University of Northern Iowa Athletics
University of Northern Iowa
Drake
UNI Sweeps Drake With 66-52 Win on ESPNU
1/22/2012 1:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
CEDAR FALLS, Iowa - The University of Northern Iowa men's basketball team completed only its third season series sweep of the state of Iowa's Division I basketball schools with a 66-52 win over Drake on Sunday in the McLeod Center.
UNI (14-7 overall, 4-5 Missouri Valley Conference) had 10 players score in the game, led by freshman Seth Tuttle's team-high 13 points. Junior Jake Koch was the only Panther to reach double-figure scoring with 10 points. Koch added four rebounds, three blocks and three assists in the win.
Drake (12-8 overall, 5-4 MVC) got a game-high 21 points from guard Kurt Alexander in a losing cause. UNI limited Rayvonte Rice to nine points, well below his season average of 17.3 points per game. UNI also held Drake's Ben Simons to seven points, eight points below his season average.
UNI closed the first half on a 15-4 run, turning a 19-17 deficit into a 34-23 lead at the intermission. Tuttle and Koch started the second half with back-to-back 3-pointers to push the run to 21-4 and give UNI a 40-23 lead with 18:50 left in the game.
The Panthers eventually pushed the lead to 25 points at 53-28 with 12:59 left in the game after sophomore guard Matt Morrison completed a conventional three-point play.
Drake would close the lead to 14 points at 58-44 following a pair of three-pointers from Alexander and Simons with 6:57 left in the contest. Drake got to within 12 points at 61-49 following another triple from Alexander with 5:01 left, but the Bulldogs would get no closer and UNI closed out the 14-point win.
UNI will hit the road for a pair of games this week. The Panthers will travel to Terre Haute, Ind., to take on the Indiana State Sycamores on Wed., with a tip set for 7 p.m. (ET). UNI will then travel to Springfield, Mo., to take on the Missouri State Bears on Saturday at 4 p.m. in JQH Arena.
NOTES: UNI's Marc Sonnen made a 3-pointer in his 15th straight game ... Tuttle had a streak of 12 straight made field goals snapped in the second half ... Tuttle made his last field goal against Bradley, then made all six field goals against Wichita State and then he made his first five field goals tonight vs. Drake ... UNI also swept the season series against the state of Iowa's Division I schools in the 1997-98 and 2009-10 seasons ... UNI won the rebounding battle, 37-32 ... UNI tallied a season-best 37 rebounds in the game ... UNI's Austin Pehl grabbed a team-high six rebounds in nine minutes of action ... UNI's Max Martino scored a career-high four points ... UNI committed only six turnovers in the game.
