Sycamores Score 77-66 Win Over Panthers

Saturday, February 3

Cedar Falls, Iowa

3 p.m.

University of Northern Iowa

11-13 (3-9MVC)

Indiana State

11-13 (6-6MVC)

Indiana State

UNI

Sycamores Score 77-66 Win Over Panthers

2/3/2018 5:48:00 PM | Men's Basketball

Box Score UNI-INS-boxscore-2018-2

BOX SCORE (PDF)

CEDAR FALLS, Iowa - The Indiana State Sycamores earned a season sweep of the University of Northern Iowa men's basketball team on Saturday with a 77-66 triumph over the Panthers in the McLeod Center.

Indiana State (11-13 overall, 6-6 MVC) shot 52 percent from the field, including 62.5 percent from the floor in the second half, as the Sycamores won for the fifth time ever in the McLeod Center. However, it is Indiana State's first win the McLeod Center since Feb. 1, 2014.

UNI (11-13 overall, 3-9 MVC) shot 50 percent from the field and got 16 points off the bench from senior Bennett Koch. Koch went 4-of-6 from the field and drained 8-of-11 free throws. Freshman Tywhon Pickford grabbed a team-high seven rebounds. Senior Klint Carlson scored 14 points, blocked two shots and was credited with two steals.

Indiana State came out quickly out of the starting gate and led 13-2 in the first five-plus minutes. UNI sophomore reserve guard Spencer Haldeman contributed a trio of three-pointers in the first half that helped the Panthers claw back to a 26-26 tie with 5:14 remaining in the half. Haldeman's last three-pointer of the half gave the Panthers a 31-28 lead and capped a 9-2 run for the home squad. Following a Koch bucket with 1:42 before the half, the Sycamores made four free throws to even the matchup at the break, 33-33.

UNI's last lead of the contest came on a layup from sophomore guard Isaiah Brown with 15:30 on the clock. Indiana State used a 7-2 spurt to claim a 48-44 lead with 13:22 left in the game. A Brandon Murphy basket in the lane pushed the Sycamore lead to nine at 62-53 with 8:10 left. Murphy would later add another score to extend the Sycamore's lead to 12 points at 69-57 with 3:31 left.

Koch scored on a jumper and a pair of free throws to trim the lead to eight at 69-61 with 2:35 left. However, Indiana State's Jordan Barnes would sink all eight of his free throw attempts in the final 1:28 to give the visitors a 77-66 win.

UNI will be back in action at home on Wednesday against the Bradley Braves. Tip is set for 7 p.m. in the McLeod Center.

NOTES: Tywhon Pickford grabbed seven rebounds in the contest to give him 196 rebounds on the season - the most for an MVC freshmen since Bradley's Josh Cunningham tallied 247 rebounds and Southern Illinois's Jordan Caroline grabbed 206 rebounds in the 2014-15 season ... Pickford ranks No. 14 on the MVC's freshmen single-season rebounding chart ... Pickford needs nine more rebounds to equal the UNI freshman rebounding record of 205 set by Eric Coleman in the 2004-05 season ... Bennett Koch has scored 936 career points for the Panthers and ranks 47th on the school's all-time scoring list.