University of Northern Iowa Athletics
University of Northern Iowa
Illinois State
UNI Notches Road Win at Illinois State, 59-44
1/9/2010 7:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
NORMAL, Ill. - The University of Northern Iowa men's basketball team tallied a 59-44 road victory over Missouri Valley Conference foe Illinois State on Saturday in front of a national ESPN2 audience.
The victory moved the Panthers' win streak to 13 in a row and improved UNI's season record to 14-1 overall. UNI also moved to 5-0 in MVC play for the first time in school history. Illinois State fell to 12-4 overall and 3-2 in the MVC.
UNI had three players reach double figure scoring in the victory. Senior center Jordan Eglseder posted a game-high 16 points, senior forward Adam Koch posted 15 points and junior point guard Kwadzo Ahelegbe tallied 13 points. Eglseder grabbed a team-high eight rebounds.
Illinois State took a 13-12 lead after a basket by Austin Hill at the 12:07 mark of the first half. Then the Panthers held the Redbirds scoreless over the next 3:24 to open up an 18-13 lead over the Redbirds. A 3-pointer by the Redbirds' Lloyd Philips trimmed the margin to 18-16 with 8:43 before intermission.
But the Panthers responded with a 9-0 run that included a 3-pointer from Adam Koch and three baskets in the paint from Eglseder. The Panthers held the Redbirds to only two made baskets in the final eight minutes of the first half.
Eglseder paced the Panthers in the first half with 12 points, on 6-of-8 shooting, and five rebounds.
The Redbird crowd tried to get the home squad back in the game early in the second half. Illinois State used the momentum to cut the Panther lead to nine at 37-28 on a jumper in the lane by Dinma Odiakosa with 15:56 left.
Back-to-back layups by junior forward Lucas O'Rear gave UNI a 42-30 advantage with 11:49 to play in the game. UNI did not allow a Redbird basket from the 13:18 mark to the 5:57 mark of the second half and extended the Panther lead to 50-31 after a jumper by Ahelegbe.
Illinois State climbed to within nine points on a 3-pointer by Osiris Eldridge with 1:15 remaining, but the Redbirds would get no closer and the Panthers sunk all six free throws the rest of the way for a 59-44 margin.
UNI will return home to the McLeod Center to take on the Bradley Braves on Tuesday at 8 p.m. The game will be televised nationally on ESPNU.
NOTES: Over the past two seasons, UNI has posted a record of 11-1 in MVC road games … UNI made 13-of-16 free throws, while Illinois State made only 1-of-6 from the charity stripe … the Panthers outrebounded the Redbirds, 31-28.
