lead the University of Northern Iowa men's basketball team to a 69-49 win over North Dakota on Saturday afternoon at the McLeod Center.
Ahelegbe hit 6-of-8 shots from the field and drained a career-high three three-pointers. He was joined in double-figures by center Jordan Eglseder and guard Travis Brown, who each had 12 points, with Eglseder leading UNI in rebounding with seven.
UNI got out of the gate quickly, connecting on its first seven shots from the field, as it scored the first eight points of the game, and held a 19-5 lead after nine minutes. Ahelegbe was the catalyst during that opening stretch, as he had seven points, while forward Adam Koch added four.
With UNI in front 21-10, the Panthers got a three-pointer from Brown, along with a jumper from Brian Haak, during an 8-0 run that extended its lead to 29-10 with 5:27 left on the clock. North Dakota didn't get closer than 16 points before halftime, as the Panthers went into the locker room with a 38-19 lead. The Panthers shot 12-for-20 from the field (60 percent) in the opening half, while the Fighting Sioux connected on 7-of-21 field goals (33 percent).
After North Dakota's Travis Bledsoe hit a three-pointer to start the second half, Ahelegbe answered with two treys of his own over the next two minutes to build its advantage to 44-24 with 17:12 left. The Panthers led by at least 20 points much of the rest of the way, holding as much as a 27-point advantage in the second half (66-39).
UNI shot 49 percent from the field for the game, and 40 percent on three-pointers, while North Dakota connected on just 37 percent of its shots and 29 percent of its treys. The Panthers dominated in the rebounding category, grabbing 40 boards to 24 for the Fighting Sioux. The Panthers also had a season-high 19 assists on just 22 made field goals.
UNI improved to 5-3 on the season, while North Dakota fell to 4-3. The Panthers hit the road for their next two games, starting on Tues., Dec. 9, when they head down Interstate 380 to face the University of Iowa. Tipoff from Carver-Hawkeye Arena is set for 6:05 pm and the game will be televised on ESPNU.
