
UNI Pushes Past Loyola, 58-39; Panthers Record 14th Straight Win
2/18/2015 1:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
CHICAGO, Ill. – The University of Northern Iowa men's basketball team tied a school record with its seventh consecutive road win in a 58-39 triumph at Loyola on Wednesday.
UNI also extended its overall win streak to 14 in a row and moved to 25-2 overall and 14-1 in the Missouri Valley Conference. Loyola dropped to 16-11 overall and 6-9 in league play.
The Panthers led 11-2 barely five minutes into the contest as UNI forced four Loyola turnovers. Loyola climbed to within five at 20-15 on an Earl Peterson basket with 6:43 left in the half. But the Panthers responded with an 8-0 capped by back-to-back 3-pointers from Paul Jesperson and Nate Buss as UNI took a 28-15 lead with 3:48 left in the half.
UNI took a 30-18 lead into the intermission. It marked the 12th time this season that UNI held an opponent to 20 points or less in a half.
Loyola trimmed the UNI to 32-23 to begin the second half. However, UNI used a 13-4 run to open up an 18-point bulge at 45-27 following back-to-back baskets from Seth Tuttle. The Panthers notched their largest lead of the game at 19 points following a 3-pointer from Jesperson with 44 seconds left.
Tuttle and Buss led UNI with 10 points. Tuttle added seven rebounds, five assists and three steals.
UNI will return home for its next game on Saturday against the Bradley Braves. UNI and Bradley will tip at 3 p.m. in the McLeod Center. UNI is 13-0 at home this season and is riding a 16-game home win streak.
NOTES: UNI scored only its third all-time victory at Gentile Arena on Wednesday … UNI had lost two straight games to Loyola at Gentile Arena prior to tonight's victory … UNI's seven-game road win streak is the sixth-longest active streak in NCAA Division I basketball … UNI's 14-game conference win streak is the third-longest active streak in the country – trailing only North Carolina Central (30) and Gonzaga (19) … UNI has won nine road games this season to also tie a school record for most road wins in a single season (UNI also won nine road games in the 2009-10 season) … UNI has posted 12 road/neutral wins this season which is tied for the most in the nation … UNI is 36-1 under head coach Ben Jacobson when holding the opposition to less than 50 points.