National Basketball Association
Northern Iowa 55, Southern Illinois 39
When: 8:00 PM ET, Wednesday, January 7, 2015
Where: McLeod Center, Cedar Falls, Iowa
Officials:
# Brad Gaston, # Paul Janssen, # Roland Simmons
Attendance:
3910
By SportsDirect Inc.
No. 23 Northern Iowa 55, Southern Illinois 39: Seth Tuttle recorded 24 points and eight rebounds to lead the Panthers to their 11th consecutive victory at home.
Nate Buss scored 15 points as Northern Iowa (13-2, 2-1 Missouri Valley Conference) overcame a slow start and relied on hot shooting from Tuttle and Buss, who were a combined 15-of-21 from the field - 5-of-7 from 3-point range. The Panthers set a season low for points allowed, lowering their MVC-leading average to 56.4.
Jordan Caroline scored 13 points for the Salukis (7-9, 0-3), who lost their fifth straight overall and 12th in a row at Northern Iowa. Sean O'Brien and Bola Olaniyan added 10 points apiece as Southern Illinois scored its fewest points of the season for the second straight game after Saturday's 63-44 loss at Bradley.
Buss (11), Tuttle (10) and Bennett Koch (four) scored all of the Panthers' points in the first half - with Buss and Tuttle going a combined 5-of-5 from 3-point range - as Northern Iowa led 25-18 at the break. The first points weren't recorded until nearly four minutes were gone and the Salukis - 8-for-27 from the field in the first half - endured a scoreless stretch of almost six minutes, allowing the Panthers to establish a seven-point lead a little less than 5 1/2 minutes before the break.
Tuttle, who was 9-for-12 from the field, scored his team's first five points of the second half, including a three-point play which marked Northern Iowa's first free-throw attempt, and four straight points by Buss extended the lead to 43-27 with a little less than 11 minutes left. Tuttle recorded three-point plays on consecutive possessions, with the second moving the Panthers ahead 53-37 with 4:02 remaining.
GAME NOTEBOOK: Buss, Tuttle and Koch combined to shoot 10-for-15 from the field in the first half while their teammates were 0-for-11. ... Southern Illinois committed a foul on four consecutive offensive possessions during the first half. ... The Panthers improved to 106-28 at the McLeod Center since it opened in 2006.
Top Game Performances
| Southern Illinois |
|
Northern Iowa |
|
Jordan Caroline 13 |
Scoring |
Seth Tuttle 24 |
|
Deion Lavender 3 |
Assists |
Wes Washpun 4 |
|
Jordan Caroline 8 |
Rebounds |
Seth Tuttle 8 |
|
Jordan Caroline 4 |
Free Throws Made |
Seth Tuttle 4 |
|
Bola Olaniyan 2 |
Steals |
Jeremy Morgan 3 |
|
Bola Olaniyan 2 |
Blocks |
Jeremy Morgan 2 |
Team Stats Summary
| Team |
Points |
FG% |
3PM-3PA |
FTM-FTA |
Assists |
Rebounds |
Blocks |
Steals |
Turnovers |
| Southern Illinois
|
39 |
29.5 |
4-15 |
9-13 |
6 |
29 |
3 |
5 |
14 |
| Northern Iowa
|
55 |
44.7 |
6-16 |
7-10 |
11 |
30 |
4 |
7 |
10 |
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