Dec. 10, 2011

Box Score

CEDAR FALLS, Iowa - Jake Koch had 21 points and Northern Iowa committed just six turnovers en route to a 67-51 win over the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Saturday afternoon at the McLeod Center.

Kaylon Williams had 16 points to lead Milwaukee (8-2), which had 15 turnovers and gave up 14 offensive rebounds.

Kyle Kelm added 12 points and James Haarsma 10 for the Panthers, who shot 52.4 percent from the floor in the second half after shooting 33.3 percent in the first 20 minutes.

UNI, meanwhile, got 13 points from Anthony James and 12 points from Johnny Moran while living up to its reputation as one of the best three-point shooting teams in the country. The Panthers hit on 9-of-19 from beyond the arc, many coming at key times to help extend the lead or kill a Milwaukee run. UNI also used its edge in the turnover column to hold a 17-2 advantage in points off of turnovers, while Northern Iowa had a 16-7 lead in second-chance points.

The key surge came midway through the second half. Milwaukee was within 40-34 following a free throw by Ryan Allen with 10:53 to play. But, Northern Iowa scored 20 of the next 31 points of the game to build a 60-45 advantage with 4:09 remaining.

"You just can't get behind against Northern Iowa. They are too basic of a team and too disciplined," UWM head coach Rob Jeter said. "I thought the keys to the game were the offense rebounds and the 50-50 basketballs - we didn't come up with one 50-50 ball. The offensive rebounds led to open three-point shots or free throws, and it just put us on a slippery slope."

Both teams struggled to shoot the ball in the first 20 minutes but Northern Iowa made just enough to build a nine-point halftime lead. UNI led 15-11 after a three-pointer by Koch with 10:50 remaining and extended the edge to 22-15 on a pair of Koch free throws with 3:39 remaining.

Kelm knocked down a three-pointer for Milwaukee to bring UWM within 22-18 with just over two minutes remaining, but UNI scored the final five points of the frame to carry a 27-18 lead into the locker room.

The UNI lead grew to 31-18 in the first two minutes of the second half but Milwaukee fought back to pull within 36-30 on a three-point play by Haarsma with 13:14 left. The Panthers will still within six at 40-34 on a Ryan Allen free throw but UNI countered with a 7-2 run and a 47-36 lead. The advantage eventually grew to 15 points following a Moran three-pointer with just over four minutes left and UWM could get no closer than 11 points after that.

The Panthers return home Tuesday night to face in-state rival Wisconsin. The battle at the U.S. Cellular Arena in Milwaukee starts at 7 p.m.